Rev. Steven Hartten

ESCANABA — JOY Lutheran Church, the newest congregation of the North American Lutheran Church, (NALC) installed a new pastor, Rev. Steven Hartten, on Oct. 16. Hartten will be the lead pastor for both JOY Lutheran Church in Escanaba and Salem Lutheran Church in Bark River.

In attendance at the installation service were many clergy including NALC Dean of the Wisconsin-Upper Michigan Mission District Rev. Thomas Reiff, Rev. Stephen Cowen, Rev. Len Gilley, Rev. Paul Strom, Rev. Lee Liverance and Lay Minister Cynthia Cowen.

Hartten comes to the Upper Peninsula after serving a congregation in St. Joseph, Mich. He has served congregations in Massachusetts, Colorado and Michigan. In addition to his pastoral duties in a congregation, Hartten also served as the dean for the Michigan Mission District, which encompasses the Lower Peninsula. Prior to attending seminary in Chicago, Ill. Hartten worked as a chemical engineer in New York and Massachusetts on projects to remove heavy metal salts from plating bath rinse waters. He is married to his wife Loretta and they have three children, all of whom are grown and living in the metro-Denver area and Rockford, Ill. Both Hartten and his wife are excited about the possibilities of working with a new mission start and revitalizing an existing congregation.

JOY Lutheran Church is located at 833 North Lincoln Road in Escanaba. Worship on Sundays is at 11 a.m. Salem Lutheran is located at 4304 D Road in Bark River and worships at 9 a.m. on Sundays.