St. Olaf Lutheran Church welcomes new pastor
By Joan Janzen
joanjanzen@yahoo.com
Scott Kopperude officially began his role of pastor at St. Olaf Lutheran Church, located at 807 - 3rd Street West, Kindersley, in January of this year. However, he has been preaching there since last June.
“I’m in Kindersley every second Sunday in person, but by video every other Sunday. I come out for a day or two during the week, as well as being on call for funerals and such,” Scott explained. “A pastor is always on call. When you invest your heart into a group of people, there’s no such thing as part-time. I’m full-time in my heart.”
When he’s not in Kindersley, Scott and his wife reside in Saskatoon, where he is also pastor of Reflection Ministries, which began in August of 2020. “We’re involved in a church plant in Saskatoon, which St. Olaf is supportive of.”
On the days that he’s in Kindersley, he tries to be in the community as much as possible, visiting people in their homes, farms and businesses. “I’m really trying to connect with people, and that’s working out. It’s hands-on with the people when I’m in Kindersley, making hospital visits and visits to Caleb and the Manor as much as restrictions will allow,” he explained. He’s also been able to meet with the other pastors in town through the ministerial group, which meets on Thursdays. “They’ve really welcomed me with open arms,” Scott said.
He explained why some of the names in Kindersley are familiar. “St. Olaf was my dad’s first parish in 1957 when I wasn’t even alive yet. But I still feel very connected to the church and the people. Some of them even remember my dad.”
In 1990, Scott moved his family from Alberta to Saskatoon, where he attended seminary. “We were expecting our fourth child when I took seminary, and in 2013 I became an elder with a local church in Saskatoon and also went to Israel for a tour. St. Olaf would be my second official parish. Now I can’t imagine doing anything else,” he said.
However, he was very busy doing something else prior to 1990. Scott is a Grand Master, IX-Dan Black-Belt in TaeKwon-Do and President and CEO of Kopperud TaeKwon-Do Schools Inc. across Western Canada.
“I opened my first school in 1976. That’s all we did. It was our sole source of income, and I got into finance later on,” he explained. “The schools now basically run themselves. The teaching schedule is filled by others, but they support my role as a pastor.”
Scott had an international presence in Tae Kwon-Do, travelling throughout Canada, the United States, England and Germany. “Some of the friends I’ve made internationally now tune in on Sundays to our online services, so I greet people from all over the world,” he said. “The scope of our outreach is kind of limitless in terms of social media. I do like to reach a large, diverse group of people through social media, but I don’t want it to be a permanent replacement for face-to-face worship. You can’t duplicate personal fellowship. We’re called to congregate together and encourage one another.”
For Scott, Tae Kwon-Do represents a mission field for people who would never go to a church. “People respect my rank enough to listen to what is most important to me. They would hear about the sport, but I would make it clear where I got my strength from. Some of the friends I’ve made internationally now tune in on Sundays to our online service. So I greet people from all over the world. God continues to bless us, and He continues to surprise us,” he concluded. “My first call is as a child of God. My second is a husband, dad of 4 and grandfather of 4. Then after that comes the church.”
The church at St. Olaf Lutheran is pleased to have Pastor Scott Kopperude as their pastor.
Photo submitted
Pastor Scott Kopperude