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HILLSBOROUGH: Faith Lutheran community welcomes William Zimmerman

By Audrey Levine, Staff Writer
   The Rev. William Zimmerman knew from the moment he met with members of the Faith Lutheran Church, on South Branch Road, that he would be comfortable there, having found a growing community with needs that matched what he wanted in a congregation.
   ”The bishop’s office here was quick to call and quick to ask me to consider them,” he said. “It just felt right from the beginning.”
   Now, more than a month after he took his position as pastor at the church on Dec. 15, the Rev. Zimmerman was officially installed in a ceremony Sunday.
   ”I am pastor of a church that is growing and alive,” he said, of the things he enjoys about the congregation. “These folks seem to truly enjoy one another.”
   In addition to spending time together, the Rev. Zimmerman said he is pleased to see that the congregants enjoy worshipping, something he considers to be one of his highest priorities in a church.
   ”In my head, that should go without saying,” he said. “Some pastors are not as obvious. When the congregants worship with me, they can tell I’m enjoying it, and hopefully that’s contagious.”
   Aside from worship, the Rev. Zimmerman said he loves teaching, both adults and children, and is hoping to start adult education classes at the church. He said people seem to be open to the idea.
   ”Worship and education are my two (focuses),” he said. “I love preaching, singing, teaching. Many of my colleagues think I’m crazy because I enjoy teaching confirmation.”
   The Rev. Zimmerman said he is also pleased with the average worship attendance, and the fact that it continues to rise. In 2008, he said, there was an average of 144 people attending services.
   ”So far, we’ve been doing better, and you would expect the numbers to creep up,” he said. “This is a big plus for me.”
   As these numbers continue to grow, the Rev. Zimmerman said, he knows there will have to be some physical expansion of the church to accommodate everyone. Since the church was constructed in the 1960s, he said, there have been three different building projects, and he said he imagines there are more to come.
   ”But it is good to be in a place with a sense of things happening,” he said.
   Having grown up in Union County, the Rev. Zimmerman said another plus about being in Hillsborough is that he is close to his old stomping grounds, after having lived in Pennsylvania for 33 years. In addition, he said, his wife has never been in this area of New Jersey, so she is experiencing it for the first time.
   ”It is good to be back in this area, but it has changed a great deal,” he said.
   When he was young, the Rev. Zimmerman said, he would tell people that he wanted to be a minister when he grew up. Although that desire waned during his teenage years, by the time he entered East Stroudsburg University, in Pennsylvania, he knew his ultimate goal was to join the ministry.
   ”With me, it was more of a process,” he said. “I grew up in the church and my faith never stopped developing. I became more and more convinced (that I wanted to join the ministry).”
   Still, the Rev. Zimmerman said, after conferring with advisors, he decided to take up an English major in college.
   ”I asked the staff what I should major in,” he said. “I was told to do what I like and I’ll figure out how to use it. My love of reading gives me a wide mind, and there are so many things I’m exposed to.”
   After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1980, the Rev. Zimmerman entered the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, and 25 years ago, in January 1984, began his first ministerial position at two small congregations in Hazelton, Pa.
   ”They were five miles apart and I was there for eight years,” he said. “It was a great place to start.”
   From there, the Rev. Zimmerman said, he moved to Zion United Lutheran Church in Brodheadsville, Pa. in 1992, then began working at the Advent Lutheran Church, in West Lawn, Pa., in 2004, before returning to New Jersey in December.
   For those looking to enter the ministry, the Rev. Zimmerman said, the best way to prepare is to talk to other pastors about their own congregations. He said it is beneficial to talk to those with all different sized congregations.
   ”Most pastors end up in a small church at the beginning of their careers, but many don’t know what that’s like,” he said. “Talk to your own pastor and others from a variety of churches for a fuller understanding.”
   As he settles into the church, the Rev. Zimmerman said he plans to immerse himself in projects and activities that have already been started in an effort to see where he would be most helpful. He said the congregants have already done good work in the church and he does not want to negate that.
   ”I want to plug into what’s already here,” he said. “I will be a cheerleader, and where my guidance will make something stronger, I will step in.”