Bergstrom
It took having a pint with three priests in a pub for Jeremy Bergstrom to realize he was having a vocational crisis about the priesthood. Years of religious study had caused him to put off ordination, but then a stop for a drink forced him to reevaluate his life.
“I was struck with the absurdity that I’d put off the issue for so long,” Bergstrom recalled. “I called my bishop the next day!”
Bergstrom has hopped around the south after having committed himself to priesthood. He started his ordained ministry in the Episcopal Church at St. John’s Church in Savannah, Georgia, where he served as an assistant from 2012-15. He then was called to Dallas, where he was named priest-in-charge at St. Christopher’s and Canon for Vocations in the Episcopal Diocese of Dallas from 2015-18.
Fast-forward to 2019 and Bergstrom is now comfortably settled in Seminole County. On Saturday, Jan. 19, Bishop Greg Brewer preached and presided at Bergstrom’s new ministry and installation as rector of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 700 Rinehart Road, Lake Mary. Bergstrom follows the Rev. Chris Brathwaite, who served as interim rector for 14 months.
A crowd of 126 people attended the celebration, marking the latest installation in what has been a very busy first few months in 2019 for Brewer.
“Through years of relationship with Bishop Brewer, a desire to go full-time into parish ministry, and to move closer to family after three years in Dallas, prompted me to call him,” Bergstrom said. “The rest was awaiting the right parish fit. When I saw the parish profile for St Peter’s this past summer, I was instantly hooked and (former) Canon (Tim) Nunez gladly gave the search committee my name. The rest is history!”
A resident of Sanford, Bergstrom takes over at a church that experienced a revival of sorts under Brathwaite, who, in retirement, is serving the diocese at Bishop Brewer’s invitation as Canon Pastor. “Father Chris’s priorities during the interim were to point the people to Jesus, and stabilize the ship,” Bergstrom said. “It’s hard to improve on those goals! My plan is to build on the fine foundation given St Peter’s by (former rector) Father Charlie Holt and others. They built this congregation through solid Christian discipleship and passionate engagement in the life of the Holy Spirit.”
Married to wife, Jackie, and the father of three sons, Nate, Will and Colman, Bergstrom is a Michigan native who was raised Methodist. His father is an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church.
Bergstrom went to Purdue University with the goal of entering politics but changed gears after graduation and went into ministry. He received a Master of Divinity from Southeastern Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina, and a Master of Theology from St. Vladimir’s Seminary in Crestwood, Yonkers, New York. He then earned a Ph.D. from the University of Durham in England. He also earned a certificate in Anglican Studies from Nashotah House in Wisconsin, making him one of the brightest new minds in the Diocese of Central Florida.
Jeremy and Jackie Bergstrom were confirmed in the Diocese of New York in 2007. Jeremy served in youth ministry in Colorado Springs for three years before going to seminary and pursuing additional graduate work from 1999-2001.
“I felt the call to ordained ministry ever since doing youth work in Colorado; put off “the ordination question” until well into my PhD studies in England” before having a “vocational crisis” in a pub, Bergstrom said.
As the new rector at St. Peter’s, he said he is ready to implement his goals: “My aim is to go from strength to strength: engaging discipleship and Christian education with renewed vigor and careful attention to the revealed Word, vibrant community fellowship, especially as an avenue for evangelism and incorporating new members, and radical outreach and mission to our community.
“My prayer is that St. Peter’s will be a conduit for the grace of God in Lake Mary and beyond, and that many lives would be transformed by an encounter with the Holy Spirit, who draws us to the foot of the Cross and carries us through to the joy of resurrection that follows,” Bergstrom said.
For more information on St. Peter’s, please call 407-444-5673