Resurrection Lutheran Church of Alpena installed Pastor Phil Phifer as its pastor during a Dec. 17, 2017, special service. RLCA extended the call to Phifer after a months-long process that culminated in a congregational meeting Oct. 22 approving the decision. Following the installation service, congregation members, Phifer and his family attended a celebratory luncheon at the APlex.

In his call acceptance letter Phifer said, “It is with great anticipation that I will be joining the mission of Resurrection Lutheran Church to be the ‘Hands, the feet, and the face of Christ.’ My family and I look forward to getting to know the people and families of Resurrection Lutheran Church as we join the mission and work that Jesus is already doing among us.”

Phifer’s 19 years of ministerial experience include serving as senior pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Pensacola, Fla., as well as positions in Indiana and Texas. He has been married to his wife, Jennifer, for 19 years, and they have four children: Rebekah, who is a student at Concordia University in Texas and is studying to be a director of Christian education; Mary, who is finishing her senior year in high school; Austin, who is in ninth grade and will start at Alpena High School in January; and Tristan, who is 4 and will start preschool in the fall.

Resurrection Lutheran Church of Alpena was formed on March 16, 2010, and is an affiliate of Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ. The congregation meets at 500 S. Brooke Street in Alpena where it shares a facility with the Tripoint Church of God.