St. Stephens Lutheran Church, located in the Benona countryside, officially welcomed new pastor Kurt Overway of Montague, on June 23. The church has been using part-time, semi-retired and retired pastors for a number of years. Overway is currently working full-time in Ludington and working part-time as St. Stephens new pastor.
Originally from Holland, Mich. Overway shared, “I’m a true Dutchman.” He completed his undergraduate studies in 1982 at Concordia Lutheran College, now Concordia University, in Ann Arbor. He met his wife Judy at Concordia, and the two were married in 1981. He received his graduate degree from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Mo., in 1987.
“My first calling was to a dual parish, St. Peters in Wymore, Neb., and First Lutheran located 30 miles away in Summerfield, Kansas. It was culture shock going from Lake Michigan to cornfields,” Overway laughed. He ministered in the corn belt for three and a half years before being called back to West Michigan, where he was instrumental in starting a mission church, the New Hope Lutheran Church, in Hudsonville. While there, he, along with other members of New Hope, helped to start another church, Christ Our Savior Lutheran Church in Holland.
“By 1995, I was getting burned out. I left full-time ministry to spend more time with my growing family and went to work for Prince Automotive, now Johnson Controls. Ten years ago, I moved to UAJC Automotive Whitehall Industries, in Ludington, where I am currently Director of Quality,” he said.
By 2021, Overway had been outside of full-time ministry for 27 years. While working full time at UAJC, Overway answered God’s call on his heart to get back into church ministry. He became involved at Faith Lutheran in Whitehall, where he served as Pastor Emeritus on a volunteer basis, as well as providing pulpit supply for other parishes, until he received the call to St. Stephens Lutheran in Shelby earlier this year.
When asked what the circumstances were around his going back into full-time Christian ministry, he shared, “The call has always been there; I kept it off to the side and just hadn’t acted on it til four years ago.”
He admits he struggled, and he felt like he was saying “no” to God, but God continued to say “yes.” He reached a point in his relationship with Him when Overway confessed, “You’ve been right all these years” and started the reinstatement process.
“It wasn’t easy,” he said. “There were interviews, letters of reference to secure and hard questions to answer. Part of reinstatement involves remorse and repentance, but also acceptance and forgiveness. It is me saying ‘yes’ to God and the church, and the church agreeing it’s time too.”
Since his installation on June 23, Pastor Overway has been busy getting settled and getting to know the St. Stephens community. “The church, built in 1870, has seen lots of transition with the different generations. But we are growing again,” he said.
Since coming on board, Pastor Kurt has helped to form a “social outreach” group where several members connected with the community at the New Era Fall Street Festival. “It was incredibly fun. It’s probably the best thing our church has done in years. We had a prayer booth and caught up with old friends and neighbors, while meeting new friends and neighbors. It was a way to get our name out there.”
The church is also excited about hosting a “Trunk or Treat” at the end of October and a “Praise & Pies” the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. The church is in the process of starting a youth group, which Overway is very excited about. “To see the youth energized in church is an awesome thing to see. I am looking forward to taking a group to the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod national youth gathering ‘Endure’ next July. It’s a lot of fun,” he said.
Like many other churches, the church has been live streaming services since Covid, and is now utilizing social media to reach into the community as well.
It is evident after speaking with Pastor Kurt that he loves the Lord, he loves people, he is highly gifted in administration, doesn’t take himself too seriously, and has a very supportive wife, an ideal combination that will serve him well as he begins this next chapter in his life serving in Shelby.
Overway’s Lutheran title is “Worker Priest” because he works full time at UAJC and part time for St. Stephens. He plans to officially retire from his job at UAJC in 2026. Hinting at his age, he added he’s “too pumped up” to consider retirement.
The Overways have three grown children. He and his wife enjoy living in Montague, where his wife Judy loves to garden, and he is just a 15-minute walk to where his sailboat is docked on White Lake.
St. Stephens is located at 7400 W. Johnson Rd. in Shelby. Visit St. Stephens Lutheran Church on Facebook for event information and www.ststephenshelby.org for more about the Lutheran faith and how to contact Pastor Kurt. Worship is held every Sunday at 9:30 a.m. (outside weather permitting Memorial Day to Labor Day), followed by Bible class at 11 a.m.
