The Rev. Travis Fisher recalls his confirmation at St. Mark Evangelical Lutheran Church, Davenport, on Oct. 29, 1989.

He was in ninth grade at the time and a high point of the service occurred when pastors, parents and godparents lay hands on the young person being confirmed. The Rev. Allen Nelson prayed for him at that moment, a prayer that he would be guided in his future life by God.

"It was the feeling of Christ's presence stirring in me during that prayer that I felt the call to ministry," he said.

Fisher is being formally installed as senior pastor on Sunday at the church after serving as interim pastor. The service occurs on Reformation Sunday, a time when Lutherans celebrate their spiritual heritage going back to Martin Luther. Fisher will confirm 10 confirmands at the 10 a.m. service, and perhaps one of those young people experience a call to ministry. Fourth graders will receive Bibles at the 8 a.m. service.

The Rev. Julie Higgs, of the Southeast Iowa Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, will lead the installation.

The church has an extensive history with the numbers of people who went on to seminary, Fisher said. He's the second member of the congregation to come back and become pastor there. The Rev. Harvey Prinz (1986-97) was the first and 15 people, men and women both, were ordained since the church's inception in 1922. Currently another member is studying at Wartburg Theological Seminary, Dubuque.

"He's a son of the congregation. He went from our congregation to seminary and then into the ministry. The congregation was very happy to get him," said Art Johnson, president of St. Mark's church council.

Fisher attended Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, Ohio and he was ordained at St. Mark on July 7, 2002. The church offers a variety of ministries from a food pantry site for Churches United of the Quad-City Area to involvement in Quad-Cities Interfaith and creating health kits for local shelters.

"He's young and vibrant and has a lot of good ideas," said Cathy Brash, a member of St. Mark. "Hopefully those will make our church even stronger."

His family's roots in St. Mark go back to the 1920s when his great-grandmother, Ella Mohr, and grandmother, Genevieve Serrine, joined as charter members. The extended family often attended Sunday services together and ate a light meal at the Serrine's home, he said.

Fisher's father is deceased, but his mother and brother will attend the installation to watch him take the latest step in his faith journey.

"It's an exciting time for a church to have a new pastor installed. I just pray with

God's help that we continue to be a beacon of God's presence in the west end of Davenport," he said.

The church is located at 2363 W. 3rd St. and the installation begins at 3 p.m., Sunday.