Grounded: A Desire to Be Known. To Belong.

Some of you know Kevin and Jean Syverson. Kevin drives the school bus for Dilworth Elementary. Like many retired baby boomers, Kevin now works part-time and loves to plant trees. He lives what our founding father, Martin Luther, once penned, “Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.” Be sure to ask Kevin how many trees he’s planted!!

A few years ago, Kevin and Jean went through several major transitions: Kevin retired from the Railroad; after 23 years of working in Christian Education, Jean switched jobs; and they moved to Dilworth. Then the pandemic hit, and with it came an isolation that accentuated their need for community and fellowship.

After this upheaval, Jean and Kevin longed to be grounded. “When we moved to Dilworth we had a deep desire to be known, to belong,” Jean said.

Jean and Kevin started coming to Dilworth through the drive-in worship. Even the worship wasn’t the same as being in person, they found a spiritual home. “The pandemic makes it more difficult to get to know people,” they reflected. “But the worshipping community has given us a sense of home. We feel grounded here. We love having a good mix of old and young in our new faith community and enjoy both our traditional and contemporary worship services.”

Kevin was also happily surprised to find a couple of his Railroad friends at church too. He hopes he can someday be a part of a men’s group who like to fix up the church. “I want to contribute to my church,” he said. “It is a two-minute drive to our new church, and we are only 20 minutes away from our grandson. Life is good!” they proudly proclaimed.

Jean and Kevin love their new home, small town life, and getting to know their neighbors. “You can tell who the members of our church are by the signs on their lawn,” they said. “Love God. Love neighbor. That’s what we do at Dilworth Lutheran.”