New Contributor Coming: Rev. Jacob Hercamp

With great pleasure, let me welcome to the blog Rev. Jacob Hercamp. He will be contributing posts to our blog beginning sometime in the next few weeks. Here is his introduction:

Greetings in the Name of our crucified, risen, and ascended Lord, Jesus Christ!

My name is Jacob Hercamp, and I am currently serving as Pastor at St. Peter Lutheran Church in La Grange, MO.  Rev. Smith graciously invited me to help contribute to the What Does This Mean Blog, and I am excited to oblige!

I come from southern Indiana, and my home congregation is one of the oldest in the area, St. John’s Ev. Lutheran Church, White Creek. My parents and grandparents still live in the area. I attended the parochial school at the church, and after my 8th grade year I chose to attend Trinity Lutheran High School, located in Seymour, IN.  Upon graduation from high school I decided to attend Indiana University and pursue a degree in Biochemistry.  While at Indiana I played a key role in revitalizing the Omega Chapter of the Beta Sigma Psi, The National Lutheran Fraternity.  It was during this time of my life that I became friends with Rev. Smith because his sons and I lived together at Indiana.

During my time at college, I finally figured out that I should attend seminary, something that people encouraged me to do all along! So I applied to CTSFW, and got to sit at the feet of great Lutheran theologians, and hang out with Rev. Smith on a daily basis.

I was blessed to attend not only Ft. Wayne but I also took the opportunity to study at Westfield House in Cambridge, England.  I then went with my wife, Emily (4 years of marriage 20 June), to vicarage in Imperial, NE, under the guidance of Rev. David Kahle. Instead of going straight out after my 4th year at seminary, I was able to stay and work for Drs. David Scaer and Cameron MacKenzie as the graduate assistant while I earned a Master’s of Sacred Theology in Old Testament Exegesis from CTSFW.

I was ordained on Pentecost Day (4 June 2017) and will be celebrating my one year installation anniversary 23 July.

Emily and I are blessed with Jacob Ryan II (3 as of August 2018) and Ella (1 as of June 2018)

I pray that my writings here at What Does This Mean? proves to be fruitful for you in your journey to explore the faith that we have been given in our Baptism into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

©2018 Jacob Hercamp. All rights reserved. Permission granted to copy, share and display freely for non-commercial purposes. Direct all other rights and permissions inquiries to cosmithb@gmail.com