The Rev. Justin Lathrop is shown with his wife and daughter. Russ Bliss, Church Council president at Ascension Lutheran Church, 33 Bay Shore Rd., Deer Park announced to the congregation that Pastor Justin Lathrop had been called to the position of Senior Pastor of Ascension. Pastor Lathrop was Vicar at Ascension in 2000 to 2001 and the congregation welcomes him back after his tenure at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Woodbridge, Virginia.

During his time away from Ascension, Pastor Lathrop and his congregation developed contemporary worship, internet and multimedia ministries and in-depth family programming. His emphasis has been on working closely with the membership, helping them to deepen their faith.

Pastor Lathrop is a graduate of Roanoke College and the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia. At the seminar he studied Israeli-Palestinian relations in the Holy Land. He also was a student intern at Maly Kostol (“The Little Church”) in Bratislava, Slovakia and taught early church history at the Lutheran High School there. After his ordination, he was called to Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Gaithersburg, Maryland and served that congregation for four and a half years before being called to Woodbridge.

The Lathrop family will make their home in Deer Park.

Pastor Lathrop will be installed as Pastor of Ascension on Sun., Sept. 19, 4 p.m. and the community will be invited to join in the celebration.