As a boy, Erich Lantz rode the school bus past St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Timberville. Little did he realize that years later he would return to that same church — not as a passerby, but as its Synod Authorized Minister.
Erich’s career path took him in several directions before eventually steering him toward the church. He earned both a Bachelor of Arts degree in Adult ESL and a graduate certificate in Educational Technology from James Madison University.
Erich’s call to the ministry led him to the Virginia Synod’s Lay Ministry Academy, and in 2023, after about three years of preparation, Erich was commissioned as a Lay Preacher. This past June, the Office of the Bishop, Virginia Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, appointed him to serve St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Timberville as a Synod Authorized Minister (SAM).
As a SAM, Erich leads worship, conducting services that include preaching and leading the Service of the Word. He also administers sacraments, including leading Holy Communion and performing baptisms, and provides pastoral care for his congregation.
Erich is constantly brainstorming new ideas to help the church grow and to become more involved in the community. First on the list is hosting an annual community Thanksgiving service this November. He also hopes to work with other ministers and SAMs in the area to pool resources and share ideas.
Another upcoming event is the celebration of the 135th anniversary of St. Paul’s Church on Sunday, October 26.
According to church history, the Rev. J.P. Stirewalt preached the first sermon in the new building on June 3, 1891. Before that, the parishioners met in a grove of trees near where they would eventually build the structure. On September 20, 1891, the congregation officially dedicated the building to God. That day, twenty-five members participated in communion, and seven children were baptized.
The original building had two front doors, with men entering through the right door and women through the left. In 1975, they built an addition and changed the two-door entrance to a single center entry. That project also added two new classrooms and a basement. Over the years, they installed stained glass windows, replaced the pump organ with an electric organ, and converted the coal stoves to an oil furnace.
In 2007, the church purchased the land behind the cemetery to build a pavilion with water and electricity for fellowship gatherings. The pavilion overlooks the church and St. Paul’s Ark, the children’s play area.
St. Paul’s welcomes Erich as its new leader and looks forward to all that is in store for their church family. Church member Dinah Coffman says, “St. Paul’s is blessed to have a minister and his wife (Nancy) who have grown up in the area. (Erich) knows the community and who gives Biblical sermons each Sunday.”
Another St. Paul’s member, Kim Runion, comments, “Erich takes the time to explain why and how things happen from the Bible. He speaks loudly, which is great for the older members of our congregation. He relates Bible stories to life experiences, rather than ones he has had or events going on in the world. You can tell Erich loves what he does and takes on new challenges without skipping a beat. Erich is easy to talk to and helpful with suggestions of how to make our congregation grow.”
And finally, Patsy Whitmire says, “Erich is a fine young Christian man. He is very quiet, but if you talk to him, he has a lot of interesting and sometimes funny things to say. I feel we are very blessed to have him as our Pastor.”
The October 26th Homecoming celebration service will start at 10:00 and all other Sunday services are at 9:00. Everyone is always welcome to attend services at St. Paul’s.
