Recently, Terry spoke to a Sunday school class at Redeemer Covenant about his 50 years in ministry. This brought so much to mind about our life together in ministry. His heart has always been about the Church. A theme through his teaching has been that the Church is Christ's body - his community here on earth -- so precious. It's what Jesus left with his Holy Spirit to sustain us until we get Home. His emphasis on Spiritual gifts - that we are all gifted to support and build up the Body.
He was ever-present with members in their hardest of times and happiest, helping them see God's plan and provision. Terry has poured heart and soul into ministry which actually began in 1970 in Granite City, IL as a youth minister with trips to India in 1969 and 1972. In 1974, 76 & 78 I was able to accompany him on those summer missions.
For me, as I look back on the last 49 years of ministry -- I see that I have worn lots of hats, many at one time -- wife, minister's wife, mom, Nana, teacher, Sunday school teacher and supervisor, Youth Alive Sponsor, Marriage Facilitator, Kids University Director, Family Food support co-sponsor. This year our ministry chapter at LPCF came to a close, while at the same time I retired and stepped out of the classroom -- all of a sudden there was a void. I didn't want to rush and fill it just to have something to do -- I wanted to step back -- assess--research possibilities and seek God for where He would use me.
The years have been sweet--some have been difficult -- they have been challenging -- and rewarding. Through it all -- Jesus was on the Journey with us.
When ministry is your calling, your vocation, your life, hymns are a part of you. I grew up singing all the hymns from a young age. (My dad held up me getting my drivers license because I was a distracted driver - singing as I drove.)
I remember years ago thinking the lines "All the Way My Savior leads me" and wanting that to be my life song with the words, "Jesus led me all the way" or
"If you miss me singing down here, come on up to bright glory - I'll be singing up there". AND
"I keep so busy serving my Jesus . . . ain't got time to die. It takes all of my time just to praise my Jesus all of my time to praise my Lord, if I don't praise Him the rocks are gonna cry out . . . "
One summer in India when our days were consumed with teaching and ministering -- I felt that this was the best it could get -- working for Jesus ALL the time.
Certain Bible verses were my anchor words from God as we navigated this ministry path. In those latter days of planting a new Church in West Tulsa -- HE gave us the story of the Israelites on their journey to the promised land.
These verses spoke to me:
Blessed are those whose strength is in you -- whose hearts are set on pilgrimage - --they go from strength to strength until each appears from God in Zion. Psalm 84
And the Lord's portion is His people. Deut. 29
In every ministry trial God has revealed himself with a new name. . . Redeemer, Deliverer, Everlasting Father, Teacher, Friend, The Way, The Lamb, Shepherd, Prince of Peace, Wonderful Counselor, Provider, Righteous Judge.
In looking back -- all the lessons taught, (precious to me was a Passover lesson where the kids were all mesmerized) the bus ministry lessons given, Kids University, the banners sewn, all the children cared for, the workshops held, the dinners and showers and meetings hosted, the people housed -- it was all worth every ounce of energy expended. I see that I could only accomplish these things as HE provided the strength, the energy, the resources and the creativity. The gift to me was the JOY that only God can give as the words came and the lessons struck a chord with my classes.
When we faced infertility issues, God showed the way to physicians who were capable and Bethany and Marshall completed our family.
As we cared for our parents in their last days -- HE became our source of strength.
His healing came when cancer appeared and He became my Healer-- not just the healing but peace and absence of fear came from Him.
I remember one time when we were busy with a large church in TX thinking I would spend the first 1000 years in Heaven connecting with all of the members of the Churches we ministered to. I have always LOVED the CHURCH and its people.
From the time I was a little girl growing up at Central and Madison Church of Christ - the Church has been my family. These people became my aunts and uncles. We attended church three times a week.We raised our kids in Church -- dedicated them in their first month of life to Jesus at the Church. Our desire was for Bethany and Marshall to see the Church all over the world Mexico, Spain, Austria, Hungary and in many states where Terry spoke.
OUR MINISTRY FROM THE BEGINNING
Vaughn Hill 73-74 Terry and I began dating in 1971 and 72 as Terry was ministering to my home church. I had come home from college my junior year and found that the elders had hired Terry as the youth minister. I had met him some 18 months earlier (he doesn't remember) and that night prayed, "Lord, I'd like to marry a man like that one day) . . within a year he became the pulpit minister and I became his wife.
We married in early 1973 and I became one of the youngest minister's wives in my home Church.
I grew up hearing the stories -- I knew what the ladies of the church expected of a minister's wife, so I put a lot of expectations on myself all at the same time I was beginning my first year of teaching. (My mom was so concerned about the strain on me that she did our laundry every week - and fed us Sunday lunch.)We spent the summer of 1974 in India teaching and training ministers and teaching women and children. We then packed our things and headed to Memphis, TN. the song "Please come to Boston" blaring on the car radio. . . I loved the line -- "I'm the number on fan of the man from Tennessee".
74-79 Memphis All that to say - we felt like we needed more education and in 1974 Terry enrolled in Harding Graduate School in Memphis, TN where he received two degrees -- both equal to a doctorate.
During that time, Terry was a bus minister to 300+ black kids, we had a foster daughter for 19 months and Terry became the interim minister for 6 months while White Station was waiting on their newly hired minister to arrive. These were five fun years -- we lived in the church parsonage -- had lots of young couple friends and spent three summers in India on summer missions.
79-81 Green Lawn As Terry graduated with both an MTh and DMin and in 1979 we left for Lubbock, TX for Terry to become the Senior minister for the college Church located on the campus of Lubbock Christian College He had received his Associate Degree from there and loved his time in West Texas. Green Lawn showered us with lots of love as we welcomed Bethany Janeese April 1980. Our 3 years there went quickly and I became active in teaching Sunday school. Jay Kagalawala lived with us Bethany's first year and became a part of the family.
81-89 Hillcrest Church of Christ came calling and we believed that this active Church was where God was leading us. Marshall was born there and it still is a very special place in our hearts as we joined with several young families in raising our kids and becoming a part of the Abilene community. Terry had a weekly radio program -- our staff was highly effective in this large church and we saw this Church family literally reach around the world through missions and their education program.
We hosted monthly International Friends Potlucks -
We began a family support program called "Home Talk" Terry became published during those 8 Abilene years and to date has authored five books.
Sharing our home with our church family was important and we hosted yearly open houses for the various Sunday school classes -- about 200 in size. Endo from Japan lived with us for a year and Marshall felt like he finally had a brother.Broadway 89-92 Broadway Church of Christ came calling and it was exciting to be in a 100 yr. old Church in downtown Lubbock. They met us with a private jet as we came home from a speaking engagement at Yosemite to interview. Home Talk continued and we were blessed with a 5-week summer travel with T speaking in many places.Challenges included:paying off the 1 million debt / church issue with T's total Kingdom inclusiveness / Worship wars began.
Southern Hills Church of Christ 93-95 We had often travedled through Tulsa - never knowing that one day we would live here. At Southern Hills Church of Christ I became T's facilitator. We worked hard with the small group effort / church grew quickly.
Southern Hills had an annual day camp called Adventure Week which was quite popular in South Tulsa. Terry began a deep study of the instrumental music question. Challenges: We began the journey out of our original Church of our upbringing. It was a time of deep study -- I knew that I could not make the decision to step away from all I had ever been taught without going deep into the Word. I knew that there were others that we would be influencing with this decision. / legal battles: two ministers -- people were harmed by their actions. It became a place that we felt we should remove our children from.I returned to teaching in 1994 and remained in the classroom for 27 years.
East Tulsa Christian Church -96-99 With the decision to step away from C of C we encountered a whole new mindset and group of people. It was a time to catch our breath and soak up the love of this new Body of Believers / Jan intro'd to Beth Moore Studies / trip to MX to build houses /
Challenges: Staff disloyalty resulting in the demise of ministry team support.
Life Park Christian Fellowship 99-2021 We asked the leadership to plant a new Church in South Tulsa - they voted against it and in September 1999 we met with a group of 65 in an area motel conference room who wanted to begin a new Church. There was such a feeling of excitement- by the next week, we had secured a place in an abandoned Hardware store that we converted to a worship center and quickly transformed it to Life Church.
As a church, we moved 8 times and during that period of time in 2005 we found the place where God would have us to land. But it was not until 2011 that we actually got to move onto the plot of ground.
We saw God's wonder all over on those 28 acres! Terry believes we were called to 61st and Union to plant hope and spread God's love to the under-served.
In early 2000, Terry began his college teaching to supplement ministry and family expenses and we see that God has used him to minister there in many ways. He and I became associated with OK Marriage Initiative for the state of OK and in 2005 began doing marriage workshops. We developed curriculum, trained marriage mentors and worked with couples to enrich their marriages. We formed Marriage and Family Institute of Tulsa in 2007-2008. We later birthed Kids University which met for 8 years with the help of his TCC interns. Our aim was to strengthen the development of inner city kids. . .
touching the lives of over 100 children over the 8 years and 150+ TCC interns
In 2015 as health issues needed to be addressed and Terry stepped down from position as senior minister to pastor emeritus. Kids University continued for another four years.
Changes came in theology and doctrine -- the church began to dwindle -- COVID hit -- services were closed -- all during that time -- God supplied us with HOPE. Early March 2020 - on our drive home from Church -- I felt utter despair and said to T - the Church is going to fold. We were guarantors on the $1 million dollar loan with 3 other couples. The notes were coming due in July and August. By the following Tuesday, the Wesleyan Foundation asked the status of our church. Another church was ready to write checks for the peoperty. God never left us -- without HOPE.
The Wesleyan Foundation bought the Church by January 31 2021 Life Park Christian Fellowship ceased and the Church became Simple Church We knew at this point we were released. We felt called to worship with our children at Redeemer Covenant.
REDEEMER Covenant - it's not that our ministry is over -- we don't want to be put on the shelf -- we see this season as time to invest focused energy into developing depth in our ministry and message. Right now, we feel called to the under-served.
FAITH AND FAMILY are our core values - we want to know that we have successfully passed those one to our children and Grands.
I believe gifts change as we enter new seasons of our lives --not sure what lies ahead -- but God is Gracious and it will be suited to us!
Even when I am old and gray,
do not forsake me, my God,
till I declare your power to the next generation,
your mighty acts to all who are to come.
Psalm 71
Feb. 20, 2022
Looking back over this journal of our years of loving and living with Jesus --our life has been extremely blessed. We are so fortunate to have been able to serve.
