Meet Our Visiting NALC Seminarian

Shari Munyon

Preaching on Seminary Sunday, October 6, 2013

My husband, Steve, and I have been married for nearly 21 years. Steve and I have three

children together: Cody, who just turned 20; Elizabeth (Liz), who is 16; and Laine, who will be

15 this weekend. Steve is a great step-dad to our oldest daughter, Nicole, who is 27. She

considers him her real dad and he considers her his real daughter. In fact, many people don't

even realize they aren't father-daughter! Nicole is married to Jesse and they have two daughters,

Jude and Novalee.

We attend Trinity Lutheran Church here in Avoca. I was born and raised here in Avoca. Steve

grew up in Council Bluffs, Iowa and moved here after

we got married.

After high school graduation I moved to Des Moines

to attend the American Institute of Business where I

received an Associates degree in Business

Administration and Accounting. In 2004, I went back

to school to pursue my Bachelor's degree in

Psychology, which I received in 2007 from Bellevue

University in Bellevue, Nebraska.

I worked both for the State of Nebraska and for the

State of Iowa between 2007 and 2012. In both of

those positions I assisted low-income families with

obtaining food assistance, Medicaid, and TANF

(Temporary Assistance for Needy Families).

I recognized God's call to become a pastor in March 2012 after giving a sermon while our

church was between pastors. By May 1 of that same year we had called a new pastor and by

September I had quit my full-time, full-benefits, great-pay job with the State of Iowa to become

the Director of Ministry in Daily Life at Trinity, a position the leaders of the church developed

just for me.

In addition to being a full-time employee of Trinity, I am attending seminary classes through

Sioux Falls Seminary in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The seminary has begun offering classes in

Omaha as an extension of their facility in Sioux Falls, so I travel to Omaha twice a week to

attend classes. It's an exciting journey and I'm looking forward to continuing to follow God's

lead and discover where He takes us!