Our Pastor

Rev. Susan H.Swanson

Before being called to LMC in 1998 Pastor Swanson graduated from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.

Susan was a college professor and professional violinist before attending seminary. Her husband, Timothy, is pastor of Edgebrook Lutheran Church, Chicago, Illinois.

Vicar David Fleener

Assisting the pastor this year is seminarian David Fleener, from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.

David began his internship at LMC on June 24, 2007. David was born in Columbia, MO. After living in mid-Missouri for eleven years, he moved with his family to Northeast Iowa.

There they became members of Bethany Lutheran Church in Elkader, IA, where David was baptized in December of 1992. He graduated from Central Community High School
in 2000. After graduation, he attended Luther College in Decorah, IA.

There he met his wife, Lindsay Bell. After
graduating from Luther with a double major in Music and Religion in 2004, he and Lindsay were married in August, 2005.

David has many interests, including languages, literature, liturgics, and Biblical exegesis, as
well as an affinity for opera and medieval and renaissance music. He has served as a soloist
in Handel's Messiah, and has also played leading roles in several operas, including Cosi Fan Tutte and Le Nozze di Figaro at his alma mater.

He continues to enjoy performing when he
doesn't have ecclesiastical duties, most recently with the Bach Choir at the Evangelical
Lutheran Church of St. Luke in Chicago and at Harper College in Palatine, IL.

David lives in Hyde Park, Chicago with his wife Lindsay and a large orange tabby cat
named Alfie.

2500 West Wilson Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60625-3026
phone: 773-539-3018
fax: 773-539-3599

What is a Vicar?

In the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, education and training to become an ordained pastor is a four-year program. The degree received after four years of study is a Master of Divinity, usually abbreviated M.Div.

Generally, the third year of one's study to become a pastor is a full-time internship working in a congregation.

There are a number of titles used for a seminarian in this internship year. Sometimes, they are called 'intern pastor,' or even just 'pastor.'

Traditionally, though, in parts of the Lutheran Church, the term 'vicar' has been adopted as the official title of a seminarian during her/his internship year.