Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church has a new pastor in Peter Kesting, who recently stepped in to lead the congregation.
Kesting and his wife, Crystal, moved to Readfield from Pittsfield, Massachusetts, with their three children-Abraham (6), Mina (4) and Luther (2). The Kestings pastured in Massachusetts for five years, but both Peter and Crystal have roots in Wisconsin.
“My parents, brother and sister are in the Kewaskum and southern Wisconsin area,” Peter said. “My wife’s family is from the Marinette area.”
Peter attended Martin Luther College in Minnesota and went to Seminary at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in Mequon.
“I was called by the Readfield congregation after their previous pastor retired in July. They had asked pastors to come in, because they were searching for a new pastor,” Peter said. “In the beginning of October, they called me and asked if I wanted to come out here, and the relationship grew from there.”
Peter said his vision for the church involves both inreach and outreach.
“We want to serve the members we have the best way we can,” he stated. “We have many elderly and long-term members, as well as some who are not as active in the church. We want to reach out to them.
“We also want to reach out to people in this area who are looking for a confessional Lutheran church,” he continued. “One of my strengths is working with young families. Hopefully we can service them through many avenues such as our preschool, which currently has 18 students.
Service times will remain the same: Saturday at 4:30 p.m. and Sunday at 9 a.m.
“We are happy to be here to serve people,” Peter said. “It’s much different than Massachusetts, but we like to reach people where they’re at and broaden our experiences. This area has very warm people and we received a very warm welcome, which is greatly appreciated.”