The
OAHE MESSENGER
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“Four Foundations in the Church’s Life - PEWS”
Communities exist all around us. Each one of you, I am certain, can mention more than one community that you are currently a part of. Communities extend beyond geographical borders and places. It isn’t just where you live that you form a community. It can also be at work, at school and various civic and community organizations; but importantly, the primary and most important community that you are attached to is the church. Any community in its’ simplest form is just - the coming together of people in communion - the coming together of people in common - a gathering of people with certain goals, and aspirations - and this has been going on for Centuries, perhaps since the dawn of humanity. This Church is a community, as I allude to previously. The church is more specifically, a faith community, and as such there are, I believe, four matters that should be central and most important to the life of the Church. They are the four foundations in the Church’s life… They have the acronym PEWS. Pews, just like what you are sitting on when you visit the Church for a time of worship! The P stands for: Pastoral Care The E stands for: Education The W stands for: Worship & The S stands for: Service
Pastoral care represents the time we spend with one another in genuine love, care, sharing and concern for each other. The education in our faith is realized as we continually turn to God’s Word for guidance and direction in our lives. Worship, we do together as a community, as we are able to come to Church, and this can be in any church – as some of us are farther removed, and we worship to commune, and draw closer with our God. And the final foundation, no less important, is our service. This is the outreach and evangelism, the mission and ministry we do for others beyond our particular community. Regardless of our geographical location we will forever remain a part of the same community of faith, the church, as we remember these four important foundations. Joy and peace be with all of you.
---Rev. John Calvin Rhoad Jr.
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AARP honors Eisnachs
The Eisnachs have long been involved in many different groups and projects, including AARP. They are members of the AARP’s volunteer executive council and Dennis Eisnach, who also serves as Pierre’s Mayor, is a member of the group’s executive council and served for a time as acting volunteer state President. Shirley Eisnach is active in the Pierre Area Retired Teachers group and served as that group’s president from 2004-2006. She also is on the AARP’s South Dakota 50th anniversary committee. Dennis Eisnach says community service is an important part of their lives.AARP state official Leni Healy says it is not just the fact that Eisnachs serve, but that they also lead. The Eisnachs received the award during a luncheon Thursday. It was a surprise event set up by the AARP with the help of their family and friends. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Back to Top
Adult Sunday School to Begin
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Women of Faith Conference
We were suppose to depart Lutheran Memorial Church at 6 a.m. on Friday, September 19th but at 6 a.m. there were 50 women plus luggage standing at the curb of the church watching the bus drive up one street and down the other, up one street and down the other but for some reason bypassing the particular street on which we stood. Finally, after being “chased down” the bus arrived at the church, some 30 minutes late, and, after luggage and women were loaded left for St. Paul. The group stopped in Watertown to pick up a passenger and on to Bloomington, MN where we picked up our keys and found our rooms. Back on the bus we headed to the Mall of America for a short time of shopping and dining before leaving for the conference. Most of the women arrived at the bus at the appointed time but some were detoured because of gang activity and the north entrance of the mall being shut down by law enforcement.
Friday night’s speakers included Patsy Clairmont and Nicole Nordeman. For lack of better words, they were simply terrific.
Saturday morning we were back on the bus at 8 a.m. and headed toward the Excel Center where we spent the remainder of the day with 18,000 women singing, listening, praying, exalting the Lord, laughing, praising the Lord, crying, appreciating the Lord and just generally having on “amazing” time as we learned the way to enjoying “amazing freedom”. Hearing 18,000 women sing praises to our Lord and praying together is incredible!
The conference ended and we braved the mob to find our bus and return to Pierre. We stopped in Hutchinson, MN for supper, returned to the bus, watched a dvd from the conference and eventually returned to Pierre at 1:30 a.m. tired but fulfilled.
We four began the conference by wearing our OPC teeshirts so all would know that Oahe Presbyterian Church of Pierre, South Dakota was in attendance.
On Saturday we changed to our Presbyterian Disaster Assistance teeshirts and received many, many stares, questions and comments concerning the shirts.
All in all, it was an awesome two days.
Next year’s conference will focus on “Infinite Grace”…think about attending. It is well worth your time.
Photos from the 2007 PW Fall Retreat
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Presbytery Notes
The presbytery of South Dakota held its October meeting at the First Presbyterian Church, in Miller, South Dakota. Highlights of the meeting included:
Pastor Jim Clarke spoke on the continued need of his congregation following the Aberdeen flood. The church was able to distribute $13,000 to twelve of their families whose homes suffered significant damage during the flood.
Aberdeen Wonnenberg told the congregation that a church in Texas had donated money to purchase a tent in which to hold services to the Dakota presbytery.
Several PW groups are focusing their local mission money on Camp Rimrock this next year and requested that other Presbyterian women’s groups do the same.
Burkhard Paetzold, resident of East Germany, spoke to the group on his mission work with the Romas in Germany. There are 48 worldwide missionaries who have been called to the United States to speak of their work to 144 out of 170 presbyteries in the states in a four week time frame. Burkhard also spoke at the Fall Gathering of Presbyterian Women in Huron the following day.
Per Capita for 2008 will be $23.43 per member.
The presbytery voted to ordain John Armstrong and to install John at Turner County Church, Charles Ayres (as head pastor of First Presbyterian, Sioux Falls) and John Rhoad at Oahe Presbyterian.
Pastor Daniel Joseph who is the first Sudanese minister to be ordained in the United States spoke to the group on his mission, church and being Christian in the Sudan. He requested those churches who have extra choir robes to donate them to Sudan as they are used by church officers there. He indicated that he is available to visit and speak to the church families in South Dakota. Pastor Joseph’s home is in Sioux Falls.
The Campus Ministry committee was disbanded at this meeting.
On November 11, there will be group discussions in a central church in each of the nine areas of the South Dakota Presbyteries. The purpose of the discussions will be for long range planning for the camping program. There will be three sets of meetings; the first to discover the wishes and needs of the people for the camping program; the second [to be held after the first of the year] to discuss the camp programming; the third held in April or May to discuss needed financing. The meetings will be held at 4 p.m. to allow for travel following worship. Our meeting will be held at Oahe Presbyterian, Sunday, November 11th at 4 p.m. You are encouraged to attend.
Pastor John, Duane Jenner and Meleta DeJong attended the meeting.
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November 2007 edition
A Pierre
couple, who has spent their lives in serving others, has now been
honored for that commitment. Dennis and Shirley Eisnach have
received the 2007 AARP South Dakota Andrus Award for Outstanding
Community Service. The award honors those who serve their community
and others.
The Christian Education Committee is
excited to offer a new adult Bible study on Sunday mornings. The
study of Henri Nouwen's The Return of the Prodigal Son examines the
familiar parable and uses Rembrandt's painting of the parable to
open the story to deeper interpretation. The study takes a closer
look the most well-known aspects of the parable--the younger son's
return, the father's response, and the older son's anger--and uses
Rembrandt's painting to further explore the emotion each one must
have felt. Nouwen's goal in this study is to give us a deeper
understanding of love--the unconditional love shown by the father
and received by the son--and inspire us to live out the roles of
both the father and the son in our own lives. 
