Congregation
Faith Lutheran Church is a biblically-based, Christian congregation of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. Located on US-301 in Parrish, Florida, we also draw members from the surrounding communities of Bradenton, Ellenton, Palmetto, Ruskin, Sarasota, Sun City Center and Wimauma.
Members are full-time residents of the area, many living in the local 55+ communities. Associate members are “snowbirds” who spend their winters in Florida, retaining primary membership with their northern church homes. Both members and associate members are granted voting privileges in the Voters’ Assembly of the congregation.
Rev. Patrick Poock
Rev. Patrick Wayne Poock was born in Iowa on December 29, 1968. He attended Concordia University in St. Paul, Minnesota, studying to be a Director of Christian Education. His internship was in Caracas, Venezuela and he then graduated in 1995. After college he was called to Christ Memorial Church in Madison, Wisconsin, as a DCE. He married a year later and moved to Misawa Air Base, Japan, where he served as the Protestant Religious Education Coordinator at the base chapel. Approximately three years later he was accepted to Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri. He was a vicar at Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church in San Jose, California. He received his Master of Divinity from Concordia University, St. Louis and was ordained on June 24, 2001. He received his first call in 2001 to Messiah Lutheran Church in Ewa Beach, Hawaii, where he served as Pastor for nine years. In 2010 he was called to active duty in the Air Force as a Chaplain, US Air Force, LCMS Board of Mission Services. He served at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, Anderson Air Base in Guam, Yokota Air Base in Japan and Travis Air Force Base in California. He served as an active duty Chaplain until May of 2018 and continues now serving with the Reserves. Pastor Poock accepted the call to Faith Lutheran Church and was installed as Pastor on July 8, 2018.
Rev. Poock and Gwyn were married July 15, 1995. They met while still in high school in Liberia, West Africa, where their parents were missionaries with Lutheran Bible Translators. Gwyn Poock served in the Air Force as a Public Affairs Officer, five years in active duty and 17 years in reserve duty, retiring in June, 2014. They have four children: two sons, Caleb Micah, Silas Micah, and two girls, Mikiah Mikah Kanoelani (Kiah) and Berea Noah Mikah (Noah).
Church Council
The Church Council serves as the board of directors for the church. The role of the Church Council is to assess and shape the strategic and long-term direction of the church, to protect church unity, and to oversee and conduct the daily operational and administrative functions of the church on behalf of the Voters Assembly. The Council is empowered and guided by the Constitution and Bylaws of the Church, in accordance with which congregational affairs, spiritual and material, are conducted. If you wish to obtain a copy of the Constitution and By-laws, please contact the Church office.
The Church Council reports annually to the Voters Assembly at a meeting each December, as well as at any specially-called Voters’ meetings.
The Church Council consists of the elected officers, the chairpersons of each Board or standing committee, and Pastor, as an ex-officio member. The current members of the Church Council are:
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- President, Glen Collier
- Vice President, Vacant
- Recording Secretary, Jean Roehrs
- Treasurer, Barb Wikel
- Financial Secretary, John Niemi
- Board of Elders, Mert Janovec
- Board of Trustees, Dave Benson
- Altar Guild, Janie Zanella
- Communications, Caleb Poock
- LWML, Marilyn Howard