A science camp offers an opportunity for self-proclaimed “denominational vagabonds” to discover Lutheranism and consider full-time gospel ministry.

Seeing a banner for an airplane-themed science camp for ages 3 and up. Having a chance meeting at a Mexican restaurant. Listening to a song from a confessional Lutheran rapper. For many, this is a series of seemingly unrelated, random events. But for Brett and Vanessa Gilbertson, these were key moments in their journey from “denominational vagabonds” to members of WELS—a journey that’s taken them all the way from Morristown, Tenn., to New Ulm, Minn.

A diverse religious background

Religion was always a part of life for both Brett and Vanessa. Brett grew up in the Baptist church and was regularly involved in worship and youth activities. Vanessa’s father was a Pentecostal military chaplain, and she was also exposed to a variety of Christian denominations on military bases.

After they met, Brett and Vanessa continued in this variety of denominations. “I became Pentecostal at first because I thought she was cute,” recalls Brett. A move to Tennessee brought them back to a Baptist church, where they both got involved with ministry.

Although the Baptist faith was more comfortable for Brett, he was still wrestling with various aspects of his faith. “I always knew the Bible was true, but I was never convinced I was reading it correctly,” he explains. “How do I know the way I believe is the right way?”

There was never any doubt that the Gilbertsons were Christians—they just didn’t know what kind of Christians they were. As Brett puts it, they were “denominational vagabonds”: members of a Baptist church but still not quite settled in their doctrinal convictions.

A banner, a Mexican restaurant, and a rap song

Brett and Vanessa might have continued their “denominational vagabond” life for quite a while if not for a sign along the highway. Vanessa was looking for summer activities for their kids and happened to drive past Living Promise Lutheran Church. There, she saw a banner for a science camp (similar to vacation Bible school but more intentionally science-themed). The camp was for ages 3 and up, which meant all three of the Gilbertson kids could attend. As a bonus, the theme that year was “Take Flight”—a theme that Vanessa knew would especially appeal to her boys. “It was just the perfect storm,” she says. “Everybody could go, and it was airplanes.”

The Gilbertson kids had fun at camp that week, and Vanessa befriended another mom who was a member at Living Promise. But Vanessa and Brett, involved with music ministry at their current congregation, were not looking for a new church. “I honestly didn’t think of the Gilbertsons as prospects at all,” says Matthew Westra, pastor at Living Promise. “I planned to keep them on our ‘occasional’ e-mail list, but I figured that was all it would be.”

God, however, had different plans. Later that fall, the Gilbertsons ran into the Westra family at a Mexican restaurant in town. They recognized each other, and Vanessa suggested that Brett and Pastor Westra grab a coffee sometime. “She thought we would enjoy getting a cup of coffee and talking about worship, and she was right,” says Westra. “Neither of us was expecting anything beyond a pleasant conversation and a cup of coffee.” That pleasant conversation turned into an invitation to attend a Living Promise new member class—not with the intent of Brett and Vanessa joining the church but simply for Westra to provide a different perspective and for the Gilbertsons to get some additional insights.

Brett’s diverse religious background and interest in theology had him particularly excited about these classes. He understood enough about Lutheranism to know what doctrines he would likely disagree with. “I thought, The Lutheran view on Baptism and the Lord’s Supper is really weird, but that’ll be interesting when we get there,” he says. In fact, he prepped for the Baptism lesson with the intention of trying to explain to Westra why the Lutheran view was wrong.

This prep was inspired by the song “Read Em All” by FLAME, a rapper who self-identifies as a member of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod. The song encourages the listener to read all the Bible passages on Baptism before rejecting the view that Baptism is a means of grace. So Brett did just that and, after reading every pertinent passage, came to a startling conclusion. “I remember coming to the next meeting with Pastor Westra and saying, ‘I think there’s a chance we’re Lutheran,’ ” says Brett. “I just didn’t know what to do about that.”

The Holy Spirit knew exactly what to do. Brett and Vanessa finished the new member class and joined Living Promise. Westra baptized their children. They became involved in ministry: Brett with worship and choir music, Vanessa with the newly established Living Promise preschool.

Even if their story ended there, it would be an amazing testament to God’s work in their lives. But it doesn’t end there . . .

A calling ten years in the making

Brett always knew he wanted to be involved in ministry, but he was never quite sure how to go about it. Vanessa, on the other hand, was sure. Over the past ten years, she’d been encouraging Brett to study for the pastoral ministry, but she wasn’t going to push him into it. “I wanted it to be something that he would eventually feel comfortable with,” she says. “I grew up around pastors, and I know how real they are, that they’re just people.”

Brett, however, wasn’t convinced. For him, pastors were always up on a pedestal. That perceived distance, plus his doctrinal uncertainty, made it hard for him to think about pursuing pastoral ministry. “I didn’t want to end up in a church I didn’t agree with,” Brett says. By God’s grace, that problem was solved once Brett and Vanessa became members of WELS. After being at Living Promise for about a year and a half, Brett knew what he wanted to do. “At that point, I remember thinking, Yeah, this path [becoming a pastor] feels right. I think we should do this,” he says.

With Westra’s support, the Gilbertsons explored what that path would look like. This past summer, they sold their house in Tennessee and moved one thousand miles to New Ulm, Minn., where Brett will take two years of classes at Martin Luther College (MLC) before transitioning to Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary for his pastoral training.

Although the move wasn’t easy, the Gilbertsons are convinced that this is the right path for their family. Brett can’t wait to dive deeper into theology and make connections with his fellow students studying for the ministry. “I’m looking forward to feeling at home in a brotherhood of other dudes going through the same thing,” he says. And Vanessa is excited about offering a second home to other students. “When my dad was in seminary, we always had students over at our house for holidays and such,” she says. “I can’t wait to do that in my own home.”

A banner. A Mexican restaurant. A rap song. A ten-year journey toward finding their place. When Brett and Vanessa look back, they’re amazed at how the Holy Spirit led them to Living Promise and MLC. It’s a journey that could have been guided only by God—a journey that, God willing, will result in another WELS pastor faithfully carrying out gospel ministry.

Author: Kristi Meyer
Volume 112, Number 11
Issue: November 2025

What were they expecting?

I never asked any of the teens, “What were you expecting?” Like many teenagers, I assumed they were expecting a combination of helping out, getting some relief from the boredom of summer break, and maybe experiencing something new. Regardless of their expectations, 29 teens from St. John, Wauwatosa, Wis., signed up for a mission trip and came to the mountains of East Tennessee.

Their official assignment was to help Living Promise, Morristown, Tenn., with its summer science camp. The St. John teens were there to help promote, teach, and lead this camp. Honestly, it was pretty mundane stuff: walking through neighborhoods and hanging flyers, cutting out crafts for the next day, leading kids from station to station. Living Promise tried to make the days fun for the teen volunteers with hikes through the mountains, fun on the lakes, and even some late-night Waffle House runs, but the schedule for most of the day was pretty ordinary.

The Gilbertsons heard about the camp and signed up. I never asked them, “What were you expecting?” I assumed they were just looking for something interesting for their kids to do on summer break.

Now the Gilbertsons have become WELS members and moved to New Ulm, Minn., after Brett decided to pursue full-time ministry. I didn’t know what to tell them to expect other than cold and snow. I assume that in many ways, Brett’s schedule for the next six years will be pretty ordinary: studies to prepare for writing sermons and teaching classes at a future congregation.

I keep thinking back to those teenagers from St. John and what they were expecting to do on their mission trip. Were they expecting to play a role in providing a church with a pastor? Were they expecting that handing out flyers and prepping crafts would lead to someone who would preach sermons, teach Bible classes, and share devotions with the homebound and hospitalized? Probably not, but that is exactly what they did with their summer.

The story of those teens and the Gilbertson family is a great reminder that God does more than we expect, as he grows his kingdom and provides for his people. We get to witness his hand at work in simple things like teens helping with a mission trip, but it also happens in countless other ways involving all our brothers and sisters in WELS. Thank God for all the ways he does more than we expect.

“To him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20).

Matthew Westra, pastor at Living Promise, Morristown, Tenn.