May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you.
—1 Thessalonians 3:12
Our Start
Shepherd of the Cross started as a mission congregation in 1986 when Pastor Arno Frerichs literally knocked on thousands of doors to invite community members to hear the Gospel. For the first years, the congregation gathered for worship in the former Muscatine Holiday Inn. The current building was completed in 1989 with the help of ELCA Mission Builders.
By 1991, Wonder Years Preschool began. Today, preschool director Michelle Rogers continues to teach three- and four-year-olds during morning classes.
Our Pastor
Today, Shepherd of the Cross is led by Pastor Aleese Kenitzer who accepted the call in July 2016. Aleese graduated from Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa, with a Masters of Divinity. Prior to seminary, she studied at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, majoring in music and religion.
At her core, Aleese is passionate about helping others encounter God’s grace through worship, education, and service and equipping disciples of Christ to utilize their God-given gifts in their everyday lives. As a public leader of the church, she takes seriously the development of relationships within the congregation while also being a public witness to the kingdom of God in the broader community.
She is an active leader within Faith Together Muscatine – a collaboration between ELCA congregations in Muscatine – and serves on behalf of Christian Day Camp – an ecumenical camp serving hundreds of kids in the greater Muscatine community. Previously she has served on the Board of Directors for Camp EWALU Lutheran Bible Camp, the Board of the Early Childhood Iowa Muscatine County (ECIMC), and the Southeastern Iowa Synod Council.
Aleese also enjoys playing music: especially her violin, harp, and piano. She is an active member of the Muscatine Symphony Orchestra and has collaborated with the Muscatine High School Orchestra and the Muscatine Civic Chorale.
