By Ben Cox
Photos/Submitted to The Source
Our Redeemer Lutheran Church installed Jacob Friedrich as its new pastor with a special service of ordination and installation on August 26. Friedrich is a native of Downers Grove, Illinois, but has a special connection to Jacksonville.
The special ordination and installation ceremony was presided over by Rev. Michael Mohr, the Central Illinois District President of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS). The LCMS is an orthodox, traditional confessional Lutheran denomination consisting of the second largest Lutheran body of followers with 2.3 million as of 2023.
The LCMS was organized in 1847 at a meeting in Chicago of church leaders from Missouri, Ohio and other states predominantly located in the Midwest. Our Redeemer will celebrate its 50th anniversary of organization on December 31.
Rev. Friedrich says his call to be a part of the broader church’s ministry came at a very young age. “My long journey to Jacksonville pretty much started as a junior in high school when I realized I wanted to become a pastor,” Friedrich explains, “I had a lot of passion for the Lord. Church was the one place where I felt that I could be myself, the one place where I could experience the love of God was at church among his people. And a lot of people within my church supported me to become a pastor and I was very moved to go and serve God and to study his word.”
Friedrich says his pursuit began at Concordia University Wisconsin, private Lutheran-Missouri Synod university in Mequon, Wisconsin. After attending that school’s ministry pre-program, Friedrich started seminary at Concordia Seminary School in St. Louis. Friedrich created a lasting network of friends, including a Jacksonville pastor.
Rev. Jonah Schultz, the pastor of Salem Lutheran Church in Jacksonville acted as the liturgist at Friedrich’s installation. The two of them attended Concordia seminary together. Their relationship grew out of their love of studying the Bible, “He was a very bright student. We would have conversations at cookouts and at other events, and sometimes in the library at Concordia. He would always be a very faithful student of God’s word, but he also was very social as well. It was good to see a balance between both. I considered him to be a good friend. He’s been really helpful with helping me understand Jacksonville and to just make me feel welcome.”
Friedrich is listening to his congregation and to the church’s neighbors to see about plans for programs and new ideas. He’s gotten some introductions at recent meetings of both the Jacksonville Rotary and Jacksonville Kiwanis.
“I think we just need some more fellowship events at church and we need to pretty much be willing to listen to people within our community and figure out what is a need in which we can serve,” Friedrich notes. He says while the search is on for that service and identity, he’s currently attempting more outreach through the church’s successful daycare program. “It’s going to be a lot of listening and paying attention and getting to know people before we really launch into something that is going to be our mission,” Friedrich says. Part of Friedrich’s introduction to Jacksonville has been visiting the Downtown square, which he says is a great place for people to fellowship in the city for events. He is equally impressed by the number of people focused on helping young people with their education – from the work at Illinois College to local investments made by various groups. Friedrich says he hopes to be a part of that learning process from the pulpit. “I want to empower others to talk about the love of God, but I also want to empower parents as well to know their Bible very well, and also to contribute during Bible study, too,” Friedrich explains, “I want my congregation to speak and to give their opinion and to tell me their insights about scripture. So it’s not just about me just telling you what to believe. It’s me and you together learning about God’s word, growing as his humble disciples.”
Friedrich says when he’s not preparing for Sunday or attending to church matters, he enjoys a number of hobbies. “I love fishing, grilling and cooking in general, a nice hike, and enjoy playing strategy games like Risk,” Friedrich says. He also enjoys watching the Chicago Blackhawks and football when he can and is a lover of music. “I just have a very deep love of music,” Friedrich explains, “Music can really help us to calm the mind and calm the heart, and that’s really important for worship. Martin Luther once said that God’s greatest gift to man must be music because it takes his mind off of the troubles and anxieties of this world and puts it upon Christ.”
Our Redeemer Lutheran Church is located at 405 Massey Lane. Weekly church services are held at 9 a.m. with adult Bible study and children’s Sunday school at 10:15 a.m. Weekly Bible study is held on Thursdays at 10 a.m. For more information, call 217-243-3939.
