As a child, around the age of 5-6, John Anderson remembers visiting his great grandmother's apartment, a couple of blocks away. He would ride his bike there and play games. One day his great grandmother took him on her lap, reached over and opened a black leather bound book, and opened it up and started reading, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." She read and explained to him the story of creation and who God was. That was the first time he felt a sense of call.

"I have always somewhat felt a sense of call. I think like many people, I either would brush it aside or sometimes ran the other way," says Anderson. "I ultimately started pursuing it differently. I never really left the field of religion. I just pursued it in a different way by going the academic route. I have taught religion at the collegiate level for the past ten years now."

Besides teaching at the collegiate level, he has been doing pulpit supply for several years, throughout southeast South Dakota. That has fostered and nurtured the sense of call that Anderson first felt sitting on his great grandmother's lap. 

On April 5th, during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Pastor Anderson preached to drive-in worshipers from the bed of a pickup truck. Photos courtesy of Spirit of Faith facebook page.

Anderson says, "Pulpit supply helped me do what I try to teach in the classroom, that there is an intersection between faith and what happens in the classroom. I was fortunate that my sermons were always well received. I never really made that connection that maybe this was something that I should do until I came to Spirit of Faith."

While doing pulpit supply at Spirit of Faith, in Woonsocket, South Dakota, Anderson gave a sermon that shared his faith journey. Some of the congregation members gathered to discuss how he might become the pastor for Spirit of Faith church. 

One of the members of the group that had gathered was out mowing her lawn. She felt this strong urge to stop mowing and let Pastor John know that the conversation had taken place. At the exact time, he was having the same feelings thinking—I wonder if this is something I could pursue? 

"The Spirit was at work, bringing us together to this moment," says Anderson. "It was a moment that affirmed my call, and God finally caught up with me." 

Anderson completed his undergraduate degree at Augustana University in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, majoring in religion and minoring in classics. He received a Masters of Theological Studies at Duke Divinity School in Durham, North Carolina. At Baylor University in Waco, Texas, he obtained a doctoral degree in Biblical Studies with an emphasis on the Old Testament. 

His faith journey is full of ecumenical experiences. Anderson grew up in the Lutheran tradition. He was educated and has taught at Lutheran, Methodist, Baptist, and Catholic higher educational institutions. He is now serving as a pastor at a congregation that has members of the Methodist and Lutheran tradition. 

Pastor Anderson sports his new quilted stole, presented to him by his congregation upon completion of licensing school in June, 2020.

"We are all grappling after the same truth. We are just coming at it in different ways. I have been nurtured in a way that is open to many faith traditions. At Spirit of Faith, I can understand and speak from both perspectives, members of the United Methodist tradition, and members of the ELCA—Lutheran tradition. The ecumenical spirit and learning from one another are present at Spirit of Faith. That is tremendously important to me," says Anderson.

On July 1, 2020, Pastor Anderson entered his first official year as a local licensed pastor, assigned to serve Spirit of Faith in Woonsocket, South Dakota. He completed the licensing school in June, and the congregation celebrated the milestone by giving him a quilted stole. 

Anderson looks forward to serving Spirit of Faith this year and beyond. He sees the congregation as a great example of unleashing the Holy Spirit to guide them. 

"Spirit of Faith is so attuned to the Holy Spirit and how the Holy Spirit works in the world and the community. I feel like I am playing catch up sometimes," he says. "We are always waiting and watching for what God is up to."

During the pandemic, the congregation was an early adopter of the drive-in worship model. They took it on as an experiment to bring people together safely. People show up and have celebrated milestones like confirmation and graduation outdoors. Palm Sunday was the first drive-in worship service and will continue throughout the summer.

"I have been wearing shorts to keep cool. Being outside and worshipping throughout the community is in this congregation's DNA. I am going to have to start preaching with my back to the congregation to keep an even tan," says Anderson.

Spirit of Faith has creatively reached out to the community during the COVID pandemic. They put birdfeeders outside the windows of residents at the retirement community. The congregation will host a drive-in movie for the community. There are virtual daily prayers and virtual Vacation Bible School. 

"This has taught us how we can be innovative in the ways that we do ministry. The kind of energy and passion at Spirit of Faith does not come without the Holy Spirit's presence," says Pastor John. 

Bird feeders were placed outside the residents' windows at the local retirement community.

Anderson is grateful for the support of his wife and three children. They build him up by showing passion and excitement for going to church and all of the church activities. He also is supported by a lifelong friend who is a retired pastor. 

"Spirit of Faith congregation has been a support system for me," says Anderson. "They have walked with me through the licensing process. They have encircled my family and me in rich and beautiful ways. They are deeply supportive and encouraging." 

He hopes to foster a stronger sense of what it means to be the church in the world in innovative, creative ways even after the season of the pandemic.

"I have a t-shirt that I sometimes wear that says, 'the church has left the building.' That has become a motto for this congregation," Anderson says. "We do not go to church; we take the church wherever we go. I hope we never lose sight of what that means."