Bishop to install Holy Counselor's new pastor

After a year without a leader, church welcomes Pastor Chris Vernon — The honorable Bishop E. Roy Riley of the NJ Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) will preside over a special service on Sunday, Sept. 27 at 3 p.m. to officially install the Rev. Christopher Bruesehoff as pastor of Holy Counselor Lutheran Church on Sandhill Road. A reception will follow. Pastor Chris, as he prefers to be called, is a graduate of the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago and holds a bachelor’s degree in religion from Boston University. He served as field education student from 1999 to 2001 at Grace Lutheran Church, as an intern from 2001 to 2002 at Bethany Lutheran Church and as assistant pastor from 2003 to 2009 at Holy Cross Lutheran Church before accepting the call to Holy Counselor Lutheran Church in Vernon in August of 2009. Holy Counselor was without a full-time pastor for just over one year. During that time, a committee was formed to find a pastor and a multi-step process was followed to first identify the church and community needs, and build an extensive church profile that was matched against comprehensive candidate profiles. Also during the vacancy, congregation members teamed up with support clergy to provide ministries and worship services. Some traveled from areas as far as Manhattan and the Jersey shore. Now the congregation looks forward to the official recognition of their new pastor. The Rev. Bruesehoff, (pronounced Breeze ‘e hoff), has settled into the newly painted parsonage adjacent to the church along with his wife Jamie and children Benjamin and Elijah. Pastor Chris brings a wealth of experience, having helped coordinate youth events including the national youth rally of the ELCA, and has also worked closely with seniors and the elderly through his work in assisted homes.