HAYWARD — As of Tuesday, the Rev. Joel Erickson began serving as the interim pastor at Hayward Lutheran and Trondhjem Lutheran churches.

The Rev. Katie Fick served as pastor from 2010 through July. She accepted a call to serve as the associate college pastor at St. Olaf College as of Aug. 1. While serving as the Hayward and Trondhjem pastor, Fick, to list some of her accomplishments, developed a curriculum for small group ministries, assisted in worship planning for the Southeastern Minnesota Synod and made several trips overseas doing service work. She told her congregation in a parting letter, “I have said to others with total honesty that not one person in either church has ever said anything unkind to me. What a gift. You have treated me with grace and respect.”

Erickson previously served as an interim associate pastor at First Lutheran in Albert Lea. Erickson serves as a part time chaplain at Fountain Centers, belongs to Daybreakers Kiwanis and serves on the board of St. John’s Lutheran Community. He is looking forward to more personal encounters with the members at Trondhjem’s Pie and Ice Cream Social at 5 p.m. Sunday.