Retirements are a sometimes scary and intimidating thing. Having to step out of your everyday work and live without a clear-cut structure is a daunting thought for many, and it's usually why people prolong their retirement and continue working for longer. For Reverend Karen Larson, however, her farewell from the Zwingli United Church of Christ doesn't mean the end of her continually growing relationship with Christ. After replacing Viktor Jortak as the head pastor in 2017, she has continued to lead Sunday messages at the colloquially known Berne Church with a fervent dedication to the community. Through music, wood-fired community pizza, and several other initiatives, Karen has connected kids and adults with the Word and made Sunday services welcoming and relevant to all. The following paragraphs reveal her backstory, future, and May 18th retirement in greater detail.
Before entering ministry, Karen lived with her community service-oriented family on a farm near Rice Lake. As a dairy farm girl, she regularly attended and volunteered at the First Presbyterian Church in Claremont, which her family encouraged alongside an enthusiastic curiosity about the world. After getting an education at Owatonna Public Schools and U of M, she pursued a secular career in advertising and worked for agribusiness companies. Karen spent the next twenty-five years raising two daughters who now work as teachers and social workers. Although her non-religious career provided stability and some enjoyment, she kept returning to the meaning and purpose of these past times. Fueled by several factors, Karen felt called to steer her life into a new direction and meaning. After enrolling in the United Theological Seminary in New Brighton, she pursued a career in ministry despite her original goals and became ordained as a pastor in 2012.
"Big mid-life questions led me to seminary and the ministry, where I served widely different churches- a big steeple congregation in downtown Minneapolis and then two small congregations in rural Nebraska. When it came to Berne Church, I felt that God was calling me home to southeast Minnesota to walk with and inspire others."
A part of what drew Larson back to her home state was her sister, whose regular appearances at the church's fundraiser, Berne Wood-Fired Pizza, drew her in. Curious about how a small church could pull off such a massive summer event every week, Karen applied as a pastor and quickly developed relationships with the rural people. By teaching the Word to older congregants and finding new ways to uplift youth, she quickly realized how warm, caring, and grounded the people of Berne Church were. Using her previous knowledge as a pastor, Karen sought to strengthen what the people were already doing- building a healthy community and combining faith and energy with spiritual support. When asked about her experience with the community over the years, she responded with the following statement.
Karen Larson: I started serving Berne Church at the end of 2017 and have experienced the pandemic, anti-racism movement, and heightened political division together. There were dozens of personal and family crises alongside blessings of new babies and neighbors. While challenging at times, all of this has helped me grow spiritually, and I hope it has deepened the congregation's faith and connections just as much. I'm proud of the church for their overwhelmingly positive vote to become Open and Affirming- welcoming everybody and anybody into life and leadership in the community. We also worked incredibly hard to stay connected during the lockdown, allowing folks unable to attend in person to worship live on Facebook.
Throughout these hardships and high moments, one of the most fulfilling and enjoyable parts of her time was the community's "Messy Church" program. Its many projects that youth and their families create act as means of communication, allowing people's incredible creativity to shine. Using their community's differences to embrace all people has allowed them to utilize their unique gifts and love as God loves them. Berne Church's valuable size is "big enough to do God's work" but, as their motto says, small enough to know community members. As her retirement on May 18th comes nearer and nearer, Karen expressed plans to take a hiatus to spend time with her two-year-old grandson and replenish her faith. Throughout the summer and into the fall, she hopes to use her time to slow down, using rest, prayer, discernment, and writing to grow with God. Whatever the next opportunity brings, she trusts that the Lord will provide her with the right family time and use her gifts adequately.
Karen Larson: Throughout my life, God has always come through. There are moments when I may get confused about His intentions, but then the next step becomes clear. Although there is much to be worried and angry about in our world today, the Creator made every human being and all of nature in a self-giving act of love. Jesus Christ has shown us how to live together peacefully, and we can use the Holy Spirit to build more fruitful lives and relationships. Greater purpose for our bodies and rest for our souls comes when we give our hearts to Him.
As Karen says goodbye to Berne Church, her story reminds us that retirement may only mean the beginning of another journey waiting to unravel. If you'd like to thank her for her unwavering dedication to the community, stop by one of Berne Church's Sunday services between now and May 18th. Even beyond then, however, the Zwingli United Church of Christ will continue to fulfill the mission Karen Larson maintained so faithfully- to ground themselves in Christ, give from their hearts, joyfully worship, and contribute to a more just world. Many small towns gather at this sanctuary on the hill, using their rural setting and unique faith journeys to grow their relationship with God. If we can take anything from Karen Larson's incredible contributions to this mission, it's that a united community starts with a united church.
