Trinity Lutheran Church, Urbana, IL

Reverend Terry Strom, Pastor

Pastor Strom was installed as pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church, Urbana, on October 15, 2006, in a special service at 3:30 p.m. He was born on June 15, 1960, in Champaign, Illinois. He was baptized and confirmed at Peace Lutheran Church, Thomasboro, Illinois. After graduating from Rantoul High School in 1978, he completed his BA at Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa in 1982. He married Sandra Hesterberg of Gifford, Illinois on July 31, 1982.

Pastor Strom is a "second career" pastor. After graduating from college he worked in the accounting field for eight years while his wife taught kindergarten at a public school. In 1990, they sold their home and moved their family to St. Louis so he could attend Concordia Theological Seminary. In 1992, they moved to Guatemala in Central America for their vicarage. During the two-year vicarage, Pastor Strom was assigned to Cristo Rey (Christ the King) Lutheran Church in Guatemala City.

Pastor Strom graduated from Concordia Seminary in May, 1995. His first call from the seminary was to a bilingual congregation, El Buen Pastor (Good Shepherd) Lutheran Church in McAllen, Texas. He and his wife, Sandy, served in McAllen for 2 years before accepting the call to Trinity Lutheran Church, in Cissna Park, Illinois, where they served God's people for the last 9 years. Pastor Strom and his wife have three children ages 17, 20 and 23.

Pastor Strom is currently Pastoral Counselor for the Lutheran Women's Missionary League in the Central Illinois District (CID) and he also served as Zone Counselor for the Danville Zone. In addition, he was Circuit Counselor for the Danville Circuit of the CID and served as the chairman for Stewardship/Congregational Convention Floor Committee for the CID 2006 Convention in Springfield, Illinois. He was the Pastoral Delegate for the Danville Circuit to the 2004 Synodical Convention.

He has been vice-president for the Board of Directors for Prairieview Lutheran Nursing Home for the past 6 years. He has also served as treasurer for the Cissna Park Community Library Board (8 years), and chaired the Citizen's Advisory Council of Cissna Park School (4 years).

Besides serving his congregation and community, Pastor Strom enjoys spending time with his family, recumbent bike touring, woodworking, and gardening.