The
OAHE MESSENGER
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August, 2007 I was reviewing a bit of the fall curriculum for the church entitled "We Believe". In it is a lesson plan on "Jonah: The Reluctant prophet of God's forgiving love".
The emphasis is on Jonah, the reluctant messenger. This is the Jonah who truly wanted to hide from God and evade his responsibilities when God told him to go to Nineveh. After a series of dramatic events, he reluctantly obeyed. And we do find out that this ends up being about God's mercy and love.
It reminds me that sometimes when we feel called on a particular mission, we want to run and hide and evade the "divine assignment".
Now, that divine assignment might be showing an act of kindness to someone in need or telling truth to some power. It might just be knowing that a neighbor or a friend needs to be asked to worship.
I am not sure what holds us back. I do know we will make up the most creative excuses like the invitees to the Banquet in Luke 14:55ff.
The gospel message is that when we commit ourselves in ministry at a deep level, we will experience God's Kingdom. It is an experience of joy and understanding that we have done something of value.
The choices is ours always whether to respond or not, of course. But to know that the end result is to be purveyor of grace as an agent of Christ, how can we not choose the more excellent way?
Peace,"
John |
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August
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WANTED:
Autumn is approaching. School will soon start and another season will come and go. It seems like we are all ready to start new things when the leaves turn and the air gets brisk. Christian Education will start up again too. We need your involvement!
The Christian Education committee talked about a study of music the last time we met - would you like to know more about contemporary Christian music or would you like to study old favorites? I'm writing this on July 15th. The subject for the week in These Days, Daily Devotions for Living by Faith is "Something to Sing About" and the daily title is "Morning Has Broken". One paragraph starts by saying, "There's nothing like using music to proclaim God's Word and to celebrate all that God has given us." I'm looking forward to reading these devotions throughout the week but I would like to know that others are reading with me and I would like to grow by sharing and visiting with others about their faith. I hope that we will have more opportunities to do that starting as soon as you would like! Please visit with me or with one of the other committee members about your ideas for our educational program for adults. The committee includes: Paula Vockrodt, Ron Woodburn, Megan Vockrodt, Kate Divis, Chris Nelson, Renee Sears and Candy Sowers (ex-officio members - Missy Slaathaug and Pastor John Wall). If you would like to be part of the committee we would love to have you. We focus on both adult and youth education.
Candy Sowers Pierre, South Dakota
Treats are needed for August & September. Please sign up. |
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The Rev.
John Calvin Rhoad, Jr. Will be coming to OPC John Rhoad Jr. was born in St. Louis Missouri but was raised in Canada receiving most of his schooling there, including a Bachelor of Science degree at Simon Fraser University, British Columbia and a Master of Divinity degree at Regent College, Vancouver, British Columbia. It was at Regent College that John met his future wife, Tai Li. Tai Li had been a Masters of International Law graduate of the University of Leiden, Netherlands, where she had also been raised as the youngest child of four to a medical doctor and homemaker. John's proposal to Tai Li came in February of 1998 after he had brought Tai Li up to the Canadian North (Peace River Country in Alberta) to race in the 24 hour Motorcycle marathon called "The Numb Bum". It has been an annual "northern" tradition for a couple of decades now for teams to gather on a frozen lake, in the dark and cold winter month of February and to race on studded tires for 24 hours beginning at noon. John had previously agreed to participate on a team with an old friend who was a former college team-mate, Brian Steidle, from previous football playing days. John reluctantly brought Tai Li all the way to the race site (fearing she would think of him "nuts" and not want anything to do with him afterwards) along with his teenage brother Charles Rhoad. Tai Li and Charles were arranged to stay at another siblings home, Kim Rhoad, an elementary school teacher that lived only about 45 minutes away in Berwyn, Alberta. In the end though, Tai Li, Charles, and Kim remained fascinated and amazed spectators of the surrealistic event that had unfolded before them. It was a super-foolish race; but it was also super-cool. The toughest part for John was racing from about 2-3:30am continuously, pulling into the pits on a couple occasions looking for a replacement rider, to find no one was ready (in reality "willing") to race at that time in the darkness and frozen cold (-40 Celsius). Eventually John pitted and fell over with the bike as he was literally frozen to it. As the race was concluding later that morning John's best-friend, Brian, stated that Tai Li was a "keeper" in his mind, after all his long-time girlfriend was refusing to visit him while he had been transplanted in the north for study and work for about 6 months, let along visit him while he was involved in the race. John was elated when he finally mustered the courage to propose. Tai Li accepted as they were visiting the West Edmonton Mall after the race and John had brought her into a Jewelry store. John and Tai Li today, are blessed to have three beloved sons. Ram, the eldest, was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where John was pursuing the Master of Theology degree at Calvin Theological Seminary. Jin Qiu Rhoad, the middle child, was born in Valparaiso, Indiana where John was serving his first PCUSA congregation, Ogden Dunes Community Church, as the Director of Christian Education and Youth. Jin Yi Rhoad, was born in Lafayette, Indiana where John has been serving for four years as pastor to the Earl Park Presbyterian Church.
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Jeremiah
Sherman
Below is a letter written by Roger and Tammy Sherman, (Jeremiah's parents and Mary's son). Please take an opportunity to read this letter. Jeremiah was born in Pierre and attended church at OPC while his parents lived in our community. We received word on Saturday that our son, Staff Sergeant Jeremiah Sherman, USMC, was wounded by a roadside bomb the previous day, July 6th, which was the 4th anniversary of the passing of our son Zachariah. Jeremiah's injuries are relatively minor considering that he was unknowingly standing directly on top of this IED when it exploded, sending the blast force all around him and with Jeremiah falling back into the crater created by the blast. He credits his brother for watching out for him and keeping him alive. It was a true miracle that he survived. He suffered shrapnel wounds to one side of his body, a possible broken hand, a concussion, one hell of a headache and a lot of ringing in his ears. We have spoken with him since and he is up walking around and in good spirits. He will be back with his unit in a few days or weeks if his injuries allow him. He is anxious to get back as he does not want to abandon his unit and his fellow Marines. A true hero and selfless Marine, Jeremiah - the leader of his once 23 man patrol squad - bloodied and dazed but still in one piece, resumed command of the situation and his squad, radioed in for additional support and kept the rest of his squad together until he was unwillingly forced by his fellow Marines to step aside and be evacuated to a field hospital. His squad suffered another roadside bomb attack the previous week with three of his been wounded. Now they number 18 and are without their squad leader. The mindset of a
Marine is that they will sacrifice themselves for their fellow
Marines and even though wounded and taken out of action, they insist
on going back in so someone else does not have to be put at risk.
One of the Marines from Jeremiah's squad, wounded from the previous
week's attack and laying on a stretcher with his leg shattered,
insisted on being re-enlisted before being medically evacuated from
the field. To read more about this motivating and selfless incident
visit: Jeremiah's two boys (our grandsons) were visiting us last week. They were in the 4th of July parade in Redstone carrying a banner honoring their father and hero. To all of those who voiced their support that day we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. A special thanks to the young woman who told Tammy that it really hits home when she sees the children and families of military personnel affected by their loved ones' service in Iraq. Most of us are so far removed from the realities of this war. We go about our daily routine not thinking of the sacrifices made or the lives lost by those serving in the military, not to mention the loss of life of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis. During WWII almost every American made sacrifices daily for the wareffor whether it was military personnel and their families or ordinary citizens subject to rationing of gas, rubber, shoes, metal, etc. How many millions of Americans supported the war effort through the purchase of war bonds? Today we are encouraged by our (lack of) leadership to go shopping, keep driving, go on vacation, and otherwise go about our daily lives as if nothing is happening. The richest Americans and corporations are reaping huge windfall tax breaks at a time when they should be making at least some sacrifice. Military contractors are swimming in billions of dollars in profits. Corruption runs rampant. Fascism is rearing its ugly head. Where is the justice and where is the sacrifice. Although we are very proud of and whole-heartedly support Jeremiah and his dedication to the Marines, we do not support this unjust and senseless war. Please, if you do 'Support our Troops', call or write your Congressman and Senators and demand they stand up to this administration and start bringing our troops home tomorrow, not months or years from now. Every day that we do not act causes more needless deaths of our sons, daughters, fathers, mothers, brothers, and sisters.
Thank you for your time and support. Roger and Tammy
Sherman |
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World Council of Church's Response to the Pope's Statement of July 10, 2007
WCC DEPUTY GENERAL SECRETARY COMMENTS ON THE DOCUMENT ISSUED TODAY BY THE CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH
"Each church is the Church catholic and not simply a part of it. Each church is the Church catholic, but not the whole of it. Each church fulfils its catholicity when it is in communion with the other churches."
This affirmation, made by the 9th Assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC), which met in Porto Alegre Brazil in February 2006, reflects the common struggle of the 347 WCC member churches in fellowship as they seek to make visible their unity in Christ.
To recall this statement, contained in the document "Called to be the One Church: An invitation to the churches to renew their commitment to the search for unity and to deepen their dialogue", seems appropriate in view of the "Responses to some questions regarding certain aspects of the doctrine of the church" issued by the Roman Catholic Church's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith today.
The WCC's 9th Assembly affirmed "the progress made in the ecumenical movement," and encouraged the fellowship of member churches "to continue on this arduous yet joyous path, trusting in God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, whose grace transforms our struggles for unity into the fruits of communion".
According to the Assembly, "the honest sharing of commonalities, divergences, and differences will help all churches to pursue the things that make for peace and build up the common life".
As was stated in 2000, when the declaration Dominus Iesus was issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the World Council of Churches (WCC) affirms the importance of genuine ecumenical dialogue, and of common Christian witness on the problems facing the world today. Georges LemopoulosWCC deputy general secretary
[Note to editors: Mr Lemopoulos is acting general secretary WCC during travel absence of Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, WCC general secretary.] Pope asserts Catholic primacy
Pope Benedict XVI said other Christian churches are defective. LORENZAGO DI CADORE, Italy — Pope Benedict XVI reasserted the primacy of the Roman Catholic Church, approving a document released Tuesday that says other Christian communities are either defective or not true churches and Catholicism provides the only true path to salvation. The statement brought swift criticism from Protestant leaders. "It makes us question whether we are indeed praying together for Christian unity," said the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, a fellowship of 75 million Protestants in more than 100 countries. It was the second time in a week that Benedict has corrected what he says are erroneous interpretations of the Second Vatican Council, the 1962-65 meetings that modernized the church. On Saturday, Benedict revived the old Latin Mass, a move cheered by Catholic traditionalists but criticized by more liberal ones as a step backward from Vatican II. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which Benedict headed before becoming pope, said it was issuing the new document Tuesday because some contemporary theological interpretations of Vatican II's ecumenical intent had been "erroneous or ambiguous" and had prompted confusion and doubt. The new document restates key sections of a 2000 text the pope wrote when he was prefect of the congregation, "Dominus Iesus," which riled Protestant and other Christian denominations because it said they were not true churches but merely ecclesial communities and therefore did not have the "means of salvation." "Christ 'established here on earth' only one church," said the document released as the pope vacations at a villa in Lorenzago di Cadore, in Italy's Dolomite mountains. The other communities "cannot be called 'churches' in the proper sense" because they do not have apostolic succession — the ability to trace their bishops back to Christ's original apostles — and therefore their priestly ordinations are not valid, it said. The document said Orthodox churches were indeed "churches" because they have apostolic succession and enjoyed "many elements of sanctification and of truth." But it said they do not recognize the primacy of the pope, a defect, or a "wound" that harmed them, it said. The document stressed that Benedict remains committed to ecumenical dialogue. "However, if such dialogue is to be truly constructive, it must involve not just the mutual openness of the participants, but also fidelity to the identity of the Catholic faith," the commentary said. Lutheran Bishop Wolfgang Huber, the top Protestant cleric in Benedict's homeland, Germany, complained that the Vatican apparently did not consider that "mutual respect for the church status" was required for any ecumenical progress. |
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Lest one think our mission trips are in vain... Many times following our return from our trips to New Orleans we have been confronted with questions "Why do you bother to go; it will probably just flood again? Why replace what shouldn't have been built there in the first place?" Well, the answer to that is, "By showing we care; we show that God cares." A victim of Katrina recently wrote a poem that truly shows the end result of our volunteer visits to the New Orleans area. If our words cannot express the feelings felt down there I would hope the following hymn may do just that. Like Magi, You Have Come First we waited... Waited for the waters to recede and
highways to be cleared, We waited... Then you came
A stead stream, you came. You have sent hand-made quilts and shawls, tea towers and purple sheets and Birkenstocks, jeans and tennis shoes, coats of many colors, washers and dryers, treasured books, chairs and sofas, money and food and gift cards to refurnish our lives, art works created in love. Inasmuch as you have done it for one of the least of these, you have done it unto me. Still you come, bringing gifts to the
Carpenter, wearing masks and gloves and boots, Tearing out walls and insulation, cabinets and carpets. You have demolished our rotting houses, hauling to the debris piles on the street our beds, chairs, sofas, fridges, stoves, freezers, washers, dryer clothes, and endless papers of our lives. You have replaced our walls and
roofs, changed our wiring, painted our walls, Inasmuch as you have done it for one of the least of these, you have done it unto me. You have come with gloved hands and
tender vigilant eyes, Inasmuch as you have done it for one of the least of these, you have done it unto me.
You have brought the Hope of the
Advent, Freely you have given; may you freely
receive. Inasmuch as you
have done it to one of the least of these, you have done it unto me. |
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Sanctuary windows are complete! As you have lifted your eyes to the Lord during the worship service lately perhaps some of you may have noticed something new and colorful way up on the south wall of the sanctuary. The last two sets of stained glass windows are done and have been installed. these latest additions complete the project.
The third set of windows in the display shows us the Presbyterian cross that symbolizes the incarnate love of God in Jesus Christ and His passion and resurrection. Designed into the cross are the other symbols of faith. The symbol of the open book represents the Bible and the role of scripture as a means of knowing God. The top part of the cross is a symbol of a descending dove. The dove represents Christ's baptism by John and the peace and wholeness which his death and resurrection bring to a broken world. The body of the dove is shaped like a fish, the early Christian sign for Christ, recalling His ministry to those who hunger. And in the body of the cross is a baptismal font or Communion chalice. Integrated into the lower part of the design are flames that form an implied triangle, a traditional symbol for the Trinity. The flames themselves convey a double meaning. A symbol of revelation in the Old Testament when God spoke to Moses from the burning bush, and a suggestion of the beginning of the Christian church when Christ manifest himself to his apostles at Pentecost and charged them to be messengers of the good news of the Gods love.
The windows were designed by Glenda Woodburn, who with the help of Cindy Droppers then spent many long hours leading and painting them. This window treatment when does on glass can be peeled off when a mistake is made but since the windows were going to be tacked in over the original windows glass couldn't be used in case one of them came loose and fell. So plexi glass was used instead of regular glass. The only drawback with using plexi glass is that once the paint is on it, it won't peel off. It is there to stay. Needless to say this fact added some tenseness to the creative process. The project was funded by donation from several different people in the congregation. To them we want to say thank you and God bless you Without your generous gifts the windows would still be just a dream for someday, an idea waiting to become a reality. We are eternally thankful for your thoughtfulness and readiness to pitch in when funding was needed. By Cindy Droppers
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 Glenda's thoughts on New Orleans What a wonderful way
to begin a summer! Generous giving by Oahe Presbyterians made it
possible for our little mission group to touch one life in a very
personal way. Some may argue that homes in the flooded area of New
Orleans are below sea level and should not be rebuilt, but our
mission had little to do with rebuilding a house. Our mission was more about rebuilding a life and sharing our Christian faith in action. I can only imagine how hard it must be to deal with the death of your husband and loss of your home in a period of only 6 months. Yolanda is doing just that and still managing to smile. Her strength and enthusiasm are contagious. It has been a month since our trip, and the memories are still bringing a smile to my face.
Those of us who had the opportunity to reach out and touch a life give thanks to all of you who made it possible! I encourage everyone to consider getting involved in hands on mission projects. The hugs, tears, and sincere appreciation of everyone you meet will change your life. Thank you and God Bless, Glenda Woodburn |
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"My Father Never Drove A Car" (Michael Gartner was the Editor of the Des Moines Register and is now the owner of the Iowa Cubs baseball team in Des Moines). This article was sent to Mary Sherman and me from Roger Rhoads, Mary's brother who lives in Des Moines.
"My Father Never Drove A Car" This is a wonderful piece by Michael Gartner, editor of newspapers large and small and president of NBC News. In 1997, he won the Pulitzer Prize for editorial writing. It is well worth reading, and a few good chuckles are guaranteed. My father never drove a car. Well, that's not quite right. I should say I never saw him drive a car. He quit driving in 1927, when he was 25 years old, and the last car he drove was a 1926 Whippet. "In those days," he told me when he was in his 90s, "to drive a car you had to do things with your hands, and do things with your feet, and look every which way, and I decided you would walk through life and enjoy it or drive through life and miss it." At which point my mother, a sometimes salty Irishwoman, chimed in: "Oh, bull----!" she said. "He hit a horse." "Well," my father said, "there was that, too." So my brother and I grew up in a household without a car. The neighbors all had cars -- the Kollings's next door had a green 1941 Dodge, the Van Lanigham's across the street a gray 1936 Playmouth, the Hopson's two doors down a black 1941 Ford -- but we had none. My father, a newspaperman in Des Moines, would take the streetcar to work and, often as not, walk the 3 miles home. If he took the streetcar home, my mother and brother and I would walk the three blocks to the streetcar stop, meet him and walk home together. My brother, David, was born in 1935, and I was born in 1938, and sometimes at dinner we'd ask how come all the neighbors had cars but we had none. "No one in the family drives," my mother would explain, and that was that. But sometimes, my father would say, "But as soon as one of you boys turns 16, we'll get one." It was as if he wasn't sure which one of us would turn 16 first. But sure enough, my brother turned 16 before I did, so in 1951 my parents bought a used 1950 Chevrolet from a friend who ran the parts department at a Chevy dealership downtown. It was a four-door, white model, stick shift, fender skirts, loaded with everything, and since my parents didn't drive, it more or less became my brother's car. Having a car but not being able to drive didn't bother my father, but it didn't make sense to my mother. So in 1952, when she was 43 years old, she asked a friend to teach her to drive. She learned in a nearby cemetery, the place where I learned to drive the following year, and a generation later, I took my two sons practice driving. The cemetery probably was my father's idea. "Who can your mother hurt in the cemetery?" I remember him saying more than once. For the next 45 years or so, until she was 90, my mother was the driver in the family. Neither she nor my father had any sense of direction, but he loaded up on maps -- though they seldom left the city limits -- and appointed himself navigator. It seemed to work. Still they both continued to walk a lot. My mother was a devout Catholic, and my father and equally devout agnostic, and arrangement that didn't seem to bother either of them through their 75 years of marriage. (Yes, 75 years, an they were deeply in love the entire time.) He retired when he was 70, and nearly every morning for the next 20 years or so, he would walk with her the mile to St. Augustin's Church. She would walk down and sit in front of the pew, and he would wait in the back until he saw which of the parish's two priests was on duty that morning. If it was the pastor, my father then would go out and take a 2-mile walk, meeting my mother at the end of the service and walking her home. If it was the assistant pastor, he'd just take a 1-mile walk and then head back to the church. He called the priests "Father Fast" and "Father Slow." After he retired, my father almost always accompanied my mother whenever she drove anywhere, even if he had no reason to go along. If she were going to the beauty parlor, he'd sit in the car and read, or go take a stroll, or if it was summer, have her keep the engine running so he could listen to the Cubs game on the radio. In the evening, then, when I'd stop by, he'd explain: "The Cubs lost again. The millionaire on third base scored." If she were going to the grocery store, he would go along to carry the bags out -- and to make sure she loaded up on ice cream. As I said, he was always the navigator, and once, when he was 95 and she was 88 and still driving, he said to me, "Do you want to know the secret of a long life?" "I guess so," I said, knowing it probably would be something bizarre. "No left turns," he said. "What?" I asked. "No left turns," he repeated. "Several years ago, your mother and I read an article that said most accidents that old people are in happen when they turn left in front of oncoming traffic. As you get older, your eyesight worsens, and you can lose your depth perception, it said. So your mother and I decided never again to make a left turn." "What?" I said again. "No left turns," he said. "Think about it. Three rights are the same as a left and that's a lot safer. So we always make three rights." "You're kidding!" I said, and turned to my mother for support. "No," she said, "your father is right. We make three rights. It works." But she added: "Except when your father loses count." I was driving home at the time, and I almost drove off the road as I started laughing. "Loses count?" I asked. "Yes," my father admitted, "that sometimes happens. But it's not a problem. You just make seven rights, and you're ok again." I couldn't resist. "Do you ever go for 11?" I asked. "No," he said. "If we miss at seven, we just go home and call it a bad day. Besides, nothing in live is so important it can't be put off another day or another week." My mother was never in an accident, but one evening she handed me her car keys and said she had decided to quit driving. That was in 1999, when she was 90. She lived four more years, until 2003. My father died the next year, at 102. They both died in the bungalow they had moved into in 1937 and bough a few years later for $3,000. (Sixty years later, my brother and I paid $8,000 to have a shower put in the tiny bathroom - the house had never had one. My father would have died then and there if he know the shower cost nearly three times what he paid for the house.) He continued to walk daily -- he had me get him a treadmill when he was 101 because he was afraid he'd fall on the icy sidewalks but wanted to keep exercising -- and he was of sound mind and sound body until the moment he died. One September autumn in 2004, he and my son went with me when I had to give a talk in a neighboring town, and it was clear to all three of us that he was wearing out, though we had the usual wide-ranging conversation about politics and newspapers and things in the news. A few weeks earlier, he had told my son, "You know, Mike, the first hundred years are a lot easier than the second hundred." At one point in our drive that Saturday, he said, "You know, I'm probably not going to live much longer." "You're probably right." I said. "Why would you say that?" He countered, somewhat irritated. "Because you're 102 years old," I said. "Yes," he said, "you're right." he stayed in bed all the next day. That night, I suggested to my son and daughter that we all sit up with him through the night. He appreciated it, he said, though at one point, apparently seeing us look gloomy, he said: "I would like to make an announcement. No one in this room is dead yet." An hour or so later, he spoke his last words. "I want you to know," he said, clearly and lucidly, "that I am in no pain. I am very comfortable. And I have had as happy a life as anyone on this earth could ever have." A short time later, he died. I miss him a lot, and think about him a lot. I've wondered now and then how it was that my family and I were so lucky he lived so long. I can't figure out if it was because he walked through life, or because he quit taking left turns. |
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Founder of "Just Coffee" to speak at OPC Wednesday, August
8th at 6:30PM The Rev. Mark Adams, Director of Frontera de Cristo in Douglas, AZ, and the founder of "Just Coffee" will speak at OPC on Wednesday, August 8th. Mark will speak about Just Coffee and it's mission. He also will speak about and answer any questions regarding the controversial immigration issues on our southern border. Miriam Adams, Mark's wife is of Mexican Indian (indigenous) decent and can answer questions about life in the state of Chiapas, Mexico's poorest state. Chiapas is where the majority of illegal immigration comes from. They visit us wit their three small children on a speaking/mission tour. We will start at 6:30PM with pizza and beverages. Join us for a stimulating discussion and bring a friend who might be interested. |
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August 2007 edition
