Calvary Lutheran Church in Clarkston is expanding, and new Associate Pastor Ken Fouty is leading it.
Fouty was officially installed two weeks ago as associate and mission development pastor at Calvary Lutheran.
‘They were also looking to bring in a pastor of evangelism, so I interviewed and they called me,? he said.
Fouty will be primarily working out of the church’s second campus in White Lake, but until that campus is more fully established, he will be in Clarkston.
‘The whole idea of my ministry here is to discern what is it is to be one church in two locations and then a pastor of evangelism, not just for Calvary in White Lake or Clarkston, but wherever else we go,? he said.
In the two months Fouty has been at Calvary, he has seen the staff and congregation’s dedication to their mission, something he says ‘I’ve come to appreciate.?
Fouty says the second campus shows a desire to do more and reach out beyond just Clarkston.
“We want to create a place that seems to be in the midst of a crossroads,? he said. ‘The M-59 corridor has all these lake communities around it, but there doesn’t seem to be that hub or gathering place, we’re wondering how we might be able to capture that need in the White Lake community.?
Currently a Boy Scout troop meets at the White Lake campus, as well as Alcoholics Anonymous and weekly Bible studies.
Prior to coming to Clarkston, Fouty was an associate pastor for three years for a church in Spearfish, South Dakota, in the Black Hills.
One of the things leading him there was a ministry for young adults.
‘We rented the old city hall building that was privately owned and put in a coffee shop ministry,? he said.
On Wednesdays, they hosted a Youth Group, Thursdays were ‘open mic night,? Saturdays was couple’s Bible studies, and Sunday night was a worship service, for mainly college-age and young adults.
Fouty said he would like to eventually start a Sunday night worship service at the White Lake campus, but the main goal is to get a Sunday morning worship started within a year.
Fouty lives in Waterford with his wife of seven years, Nicole, and their three sons, Kenny, 4, Eddy, 2, and 5-month-old baby Anderson.
‘Living in Waterford allows me to be about 15-18 minutes from this campus and about 10 minutes from the White Lake Campus,? he said.
Another reason for coming to Michigan was to be closer to his home in Toledo, Ohio. Fouty graduated from the University of Toledo with a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice Administration, then went on to receive his Master of Divinity at Trinisty Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, Ohio. He was a reserve deputy for a sheriff’s office in South Dakota.
‘There are a lot of parallels in ministry and law enforcement,? he said. ‘In law enforcement, you meet people in the midst of their crisis and then you really don’t have any other contact with them, whereas the ministry, when you encounter people in crisis and those situations, you get to walk alongside them and journey with them through that.?
Fouty wants to continue to live out the Church’s motto, ‘to know Christ and make Christ known.?
‘Sharing God’s story with people who are looking for hope, looking for being a part of something bigger than themselves. I see that as my vision for what Calvary is doing and has the potential to do even more of,? he said.