KTTC Rochester, Austin, Mason City News, Weather and SportsMinneapolis Lutherans ordain first Hmong pastor
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Associated Press - December 25, 2009 6:04 AM ET
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - A Lutheran congregation in Minneapolis is celebrating Christmas with its new minister, the city's first Hmong (MUNG') Lutheran pastor.
Nengyia Her (NENG'-ya HER') was ordained Sunday as a minister in the Minneapolis Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. He was also installed as pastor of Luther Memorial Lutheran Church in north Minneapolis.
Her was born in Laos in 1957 and came to the U.S. in 1986 with his wife and two children. He was baptized into Christianity in 1987, joined Luther Memorial as a member in 2001 and worked for several years as director of its Hmong outreach before attending seminary.
The ELCA's St. Paul synod has one Hmong pastor, and several other Christian denominations in the area have ordained Hmong clergy.
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