Ronsberg, 67, unexpectedly died of natural causes at her home on Monday, April 19. A public memorial service is scheduled for May 15 at 11 a.m. at the Alerus Center. A private funeral service for the family is scheduled for Monday April 26. The streaming will be available at 1 p.m. that day at www.youtube.com/user/trinitymhd/live. A recording of the service will appear the next day on the Amundson Funeral Home website.

“(Ronsberg) loved being pastor of the congregation,” said Jeff Larson, the church‘s executive director. “She loved to tell the story of God and Jesus. And she liked to let people know, “You are loved; there is a place for you here. “

Ronsberg was also recognized regionally for her leadership qualities. She was a candidate for the role of bishop for the Synod of Northeastern Minnesota and the Eastern Synod of North Dakota of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, said Reverend Loren Mellum, acting pastor of Sharon Lutheran .

‘Kind and caring presence’

He cited several qualities that made her such a respected religious leader.

“Pastor Ronsberg is a very kind and caring presence when you meet her personally one-on-one, but also in a group of people or in a larger setting like a congregation, so she is very kind and caring in her outlook. Mellum said. “She listens well, but can also step into a leadership perspective and offer that to a group of people. She certainly has done this on several occasions here at Sharon’s Lutheran Church.

Mellum also praised his abilities in team ministry, his work with staff and lay leaders in a congregation, and his communication skills.

“One of his real characteristics which, as a Lutheran pastor and his perspective in Lutheran theology, had a real emphasis on the ultimate of God’s grace, with all being welcomed and gathered in worship and sent to serve. He said, “and she had a way of saying it over and over and over again so that people could hear her and respond to her personally.”

To Sharon Lutheran, the graduate of Concordia College and Luther Theological Seminary “was a very constant force and a calming influence,” said Larson. “She knew which direction she wanted to go and she wanted everyone on board. She collaborated with everyone and wanted everyone’s contribution. We got things done because of it.

She was a very accessible pastor, who “definitely had the calling (to the ministry),” Larson said. “She will be sincerely missed.”

‘Huge’ Twins fan

Ronsberg was also a “big fan of the Twins,” Larson said. “Someone said, you know, the Twins had probably lost one of their number one fans,” he said. “She loved twins.”

Sue Kerr, church organist, said, “I would hear him before church discussing the Twins’ last game with other church members. It was kind of his passion.

Kerr, who has been an organist for 39 years, said, “I have worked with many wonderful pastors over the years, but she stands out as one of the best.

Ronsberg was “always grateful for her staff and her congregation, and she always remembered to thank us for what we did,” Kerr said. “She’s probably the one running us well, but she kind of gave us credit sometimes – maybe that type of person, that she wasn’t looking for fame herself.” She wanted us all to be successful. Looking back I hope we thanked her enough for what she did for us, ”Kerr said.

“She served. She was a servant of God, I would say, and of our church.

In a very public setting, Ronsberg also served at the funeral service for Cody Holte, the Grand Forks police officer who was shot dead in the line of duty in May 2020.

Perhaps in a bittersweet turn of events, on the day of Ronsberg’s death, state law was enacted to provide health care for the families of fallen police officers.

Dave Berger, director of middle and elementary ministries, said Ronsberg “looked forward to every service in which someone was to be baptized.

“She was always asking what’s best for all of Sharon and for our community? he said.

Her death came during the church’s Easter season, Mellum said.

“Pastor Ronsberg loved the Easter season, and spoke readily of the new life in Christ and the fact that death does not have the last word, and really had this focus on the gospel for many in times of loss. . And so that’s something that gives us reassurance right now as we mourn her loss.

Members of the congregation “are already missing from her presence, because she was very committed and stable and made herself readily available in different ways, and so her absence is immediately felt. And, for congregations, I think people are absorbing what that means, ”Mellum said.

“So I think people will regret his constant presence on which we always counted on a daily basis. And, of course, in the life of the congregation there are times when she was really expected to give advice and it makes itself felt and there will be times when it will be felt more.