Dear brothers and sisters in Christ!
When I met with the dual parish committee to discuss my serving as vacancy pastor to Our Saviour’s and Trinity in the fall of 2017, they asked me to give a short “autobiography” to introduce myself. A couple of them suggested that it might be something nice to include in the newsletter. I have since updated it for our tri-parish website.
My name is Robert E. Moeller, Jr. My aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents have always called me Bobby. Most of my friends call me Bob. So does my wife, except for very urgent occasions when my given first name seems to add more emphasis. Almost all the people I have served as Christ’s undershepherd call me Pastor Moeller, or Pastor for short. My children call me Dad, and my grandchildren call me Papa.
I was born in Madison, SD and raised on farms near Flandreau and Rutland, SD. If you go to the Moody County Museum in Flandreau, you can see the one-room school house I attended from 1st to 4th grade. I graduated from Rutland High School and attended Mitchell Vo-tech, graduating from their Ag Business program. I moved to Freeman, SD, where I sold feed and livestock supplies for thirteen years and was a Lutheran Brotherhood District Representative for three years.
In December of 1995, my wife Aimee, and our four children (Jessi, Katie, Logan, and Marissa) packed up all our things and moved near Fort Wayne, IN, so I could attend Concordia Theological Seminary. We lived on a dairy farm owned by a family who are fittingly named the Blessings. I did chores in the morning and evening to cover rent, and managed to get a Bachelor of Arts in Management & Communications, in addition to a Master of Divinity from CTS during the 4 ½ years we were there.
We moved near to Hartford, SD, where I served as a vicar at Trinity Lutheran Church for one year, and then was privileged to serve as their pastor for more than 10 years. During that time, I also had the opportunity to serve as interim pastor for about two years at a new mission start in Tea, SD, until they were ready to call their own pastor. I have been serving St. John’s in Trosky, MN since January, 2013. In November, 2016, I started serving as vacancy pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Jasper, MN and Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church in Pipestone, MN. In October, 2017 the three congregations formed a tri-parish and called me as their pastor.
I am blessed to serve these three congregations who have such a rich history of ministry in this area, and which God has seen to provide the gifts and talents needed at this time and place. I pray that the Lord of the Church would continue to bless our efforts as we share God’s Word and Sacraments with one another and the people of our community. I look forward to getting to know each of you better, and in becoming more involved in this community.
Aimee and I moved to Pipestone in October, 2018. Aimee works as an paraprofessional in the SWWC Blue Mound Learning Center in Pipestone. In addition to being just the right woman to help support and take care of this husband, she is a wonderful mother and grandmother. She is an accomplished seamstress, dedicated worker, and plant genius.
Our children are now all on their own, but live relatively close. Jessi is a teacher in the Sioux Falls School District and lives in Sioux Falls. She and her husband, Greg, have two children: Bernice and Bryan. Katie is married to Nate Pickard and lives near Rutland, SD. Katie is a stay-at-home mom and teaches online art classes for the Lower Brule schools and Nate has his own livestock trucking business and livestock operation. They have four children: Emmalyn, Tucker, Gunnar, and Holden. Logan is recently married to Samantha. They have two children, Wiley and Dune, and live near Chamberlain, SD. He teaches High School English on the Lower Brule Reservation and she teaches Mathematics classes at the same school. Marissa is married to Derek Bucher and live in Crooks, SD. They have five children: Abbott, Andersen, Briyr, Madyn, and Boden. She works as a case worker for handicapped children and their families. Derek is an electrician, and works in various places around the country.
I enjoy the opportunities I have to see my children and grandchildren on a regular basis. Our favorite activities include baking cookies (chocolate chip are our specialty), reading, playing with Play Doh, and spending as much time outside as possible. In my spare time, I enjoy reading, gardening, hunting, fishing, and participating in and watching sports.
Blessings in Christ,
Pastor Robert E. Moeller, Jr.
Three Strands Lutheran Parish 