2023 Celebration of Life in Ministry

Celebration of

Life in Ministry Service June 9, 2023

Dakotas Conference The United Methodist Church

Worship Leaders Presiding Minister, Preacher Bishop Lanette Plambeck, Resident Bishop Bishop Bill McAlilly, Assisting Bishop Ecumenical Representative Rev. Aaron Matson, South Dakota Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Lectors and Worship Assistants Rev. Melissa Gall, Order of Deacons Karl Rockeman, Conference Co-Lay Leader John Srtska, Conference Co-Lay Leader Rev. Sara McManus, Order of Elders Rev. Brandon Vetter, Board of Ordained Ministry Worship Coordinators Rev. Lou Whitmer Rev. Rebecca Trefz Visuals and Technology Doreen Gosmire, communications director, Dakotas Conference Karla Hovde, communications specialist, Minnesota Conference Pinnacle Productions, Sioux Falls, South Dakota Dave Stucke, communications association, Dakotas Conference Sioux Falls First United Methodist Church Musicians First United Methodist Church, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Marcia Klimes, organist

Dakotas Conference Cabinet Resident Bishop Lanette Plambeck, Dakotas-Minnesota Area Director of Ministries Rev. Rebecca Trefz Area Director of New Church Development Rev. Ben Ingebretson District Superintendents Rev. Kris Mutzenberger, Northeast Rev. Joel Winckler, Northwest Rev. Dan Bader, Southwest Rev. Rebecca Trefz, Southeast

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Service Gathering Prelude

Marcia Klimes

Gathering Music Processional and Congregational Song

God of Generations

God of generations, we are all your children To your church we bring our gifts, our worship and our song.

Young and old we follow, hand in hand together, In your great love, together we are strong.

Words: Carolyn Winfrey Gillette, used with permission. Music: Public Domain

Christ, you welcomed children, called us to be like them, And received a boy’s small gift to feed a hungry crowd.

In our church’s children, may we see you working: more than our future, they are faithful now.

Spirit, freely moving, giving youth a vision By your grace young Jeremiah heard your loving call; Mary was a young one when she learned her mission: Through faithful youth, you offer truth to all.

God of men and women, Helper on our journey, You have called us in our faith to grow and to mature.

May we keep on learning, worshiping, and praying, That each new day, we’ll serve you all the more.

God of generations, we are all your children To your church we bring our gifts, our worship and our song.

Young and old we follow, hand in hand together, In your great love, together we are strong.

Call to Worship Bishop: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.

All: And also with you.

Bishop: Let us worship the eternal God, the Source of Love and Life who creates us; let us worship Jesus Christ, the Risen One, who lives among us; let us worship the Spirit, the Holy Fire, who renews us.

All: To the one true God be praise in all times and places, through the grace of Jesus Christ!

All: Eternal God, give your grace to all servants of your church, that we may, with courage and faith, fulfill our various ministries. Be known among us now as we gather to worship and pray. Form us into a holy community of your own people. Mold us by the breath of your Holy Spirit, and reveal in this corporate body, the face of your anointed Christ.

Amen.

The congregation is seated.

Ecumenical Greeting Greetings from Reverend Aaron Matson, South Dakota Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church of America The Recognition of Common Ministry and Reaffirmation of Baptism

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Bishop: Ministry is the work of God, done by the people of God. Through baptism all Christians are made part of the priesthood of all believers, the church, Christ’s body, made visible in the world. We all share in Christ’s ministry of love and service for the redemption of the human family and the whole of creation.

Therefore, in celebration of our common ministry, I call upon all God’s people gathered here: Remember you are baptized and be thankful!

Congregation: We reaffirm our baptism and our common call to ministry. Thanks be to God!

A Time of Remembrance Congregational Song

For All the Saints, Verses 1 & 2

Words and Music: Albert E. Brumley

Memorial Video Presentation Anyone present who has been part of the life and ministry of those being remembered are invited to stand in honor of them as they are memorialized. Complete memoirs can be found on pages XX-XX of this booklet.

Clergy Reverend Theodore “Ted” Dockter, Jr. (August 4, 2022) Reverend Valentine “Val” Rush (November 6, 2022) Reverend Lyla Siebrecht (January 7, 2023) Clergy Spouses Lois Jane Knecht, widow of Reverend David Knecht (May 26, 2022) Frieda Hultin, widow of Reverend Irvin Hultin (June 15, 2022) Evelyn Blumer, spouse of Reverend Boyd Blumer (July 16, 2022) Arlene Towler, spouse of Reverend James Towler (October 4, 2022) Beverly Kinzler, widow of Reverend Otto Kinzler, Jr (October 18, 2022) Linnea Worner, widow of Reverend George Worner (November 14, 2022) Dan Kersey-Russell, spouse of Reverend Jeanine Kersey-Russell (December 27, 2022) Harryette Sjursen, widow of Reverend Ralph Sjursen (February 11, 2023) Doris Gist, spouse of Reverend Rodney Gist (February 14, 2023) Mary Ann Rager, widow of Reverend Wayne Rager (March 2, 2023) Lorraine Werner, widow of Reverend Edwin Werner (April 8, 2023) Bishop: Let us join in prayer. Gracious and Eternal God, all of creation is given by you.

All: It is by your grace and blessing that these beloved ones we have named shared life with us. We treasure all from them that lives within us.

Bishop: Hold them in your arms of mercy, as we hold them in our memory.

All: As we once again entrust them to you, may we know that peace and joy which is eternal life. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Congregational Song

For All the Saints, Verses 3 & 4

Words and Music: Albert E. Brumley

Recognition of the Retirement Class Conference Co-Lay Leader: We celebrate the faithful service represented by this class of retirees and their spouses. On behalf of the laity of the local congregations and the many persons who were reached by the ministry of these persons, we offer our deepest gratitude.

Chair of Board of Ordained Ministry: On behalf of the Board of Ordained Ministry which has received their requests, and on behalf of the Clergy Session which has granted their requests, we honor these clergy entering a retirement relationship with the Dakotas Annual Conference.

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Reverend Mary Ann Bernard Reverend Neil Blair Reverend Jerry Densmore Reverend Mark Ellingson Reverend Mike Flowers Reverend Mark Gronseth Reverend Sarah Herman

Reverend Juwle Nagbe Reverend Randy Phillips Reverend Ross Reinhiller Reverend Marlin Sapp Reverend Dean Trapp Reverend Barry Whipkey Reverend Lou Whitmer

Chair of Board of Ordained Ministry: Your calling has been an invitation to share in the most holy and tender moments of our lives: the sacred of the ordinary, and the power of sacred ceremony. Together we have struggled, laughed, cried, and grown.

Congregation: You answered God’s call to walk with us through our lives. You were there in moments of life, death, hope, despair, joy, and sorrow. You steadfastly offered to us the presence of the living Christ.

Conference Co-Lay Leader: Through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, you shared your gifts, you sacrificed, and you learned.

Congregation: You helped us all to relate to the Good News of Jesus Christ when you held candles with us on Christmas Eve and sang triumphantly with us on Easter morning.

Chair of Board of Ordained Ministry: You brought care and compassion to families in grief, and guided others on their journey to eternal life. In your presence, we remembered that God does not abandon us.

Congregation: You reminded us that death does not have the last word. In discouragement, you reminded us that we are beloved sons and daughters of the Creator.

Bishop: Together you represent over 317 years of service in ministry. Never underestimate that which God has already accomplished through you. Continue to be true to your calling, confident of the ever-present Spirit working through your lives. Let us join in prayer together: All: Gracious God, you fill your servants with love and empower us with your Spirit. We give heartfelt thanks for the ministries of these faithful leaders, and for the ways that you have ministered to us through them. In the days that follow, make your presence known to them as they continue to love and serve you. May they, like us, continue to grow in the grace and the knowledge of Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray.

Used with permission and adapted from the West Ohio Conference

Congregational Song

I Was There to Hear Your Borning Cry

Retirement class is seated.

Words and Music: John Ylvisake

Proclamation Scripture:

Luke 24:28-36; Acts 2:42-47, CEB

Sermon: Christ Made Known

Rev. Kip Roozen Bishop Lanette Plambeck

Offering The offering from tonight’s service is for Clergy Sustentation Fund for the Dakotas Conference.

Offertory

Special music

First United Methodist Church

Recognition of Licensed Local Pastors We recognize licensed local pastors who have been newly appointed and those who have completed their educational requirements through graduation from Course of Study or Master of Divinity.

Chair of Board of Ordained Ministry: We embrace the many ways of answering a call to ministry and so we take this time to recognize, thank, and bless those persons who have answered the call to the ministry of a licensed local pastor. Several of the following individuals were licensed and first appointed during the past year. The others will receive their license following the successful completion of licensing school in June and will begin serving as local pastors on July 1. We invite them forward at this time.

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Tara Bush Rita Ennen Becca Hafner Rydel Samuelson Diane Stanghor Shawn Stoll Additionally, we mark an important milestone in the ministry of the licensed local pastor—the completion of their educational requirements through Course of Study or a Masters of Divinity. We invite forward: Rick Andrus Christine Cappetta Stephanie Eliason Susan Jennys Zach Kingery Charlie Moore Rydel Samuelson Bishop: Your leadership in ministry is essential to our conference and together we declare it: All: We are grateful for your covenant as servant leaders of God’s people. We send you, trusting that God will be generous with and through you, shaping your lives and leadership in both mysterious and concrete ways.

Bishop: Let us pray. We thank God for calling these persons and are grateful for their readiness to respond. Let us join with the Apostle Paul in a charge and blessing to them: All: We pray that, according to the riches of glory, God will strengthen you through the Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. We pray with all the saints, that you may have the power to comprehend the height, depth, breadth, and width of the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge and be filled with the fullness of God. Bishop: Now to the One, who through the power at work among us is able to accomplish far more than we ask or imagine, be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus now and forever. Amen.

Recognition of Orders Reverend Andrea Johnson Board of Ordained Ministry: We are pleased to welcome Rev. Andrea Johnson as a Provisional Elder with the Dakotas Conference, by transfer of credentials. Andrea has been serving on staff at First United Methodist Church in Sioux Falls. We are blessed to have her officially join our clergy ranks as together we continue our call to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

All: Thanks be to God. Amen.

Candidates come forward as their names are called, facing the congregation.

Commissioning and Ordination Presentation of Persons to be Commissioned as Provisional Deacons or Elders Conference Co-Lay Leader: On behalf of the laity of local congregations who have examined and approved these candidates, Chair of the Board of Ordained Ministry: and on behalf of the Board of Ordained Ministry of the Dakotas Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, which has also examined and approved these candidates, Both: we present this person for the work of a deacon: Amber Laffey Both: we present these persons to be commissioned for the work of an elder: Don Dinger Krista Ducker

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Candidates turn and face the Bishop.

Bishop: Brothers and sisters in Christ, this is a solemn hour in your life and the life of the church. You have shared in the ministry of all the baptized and have witnessed to Christ’s call to leadership among the people of God. Serving among us as faithful disciples, you have shown gifts and graces for leading the people of God in living and proclaiming the gospel to all people.

Bishop: Do you believe that you are called to the work of leadership and service among the people of God? Candidates: I do so believe.

Bishop: Do you believe in the Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and confess Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?

Candidates: I do so believe and confess.

Bishop: Are you persuaded that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments contain all things necessary for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ and are the unique and authoritative standard for the church’s faith and life?

Candidates: I am so persuaded, by God’s grace.

Bishop: Will you be faithful in prayer, in the study of the Holy Scriptures, and with the help of the Holy Spirit continually rekindle the gift of God that is in you?

Candidates: I will, with the help of God. Bishop: Will you do your best to pattern your life in accordance with the teachings of Christ?

Candidates: I will, with the help of God. Bishop: Will you, in the exercise of your ministry, lead the people of God to faith in Jesus Christ, to participate in the life and work of the community, and to seek peace, justice, and freedom for all people?

Candidates: I will, with the help of God. Bishop: Will you give yourself fully to the work of God in the world and to servant leadership in the life and work of Christ’s church?

Candidates: I will, with the help of God. Bishop: Will you be loyal to The United Methodist Church, accepting its order, liturgy, doctrine, and discipline, defending it against all doctrines contrary to God’s Holy Word, and committing yourself to be accountable with those serving with you, and to the bishop and those who are appointed to supervise your ministry?

Candidates: I will, with the help of God Congregational Song

The Summons, Verses 1 & 2

During the congregational song, the candidates are robed.

Words: John Bell Music: Public Domain

The Commissioning of Provisional Members Bishop: Pour out your Holy Spirit upon Amber Laffey, Don Dinger, and Krista Ducker. Send her/him to be a faithful servant leader among the people, to lead the church in service, to proclaim the Word of God, and to equip others for ministry, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

All: Thanks be to God! Amen.

Congregational Song

The Summons, Verses 3 & 4

During the congregational song, the persons return to their seats, now among the gathered clergy.

Words: John Bell Music: Public Domain

Presentation of those Ordained as Elder Conference Co-Lay Leader: On behalf of the laity of local congregations who have examined and approved this candidate, Chair of the Board of Ordained Ministry: and on behalf of the Board of Ordained Ministry of the Dakotas Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, which has also examined and approved this candidate, Both: we present this person to be ordained as an elder in Christ’s holy church: Matt Morrison

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Bishop: My brother in Christ, you have been called to ordained ministry. The Church now affirms your calling through ordination. As an ordained minister you are to be a co-worker with the laity, bishop, deacons, diaconal ministers, deaconesses, home missioners, commissioned ministers, local pastors, and elders.

Remember that you are called to serve rather than to be served, to proclaim the faith of the Church and no other, to look after the concerns of God above all.

So that we may know that you believe yourself to be called by God and that you profess the Christian faith, we ask you: Do you trust that God has called you to the life-time ministry of Word, Sacrament, Order and Service, which is the work of an elder?

Candidate: I do so believe.

Bishop: Do you believe in the Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and confess Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?

Candidate: I do so believe and confess.

Bishop: Are you persuaded that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments contain all things necessary for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, and are the unique and authoritative standard for the church’s faith and life?

Candidate: I am so persuaded, by God’s grace.

Bishop: Will you be faithful in prayer, in the study of the Holy Scriptures, and with the help of the Holy Spirit, continually rekindle the gift of God that is in you?

Candidate: I will, with the help of God. Bishop: Will you do your best to pattern your life in accordance with the teachings of Christ?

Candidate: I will, with the help of God. Bishop: Will you, in the exercise of your ministry, lead the people of God to faith in Jesus Christ, to participate in the life and work of the community, and to seek peace, justice and freedom for all people?

Candidate: I will, with the help of God. Bishop: Will you be loyal to The United Methodist Church, accepting its order, liturgy, doctrine, and discipline, defending it against all doctrines contrary to God’s Holy Word, and committing yourself to be accountable with those serving with you, and to the bishop and those who are appointed to supervise your ministry?

Candidate: I will, with the help of God. Bishop: May God, who has given you the will to do these things, give you grace to perform them, so that the work begun in you may be brought to perfection.

All: Amen.

The candidate will kneel before the bishop, as representatives join the bishop in the laying on of hand. Those who have been a part of the ordinand’s life and faith journey are invited to stand during the laying on of hands as a sign of support.

Bishop: Almighty God, pour upon Matt Morrison the Holy Spirit, for the office and work of an elder in Christ’s holy church.

Matt, take authority as an elder to preach the Word of God, to administer the Holy Sacraments, and to order the life of the Church; in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

All: Thanks be to God! Amen.

The Spirit Sends Us Forth to Serve An elder’s stole is given to the new elder by a retiring elder of the Annual Conference.

Foot Washing and Thanksgiving

Words: Dolores Dufner Music: Public Domain

As a symbol of servanthood, the bishop, assisted by a deacon, washes the feet of the newly ordained elder.

Congregational Song Bishop: Gracious and loving God, we give you thanks for this newly ordained clergy and remember all who have gone before us in the life of ministry. May your presence be known to us. May you sustain us in the work for which you have called us.

Continue to work in your people and raise up among us your faithful servants. Strengthen our hope so that we give you the glory as we give ourselves to others. In gratitude we pray.

All: Amen.

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Invitation to Servant Ministry All persons have gifts for ministry in Christ’s church, yet some are called to more specialized ministries. Servant ministry is offered in many forms, be it laity or clergy. Anyone who wishes to make a commitment to servant ministry, in whatever form it may take, is invited to come forward and pray with members of the clergy and laity of the Annual Conference.

Congregational Song

Here I Am, Lord

Words & Music: Don Schutte

Bishop: We thank you, Generous God, for raising up among us faithful servants for ministry in your church. Clothe them in righteousness, and grant that we, with them, may glorify you by giving ourselves to others, through Jesus Christ our Savior, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

All: Thanks be to God! Amen.

Sending Forth Dismissal with Blessing Deacon: Go in peace, open to the call and grace of God’s Spirit.

Bishop: The blessing of God’s unfailing love, Christ’s unceasing presence, and the Spirit’s unsurpassed gifts be with us all now and forever.

All: Amen and Amen!

Recessional Congregational Song

Forward Through the Ages Words: Frederick Lucian Hosmer, 1908 Music: St. Gertrude 65.65 D with Refrian, Aurthur S. Sullivan Marcia Klimes

Postlude

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In memory

Clergy

Theodore Dockter 1932-2022 The Rev. Theodore Dockter, Jr., 90, passed away Thursday, August 4, 2022, at Edgewood Vista in Fargo, North Dakota. A celebration of life service was held at Calvary United Methodist Church in Fargo on Saturday, August 27, 2022. Burial was at Sunset Memorial Garden in Fargo.

Theodore Fred Dockter, Jr. was born on June 26, 1932, at Wishek, North Dakota, to Theodore Sr. and Martha (Schultis) Dockter.

Ted lived in Oregon until age 10, when his family moved to Jamestown, North Dakota. He graduated from Jamestown High School.

On August 4, 1951, Ted married Alice Fuehrer at St. Paul’s Methodist Church in Jamestown. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Westmar College in Le Mars, Iowa, and his Master of Divinity degree at Western Evangelical Seminary in Portland, Oregon.

Ted was licensed in 1953 and ordained elder in 1958 by the Dakota Conference of the Evangelical United Brethren Church. He and Alice served the EUB churches at Stickney, South Dakota (1958-1964) and Bismarck First, North Dakota (1967-1969). They then served United Methodist churches in North Dakota at Hebron-Taylor UCC (19691977), Mott-Newburg UCC (1977-1981), McCluskyGoodrich (1981-October 1988), Edgeley (October 19881992), and Page-Hope-Finley (1992-1996).

Ted and Alice also had a heart for missions, and they often hosted missionaries who visited their local churches. Ted went on mission trips to Ecuador and Lithuania. He served at a camp at Lake Metigoshe in the Turtle Mountains, where he helped with carpentry, a skill he had learned from his dad.

He also went to Switzerland to help with a child evangelism camp. He also directed the junior camp for 4th- to 6th-grade students at Lehr Bible Camp.

Ted retired in 1996, and he and Alice moved to Fargo. His retirement was filled with teaching Sunday School, leading the Silver and Gold Group at Fargo Calvary, and preaching for a year at a local church that was in need. In 2003, he was honored as Jubilee Clergy for 50 years in ministry.

He enjoyed bowling and playing pool with friends. He joined the Silver and Gold Coffee Group, which met weekly to share and laugh together, and he led devotionals and prayed with them until COVID stopped them from meeting.

Ted is survived by four sons: Dwight (Judy) of Portland, North Dakota, Ronald (Joni) of Weippe, Idaho, Douglas (Cheryl) of Dickinson,North Dakota, and Timothy (Debbie) of Fargo, North Dakota; one daughter, Deb (Trace) Gunsch of Titusville, Florida; 13 grandchildren; 20 greatgrandchildren; three step-grandchildren; three step-greatgrandchildren; and a brother, Vernon (Lindalin) Dockter of Delta, Colorado.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Alice, on December 26, 2008; his parents; and brother Melvin.

Valentine Rush 1949-2022 The Rev. Val Rush, 73, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, passed away on Sunday, November 6, 2022, at his home. Funeral services were held Friday, November 11, 2022, at the United Methodist Church in Egan, South Dakota. Burial was in Hillside Cemetery at Egan.

Valentine Charles Rush was born on July 8, 1949, in Flandreau, South Dakota, to John J. and Evelyn M. (Valentine) Rush. In 1967, Val graduated from St.

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Mary High School in Dell Rapids, South Dakota, and then Dakota State College in Madison, South Dakota, in 1972. He farmed and worked in insurance sales.

On September 10, 1977, Val married Teresa (Hessaa) Molskness. His call to ministry started while attending the Egan United Methodist Church at the age of 43. Several Egan church ladies asked Val to teach their adult Sunday School class. He loved and continued teaching God’s word, revealed through the Bible. Later the members of the Egan church encouraged Val to attend seminary and become a pastor.

It was not an easy decision, but in 1992, he enrolled at North American Baptist Seminary in Sioux Falls and graduated with his Master of Divinity degree in 1995. He received his local pastor’s license in 1993, was ordained deacon and probationary member of the Dakotas Conference in 1996, and elder and full member in 1998.

Val and Teresa served United Methodist churches in the Dakotas Conference at Garretson (1993-1996), GarretsonJasper, Minnesota, Salem-Pipestone, Minnesota (1996-1999), Bowman (1999-2011), and Winner (2011-2016). He retired in 2016, and they moved to a farm near Canton, South Dakota, and then to Sioux Falls. In retirement, Val served at Viborg and was a volunteer hospice chaplain and part-time

chaplain at the Avera Heart Hospital.

Val is survived by his wife, Teresa; three children: Aaron (Liz) Rush of Avon, South Dakota, Sarah Rush of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and Jonathan (Heather Rieger) Rush of Sioux Falls, South Dakota; eight grandchildren; and five siblings: James (Ann) Rush of Omaha, Nebraska, Margaret Rush of Sioux Falls, Jack (Gayle) Rush of Philip, South Dakota, Mary Jane (Brad) Hover of Kansas City, Missouri, and Richard “Dick” Rush of Omaha, Nebrasksa.

He was preceded in death by his parents and brother David Rush.

Lyla Siebrecht 1932-2023 The Rev. Lyla Siebrecht, 90, passed away Saturday, January 7, 2023, at the Callaway Good Life Center in Callaway, Nebraska. A memorial service was held Monday, June 5, 2023, at the United Methodist Church in Redfield, South Dakota, with Pastor Melissa Rowenhorst officiating. Inurnment followed at Greenlawn Cemetery in Redfield.

Lyla Elaine Melloon was born on October 21, 1932, at Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to Charles Burdette Melloon and Orpha Sabina (Lindgren) Melloon. She grew up in the Sioux Falls area and graduated from Washington High School in 1950.

She attended Sioux Falls College from 1950 to 1952 and graduated from Scarritt College for Christian Workers in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1954.

In 1956, Lyla earned her Master of Religious Education degree from Garrett Biblical Institute in Evanston, Illinois.

She was director of Christian education at Grace Methodist Church in Blue Island, Illinois, from 1956 to 1958.

On June 23, 1957, Lyla married the Rev. Orland Sloat.

Together they served Methodist and United Methodist churches in South Dakota at Northville-Mellette (19581961), Gregory-Fairmont-Iona (1961-1963), BrittonLangford (1963-1965), Dell Rapids-Garretson (19651968), Selby-Herreid (1968-1970), Selby (November 15, 1970-1972), Selby-Lowry UCC (1971-1972), Beresford First-Beresford Zion (1972-1976), Highmore-Harrold (1976-1981), Highmore (January 1-June 30, 1982), and Bruce-Volga PC (1984-1988). They divorced in 1989.

In 1978, Lyla felt the call to become a pastor and began serving the Community Church of Ree Heights, South Dakota, on a part-time basis. She was licensed to preach in 1979 and earned her Master of Divinity degree from San Francisco Theological Seminary in 1984. She was ordained deacon and probationary member by the South Dakota Conference in 1985 and elder and full member in 1987.

Lyla served churches in the South Dakota Conference at Ree Heights (1981-1982), Hazel-Henry-Kellerton (19821985), Todd-Mellette Larger Parish (1985-1987), De SmetCarpenter-Esmond-Iroquois (1987-1989), Wall-Wasta-Quinn (1989-1991), Wall-Wasta (1991-1992), Custer-Fall River Larger Parish (1992-1995), and Britton-Pierpont Community (1995-1998). She retired in 1998 but continued serving the Pierpont Community Church of Pierpont until 2003.

Lyla married Harlan Siebrecht of Redfield on June 22, 1991, at Wall. He died September 30, 2016.

Lyla had boundless energy. When her children were young, she taught Sunday school and was a Girl Scout leader and den mother. She was active in the Women’s Society of Christian Service, United Methodist Women, and South Dakota General Federation of Women’s Clubs, serving as president from 1994 to 1996. Her hobbies included reading, embroidery, history, family antiques, houseplants, and quilting.

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In memory

Clergy Spouses

Lois Jane Knecht 1928-2022 Jane Knecht, 93, surviving spouse of the Rev. Dave Knecht, died Thursday, May 26, 2022, at Farmstead Estates in Moorhead, Minnesota. A memorial service was held Wednesday, June 15, 2022, at Fargo First United Methodist Church in Fargo, North Dakota. Burial was in the Fargo National Cemetery at Harwood, North Dakota.

Lois Jane Sheldon was born in Fargo, North Dakota, on September 2, 1928, to Charles and Florence Sheldon of Wheatland, North Dakota. Jane grew up on the family farms, both of which were near Wheatland. She graduated from Buffalo High School in 1946.

After attending North Dakota Agricultural College in Fargo for two years, she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education from Valley City State University in 1951. On August 12, 1951, Jane married David F. Knecht at the Wheatland Methodist Church.

Jane taught in Wilmette, Illinois, for two years while Dave finished his seminary education. They returned to North Dakota, where Dave served Methodist and United Methodist churches at Fairmount-Bethany, Fargo Faith, and Bismarck McCabe. He then was a district superintendent and then administrative assistant to Bishop Edwin Boulton, before serving at Fargo First and as interim pastor at Bismarck McCabe.

Jane worked as a paraprofessional at Northridge Elementary

School in Bismarck. When the family moved to Fargo in 1979, Jane returned to North Dakota State University and earned her master’s degree in counseling and guidance in 1983. In 1984 she joined forces with two other women to establish Discovery Counseling and Educational Center in Fargo.

In the fall of 1988, Jane taught educational psychology at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota. Resigning from Discovery Counseling in 1990, she joined Dave on a pulpitexchange program that took them to Kingswinford, England, for a year. Upon their return to Fargo, Jane began teaching again.

When Dave retired from the ministry, Jane and Dave became increasingly involved in volunteer ministries within the United States and overseas, including interim missionary work in Lithuania. They enjoyed spending time at the Haven, their cabin on Little Wolf Lake near Cass Lake, Minnesota.

Jane is remembered as strong, stubborn, compassionate, funny, loving, fair, and patient.

She is survived by seven children: Kathy Knecht of Fargo, North Dakota, Margaret (Scott) Schaar of Fargo, North Dakota, Jeanne (Duane) Scheffler of South Dakota, Laurie (AJ) Kluver of Alexandria, Minnesota, Chris (Ryan) Church of St. Paul, Minnesota, Jon (Amy) Knecht of Mapleton, Minnesota, and Tim Knecht of Grand Forks, North Dakota; 10 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.

Jane was preceded in death by her husband, Dave, on September 11, 2018.

Frieda Hultin 1924-2022 Frieda Hultin, 97, of Fargo, North Dakota, surviving spouse of the Rev. Irvin Hultin, died Wednesday, June 15, 2022, in a Fargo nursing care center. Funeral services were held Monday, June 20, 2022, at the United Methodist Church in Turtle Lake, North Dakota. Interment was at the Turtle Lake Cemetery in Turtle Lake.

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Frieda Bauer was born on June 17,

1924, to William and Magdalena (Wanner) Bauer on the family farm southwest of Mercer, North Dakota. She was raised and educated in the Mercer area and attended Mercer Consolidated School. After graduating in 1942, she left the farm to work as a waitress at the Turtle Lake Hotel and Restaurant and then as a clerk at the Haas Mercantile and Grocery Store. In 1949, she enrolled at the Lutheran Brethren Bible College in Fergus Falls, Minnesota. After graduating, she then enrolled in the Swedish Hospital School of Nursing in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Frieda’s career as a nurse took her to hospitals in Bismarck and Rugby, North Dakota; Miles City, Montana; and Fergus Falls.

She then was the school nurse and dean of women at Hillcrest Academy in Fergus Falls. Minnesota. During her employment at the Turtle Lake Hospital, she met the Rev. Irvin L. Hultin.

They were married on August 3, 1964, at the Turtle Lake Methodist Church.

Irv and Frieda served Methodist and United Methodist churches in North Dakota at Turtle Lake-McClusky, SterlingDriscoll, Hazen-Beulah-Zap, Tuttle-Robinson, Rock LakeClyde, and Marion-Dickey.

Irv retired in 1986, and they moved to Minot, North Dakota.

Frieda worked as a night nurse at Trinity Nursing Home from 1986 to 2003. Irv died July 15, 2010.

She was a member of the United Methodist Women and held state and local church women offices, led local church mission

studies and adult and youth Sunday school classes, and taught vacation Bible school. She also was a certified lay speaker, filling empty pulpits when needed.

Frieda enjoyed people, traveling, reading, canning, playing board games at home, and building jigsaw puzzles. She often said that her greatest reward was knowing that the residents and patients in her care were made comfortable and were cared for and loved.

Frieda is survived by her son, David (Judy) Hultin, of Fargo; and three grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 45 years, Irv; her parents; and her siblings: Lydia Bauer, Fredrich Bauer, Jacob Bauer, Emma Fischer, Elizabeth Laib, John Bauer, and Martha Hoppe.

Evelyn Blumer 1932-2022 Evelyn Blumer, 90, spouse of the Rev. Boyd Blumer, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, died Saturday, July 16, 2022, at Dow Rummel Village in Sioux Falls. Funeral services were held Tuesday, August 9, 2022, at First United Methodist Church in Sioux Falls. Burial followed at Graceland Cemetery in Mitchell, South Dakota.

Evelyn Elaine Roepke was born on May 14, 1932, to Bernhardt and Edna (Rahe) Roepke in Barnes, Kansas. She attended rural elementary school at Bodaville, Kansas, and graduated from high school in Clay Center, Kansas. After high school, Evelyn received her Bachelor of Arts degree in religion and home economics from Westmar College in Le Mars, Iowa.

Evelyn was united in marriage to Boyd A. Blumer on August 24, 1954, in Barnes. Together they served EUB, Methodist and United Methodist churches in North Dakota and South Dakota at Goodrich-Chaseley, Clear Lake-Gary, Aberdeen Faith-Bath, Sioux Falls First, Hartford, and Sturgis. Boyd also served as Northern District Superintendent and Central District Superintendent, and he and Evelyn were directors of the Tree of Life Ministry at Mission from 1995 to 1997. Boyd

retired in 1997, and they lived in Mitchell, South Dakota, for many years before moving to Sioux Falls.

Throughout the years Evelyn worked as a school secretary, district school office secretary, and as coordinator of mission projects. She was an active member of United Methodist Women and the American Association of University Women.

Evelyn loved sunflowers, which were a reminder of her home state of Kansas. She transplanted her mother’s irises to each place they lived. She was an avid reader and kept a diary of all the books she had read. Evelyn was quietly passionate about mission work, especially Tree of Life Ministry and LaGonave Alive, a ministry in Haiti. She organized a mission kit program at Mitchell First United Methodist Church.

Evelyn is survived by her husband, Boyd; three sons: Craig (Barbara) Blumer of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, Bruce (Sharon) Blumer of Tea, South Dakota, and Kurt Blumer of Chicago, Illinois; a daughter, Susan (Ed) Togel of Watertown, South Dakota; nine grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren, with one on the way; a brother, Ross Roepke of Tullahoma, Tennessee; and a sister, Joyce Heddleson of San Luis Obispo, California.

She was preceded in death by her parents, a brother Keith Roepke, and a sister Arlyss Wendland.

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Arlene Towler 1928-2022 Arlene Towler, 94, spouse of the Rev. James Towler, of Sartell, Minnesota, died Tuesday, October 4, 2022, at the St. Cloud Hospital in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Funeral services were held Saturday, November 12, 2022, at the First United Methodist Church in Sartell. Burial was in North Star Cemetery at St. Cloud.

Arlene Marie Davis was born on March 8, 1928, to Roy and Ella (Brooks) Davis in Mankato, Minnesota, where she grew up. In high school, Arlene was active in Spanish Club and Neu Tau Girl Reserves of the YWCA. She was active in the Wesley Foundation at Mankato State Teachers College, where she graduated.

Arlene taught school for a year. On August 25, 1951, she married James Towler. They moved to Madison, New Jersey, where Jim attended Drew Theological Seminary. Arlene joined the Woman’s Society of Christian Service in 1953 at Port Jefferson, Long Island, New York, where they lived. She held several district offices in WSCS and United Methodist Women in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota.

In 1955 they moved back to Minnesota. Jim transferred to the North Dakota Conference of The Methodist Church in 1964. Together he and Arlene served Methodist and United Methodist churches in North Dakota at Fargo First, Bowbells-Coteau-Kenmare, Arthur-Hunter-Erie, and Langdon-Hannah. Jim then transferred to the South Dakota Conference, and they served at Miller-Greenleaf, Timber Lake-Timber Lake ALC (ELCA)-Isabel UCC-Timber Lake

ABC, and Presho-Kennebec-Reliance.

Arlene started art departments at schools in Pine River, Minnesota, and Arthur, North Dakota. Her love of creating things led her into quilting in 1958. She quilted banners for the South Dakota Conference of The United Methodist Church and for local congregations. She started teaching quilting in 1975 and demonstrated quilting at an exposition held at the opening of the North Dakota Heritage Center in Bismarck. She was an organizer of the South Dakota Quilters Guild in 1985 and was its first president. One of her firstprize quilts, “Summer Fragrance,” was published in the book First Prize Quilts by Dimetra Makris (1984).

Arlene conducted leadership training for Sunday School teachers, taught Sunday School, and worked with youth programs. She was a den mother for Cub Scouts and a leader in the Campfire Girls.

Jim retired in 1994, and they moved to St. Cloud. Arlene enjoyed bird watching, knitting, quilting, and camping with the family, which included canoe trips to the Boundary Waters.

Arlene is survived by her husband, Jim, of Sartell; a son, Dwight (Colleen) Towler of Dallas, Texas; a daughter, Karri Lin Cortlandt of Cloquet, Minnesota; brother-in-law Roger (Sue) Towler of Sauk Rapids, Minnesota; sister-in-law Dorothy Towler of Rock Island, Illinois; four grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents and a sister and brother-in-law, Luella and Robert Rose.

Beverly Kinzler 1930-2022 Beverly Kinzler, 92, of Bismarck, North Dakota, surviving spouse of the Rev. Dr. Ed Kinzler Jr., passed away on Tuesday, October 18, 2022.

A memorial service was held Tuesday, October 25, 2022, at McCabe United Methodist Church in Bismarck.

Interment was in the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery at Mandan, North Dakota.

Beverly June Nelson was born on June 21, 1930, to Ben and Edith (Gordon) Nelson in Bismarck. She was the second of eight children. Bev graduated from Bismarck High School in 1948.

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On January 7, 1949, she married Marvin Oberlander, and they had four children. The family lived in Sioux Falls, South

Dakota; Mandan, and Cleveland, North Dakota. After Marvin died on October 20, 1967, Bev moved to Bismarck and then to Chicago, Illinois, for a short time, before returning to Cleveland.

On May 26, 1973, Bev married the Rev. Otto Edward Kinzler Jr., a retired Navy chaplain. Together they served United Methodist churches in North Dakota at Rocklake-Clyde, Minot North Hill-Des Lacs, Larimore, and Devils Lake.

Bev and Ed traveled to almost every state in their motor home. Following Ed’s retirement from the ministry in 1986, they spent much of their time golfing, being with family, and playing cards with friends. Ed died June 29, 2015.

Bev’s hobbies included crocheting and embroidering, and she was an accomplished seamstress who sewed clothing for her family and others. She enjoyed making beautifully decorated

cakes for special occasions. She sang in church choirs and participated in adult Bible studies and daily devotions.

Bev is survived by her daughters: Valarie (Vaughn) Johnson of Perth, North Dakota, and Renae (Wayne) Ash of Sidney, Montana; daughter-in-law Margaret Oberlander of Bismarck, North Dakota; step-children: Chris (Herb) Burton of New Mexico, Eunice (Gordon) Herring of Texas, Dan (Mary) Kinzler of Florida, Phil (Karen) Kinzler and Paul (Tiffany) Kinzler of Idaho; brothers: Bruce Nelson of Bismarck, North Dakota, Dick Nelson of Maryland, and Earl Nelson

of West Fargo, North Dakota; sisters: Shirley Upham of Mandan, North Dakota, and Karen Ressler of West Fargo, North Dakota; sisters-in-law: Bernice Shaffer of Jamestown, and Betty Kinzler of Iowa; 24 grandchildren and 33 greatgrandchildren.

She was preceded in death by both husbands, Marvin Oberlander and Ed Kinzler; her parents; two sons: Scott and Rick Oberlander; two brothers: Dennis and Terry Nelson; and two great-grandchildren.

Linnea Worner 1927-2022 Linnea Worner, 95, surviving spouse of the Rev. George Worner, passed away on Monday, November 14, 2022, at Colorado Springs, Colorado.

A memorial gathering was held Sunday, May 7, 2023, at a family home. Inurnment was on Monday, May 8, 2023, at Fort Logan National Cemetery in Denver, Colorado.

Linnea Elinor Asplund was born on July 28, 1927, to Otto Conrad Asplund and Karley Ogat Eriksen Asplund in Bismarck, North Dakota. She graduated from Westmar College in Le Mars, Iowa, in 1950, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in social sciences.

George returned to active duty as an Air Force chaplain in 1966, and they served together at McClellan AFB in California, Ellsworth AFB in South Dakota, Hickam AFB in Hawaii, Eglin AFB in Florida, Edwards AFB in California, Clark AFB in the Philippines, and in San Antonio, Texas.

He retired from the Air Force in 1985 and from the North Dakota Conference in 1988. George and Linnea remained in San Antonio, where he served as supply pastor at Texas United Methodist churches until 1991, when they moved to Colorado Springs to be close to family and friends.

Linnea transformed each new residence into a home filled with love and the ever-present aromas of pies, cookies, chicken soup, and roast in the oven. While stationed in Hawaii, Linnea learned the art of quilting and made intricate creations for family and friends.

Linnea met George John Worner at camp the summer before her college graduation. George told a friend, “That’s the girl I’m going to marry,” and then pushed Linnea into the pool to get her attention. They were married on June 2, 1951, in Naperville, Illinois.

She was an adventurous traveler like her mother. In their retirement, Linnea and George traveled around the United States and to Japan, The Netherlands, Germany, Norway, Sweden, France, and England. Linnea enjoyed the outdoors, swimming, taking walks, gardening, and golfing.

After George graduated from Evangelical Theological Seminary in Naperville in 1955, he and Linnea served together in North Dakota at the Hebron Evangelical United Brethren Church until 1959. George went on active duty as a U.S. Air Force chaplain and served two years at Reese Air Force Base in Texas before he and Linnea returned to North Dakota. Together they served EUB churches at BowbellsCoteau, Casselton-Chaffee, and Mandan Good Shepherd.

Linnea is survived by five children: LeAnne (Bob) Miller, Sheila (Doug) Matthew, Christine (Sam) Eldridge, Rebecca Lussier, and Elroy (Carmela) Worner; 9 grandchildren; 18 great-grandchildren; her sister June (Wayne) Marty; and numerous nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband, George, on September 6, 2013; her parents, and her brother, Otto Warren Asplund.

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Dan Kersey-Russell 1959 -2022 Dan Kersey-Russell, 63, spouse of the Rev. Jeanine Kersey-Russell, of Bismarck, North Dakota, passed away on Tuesday, December 27, 2022, due to pneumonia, viral infections, and health issues. A memorial service was held on Friday, December 30, 2022, at McCabe United Methodist Church in Bismarck.

Dan was born on June 29, 1959, to David and Janice (Brown) Russell in the United States Naval Base Hospital at Camp Pendleton in Oceanside, California.

His mother remarried and moved the family to Grand Forks, North Dakota. He became one of eleven brothers—step, full, and half.

After Dan graduated from Central High School in 1977, he married and had three children. He was the second chef on staff at the iconic Whitey’s in East Grand Forks for the next 23 years, where he learned the art of making liver pâté and chicken wild rice soup.

Harryette Sjursen 1932-2023

Harryette Sjursen, 90, surviving spouse of the Rev. Ralph Sjursen, died peacefully on Saturday, February 11, 2023, in Phoenix, Arizona, with family by her side. A celebration of life service is planned for Saturday, June 17, 2023, at the United Methodist Church in Arthur, North Dakota.

Harryette Joy Albert was born on April 3, 1932, to Harry and Helga Albert on the Henry Hill Farm northwest of Erie, North Dakota. She grew up on the family farm south of Erie and attended school in Erie. As a young girl, she enjoyed yodeling while driving the International Harvester Farmall Model H tractor.

In 1949, Harryette graduated from Erie High School and then attended Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, for two years. She completed medical laboratory technician training in Minot, North Dakota, graduating with honors.

She worked as a medical lab technician at Trinity Hospital in Minot.

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During this time, she met Ralph Sjursen who taught science and math at Dakota Lutheran High School in Minot. He frequently donated blood at Trinity Hospital to earn extra income. They were married on June 6, 1953, in Erie.

In 1997, Dan met the Rev. Jeanine (Kersey) O’Neal. They married on April 17, 1998, and changed their last names to Kersey-Russell. Dan adopted Jeanine’s son, Bill. Dan and Jeanine had triplet sons and adopted five more children. Dan loved fostering children, and they had more than 80 children come and go from their home.

Dan worked many jobs. In Bismarck, he worked at St. Alexius in housekeeping, at the CAT Bus as a driver, at Denny’s as a cook, and at Good Samaritan Nursing Home. Most recently, he was a bus driver for Harlow’s Bus Service taking children to and from school, which he loved.

Dan had many hobbies. He began volunteering with the Boy Scouts in the late 1990s. He was a scoutmaster and the proud father of four Eagle Scouts. His home projects included building a treehouse for their kids. He loved the outdoors and camping and traveling with his family across the United States.

Dan is survived by his wife, Jeanine, and his family and many friends.

A career change for Ralph took them back to his home state of New Jersey. While Ralph attended seminary, Harryette worked at Greystone Psychiatric Hospital in Morristown, New Jersey. The couple then moved to Gilberton, Pennsylvania, for their first parish assignment.

In 1956, they returned to North Dakota, where they served Methodist and United Methodist churches at Velva-Benedict, Hunter-Arthur, Dickinson, and Grassy Butte. After Ralph’s retirement in 1991, they continued serving at Grassy Butte and Belfield Presbyterian Church until 2001.

While serving the church in Dickinson, the family’s need for a special education classroom led the couple to take a leadership role in the development of community services for children with special needs. Harryette enjoyed being a foster parent and was recognized for her work providing services to individuals with special needs.

She enjoyed gardening, cooking, sewing, and spending time with her grandchildren and great-grandchild. She and Ralph enjoyed keeping Saturdays open for family fun, often exploring the badlands of southwestern North Dakota.

Harryette is survived by her son, Phillip (Sheila) of Bismarck, North Dakota; daughter Greta of Phoenix, Arizona; five grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.

Doris Gist 1929-2023

Doris Gist, 93, spouse of the Rev. Rodney Gist, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, died peacefully on Tuesday, February 14, 2023, at Sanford USD Medical Center in Sioux Falls. A memorial service was held on Monday, February 20, 2023, at First United Methodist Church of Sioux Falls, with the Rev. Sara Nelson officiating. The inurnment was at Richland Cemetery in Inwood, Iowa.

Doris Jean Leivestad was born on February 17, 1929, to Olof and Lucille (Foote) Leivestad in their home at Inwood.

Her seventh birthday present was piano lessons. At Inwood High School, she accompanied all the musical groups under Mr. Dahl’s direction and won numerous prizes at the music contests, before graduating in 1947. Doris studied music education at Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa, graduating summa cum laude in 1951. Many years later, while her children were in high school, she earned a master’s degree in education from Black Hills State College in Spearfish, South Dakota.

Doris taught vocal and instrumental music in Soldier, Iowa, for kindergarten through high school. She also taught English in Soldier. Two weeks before beginning her work in Soldier, she met Rodney Gist at his grandmother’s funeral service in Inwood, where Doris was the pianist. After their first date that night, they corresponded for two years while Rod finished his theological education at Garrett Biblical Institute. They were

married on the day he graduated, June 15, 1953.

Together Doris and Rod served Methodist and United Methodist churches in South Dakota at Viborg-Irene, Sioux Falls First, Britton-Langford, Canistota-Salem, CanistotaRiverside (Presbyterian), Spearfish, Gregory Larger Parish, and Canton. They also served at Louth and Lincolnshire in the United Kingdom.

Doris taught piano to hundreds of students in the communities in which they served. Her attention to detail was evidenced by hand-sewing matching dresses for a Mother’s Day tea for her mother, herself, her daughters, her foster daughter, and her daughters’ dolls. She was a caregiver for her sister, Muriel, who suffered from multiple sclerosis, and her mother.

Doris enjoyed finding punctuation errors in the many books she read, knitting, watching lunar eclipses, learning butterfly species while volunteering at the Sertoma Butterfly House in Sioux Falls, and seeing variations in the flora and fauna on drives and walks that she loved to take.

Since 2002, Doris and Rod lived in Sioux Falls and were active at First United Methodist Church. They also enjoyed flights and cruises to at least 25 countries.

Doris is survived by her husband, Rodney; two daughters: Barbara (David) Cook of Fennimore, Wisconsin, and Linda (James) Marten of Milwaukee, Wisconsin; two grandchildren; and one great-grandson.

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Mary Ann Rager 1928-2023 Mary Ann Rager, 94, surviving spouse of the Rev. Wayne Rager, died Thursday, March 2, 2023, at Dow Rummel Village in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Funeral services were held on Tuesday, March 7, 2023, at the United Methodist Church in Canton, South Dakota.

Mary Ann Damm was born on July 15, 1928, to Karl and Johanna (Jensen) Damm in Centerville, South Dakota. A few years later, her family moved to Yankton, South Dakota, where she graduated from Yankton High School in 1946. She went on to obtain her teaching certificate from Southern State Teachers College in Springfield, South Dakota, and taught country school for three years.

Viborg, Scotland, Tyndall, White-Sterling, HitchcockBroadland, Canton, Sioux Falls Sunnycrest-Ellis, and Madison. When Wayne retired in 1990, they moved back to Canton.

Mary Ann’s passions were art and poetry, thrilling family and friends with her creative writing abilities and pencil portraits.

She loved cooking, baking, music, cleaning, and drinking black coffee.

Mary Ann is survived by two sons: Daniel (Linda) Rager of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and Tom (Deb Simunek) Rager of Luverne, Minnesota; five grandchildren; and seven greatgrandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Wayne, on June 7, 2013; son David on December 28, 2012; her parents; and two sisters: Ann Knutson and Joyce Suga.

Mary Ann married Wayne Rager on July 31, 1949, in Yankton. Together Wayne and Mary Ann served Methodist and United Methodist churches in South Dakota at Irene-

Lorraine Werner 1926-2023 Lorraine Werner, 96, surviving spouse of the Rev. Edwin Werner, passed away on Saturday, April 8, 2023, in Bradenton, Florida. A memorial service is planned for the summer of 2023, with interment at Highland Home Cemetery in Jamestown, North Dakota.

Lorraine Ruth Schafer was born on June 10, 1926, to Walter and Ruth (Bueche) Schafer. She met Edwin H. Werner while attending college in Naperville, Illinois. They were married on June 19, 1946, in Toledo, Ohio.

Lorraine and Edwin returned to North Dakota and served the Evangelical United Brethren and United Methodist churches at Walcott-Kindred (1946-1949), McCluskey-Mercer (1946-1956), Tappen-Medina (1956-1959), Marion (19591962), Hazen-Buelah-Zap (1962-1968), Pembina-JolietteHumboldt, Minnesota (1968-1975), and Harvey-Martin-

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Chaseley (1975-1982). Following Edwin’s retirement, they served at Bowbells-Coteau-Donnybrook-Kenmare (19821984) and Rolla-Dunseith (1984-1988).

Lorraine served as a local pastor under appointment to RollaDunseith (1988-1990) and then Antelope United Methodist Church, near Morton, North Dakota (1990-1994). She was very involved in the United Methodist Women and served as the North Dakota president. She also served on the conference’s Episcopacy Committee.

Lorraine and Edwin had five children: Ruth Nesheim, Kathryn Berge, Mark Werner, the Rev. Joel Certa-Werner, who serves in the Wisconsin Conference, and the Rev. David Werner, who serves in the Minnesota Conference. Grandson Rev. Thanael Certa-Werner serves at Cavalier Trinity in the Dakotas Conference.

Edwin preceded Lorraine in death on July 7, 1988.

Retirees Mary Ann Bernard “I love the United Methodist Church.

My greatest gifts, as well as the greatest trauma in my life, came from it.

God is good. I have been in ministry inside and outside the church, and my life in God continues and reaches far beyond my life in the church.”

These are the words of Rev. Mary Ann Bernard, who will retire after being in ministry for more than 43 years. God guided her ministry journey to serve beyond the local church in ways many of us have not experienced.

Mary Ann grew up in the church, attended Wesley Acres Camp, was on the CCYM, and attended Annual Conference as a youth. Also, at that same time, she was raped by her local pastor, one of many he abused. While experiencing a clear call to ministry in the United Methodist Church, supported and guided by many others—Rev. Bill Bates, Bishop Jim Armstrong, and Rev. Duane Ewers, the struggle always was how to serve an organization that gave rise to the best experiences in her life and the deep traumatic wound of rape. It was a bumpy ride.

She completed her undergraduate degree in psychology at the University of North Dakota and a Master of Divinity at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. She was Ordained in 1980 as a deacon and in 1984 as an elder. “The church, even this beloved conference, was a toxic and unsafe place for me. Yet, I followed God’s call,” said Bernard.

Pastor Mary Ann’s first appointment was to a threepoint charge—Elgin, Zoar, and Ebenezer UCC in North Dakota. She was then appointed to Vincent United Methodist Church in Minot, North Dakota, as associate pastor. Rev. Wayne and Char Brown were a great support, but she was restless being in this conference, which was still a very unhealthy place for her and others to be.

Bernard transferred to the Iowa Conference. Bishop Rueben Job was there, knew her, and was a person she trusted and cherished. After two appointments there, “it became clear that I needed to deal with the abuse

issue. I took a leave of absence and went to Maine.”

In Portland, Maine, she directed the YWCA women’s residence. Bernard also worked with a multi-traditional spiritual group on a campus for a non-profit promoting relationship between Native and non-native people and worked for the post office. “It looks like I drifted in and out of the ministry. That is not true. I always was in ministry even when I wasn’t serving through a church,” said Bernard.

She returned to North Dakota to again serve at Ellendale, North Dakota. During that time, the Cabinet was pursuing charges against the pastor who had raped her and abused others. The process did not ultimately hold him responsible.

“I could see both the desire of people like Rev. Dwight Meier to bring justice, but the system failed again to do that.”

She married and moved to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, again taking a leave of absence from the UMC, working as an interim in a Presbyterian church, and also being a surrogate mom: giving birth to a child for her friends who were unable to conceive. She wrote a book about that experience titled The Gift of a Child.

The couple then headed to Hawaii, where Mary Ann worked in a program similar to Head Start. She found herself single again, and moved to Horsehead, New York, to work first as the director of a Head Start Program, then as a chaplain at Bethany Village. She built a ministry for 14 years with aging people, some dealing with severe dementia.

She sums up her ministry outside the local church this way.

“Outside the structures of the church and the organization of the UMC, I found God moving in clear and vibrant ways. Scripture was clearer to me there. My call was as valid.

I might never have ventured outside the denomination, but I was forced to by the unhealed trauma in me and in the church. Once outside, I discovered my faith being refined and strengthened. My relationship with God and my call to ministry were ever-present. I developed ‘outside the church’ ways to live out my call to ministry.”

She is the pastor at Evergreen United Methodist Church in Wahpeton, North Dakota. She will retire in Hawaii.

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Neil Blair “Being a clergy member of the Dakotas Conference feels like coming home,” said Blair. His connection to farming and the church, as well as the grace of the people, are reasons that Blair feels at home in the Dakotas.

Neil Blair grew up on a farm near Dayton, Iowa. His family was active in the United Methodist Church and in his community. His call to ministry came when he was young.

His call was nurtured as he furthered his education at United Methodist universities. He received an undergraduate degree from Morningside University in Sioux City, Iowa.

Neil obtained a Master of Divinity from St. Paul’s School of Theology in Kansas City.

He was commissioned as a deacon in the Iowa Conference.

He served eight years in a Disciples of Christ Church in Missouri and received full ordination in that denomination.

Blair served 19 years as Vice President for Development at Saint Paul’s School of Theology from 1988 to 2003.

Advancement at Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell, South Dakota, he transferred his orders to The United Methodist Church.

While serving at Dakota Wesleyan University, he lived with the late Senator George McGovern.

He was President of The Foundation for Evangelism of the UMC in Lake Junaluska, North Carolina, from 2011-2016.

Rev. Neil Blair began his leadership as President of Saint Paul School of Theology, with campuses in Kansas and Missouri, on July 1, 2016, where he currently serves.

“I had the honor of staying at George McGovern’s home for a few months and we spent many enjoyable hours singing United Methodist hymns. He loved them, knew most of them by heart and had a wonderful singing voice. He also talked about the power of the United Methodist Church in serving the poor and that he was proud to be counted among their members,” said Blair.

Neil is the father of two sons, David and family live in Texas, and Ben and family live in Chicago.

In 2009, he became a full elder of the Dakotas Conference.

While serving as the Vice President for Institutional

Jerry Densmore “Not many people can say that they are circuit riders, like the old guy [John Wesley]. I guess I haven’t ridden a horse but my motorcycle. I rode the circuit,” said Pastor Jerry Densmore, who will retire after serving eight years at Camp Crook United Methodist Church in northwest South Dakota.

Jerry Densmore entered pastoral ministry in 2015 after a 28-year career in the Air Force. He served at Ellsworth Air Force Base in Box Elder, South Dakota, for 12 years. While at Ellsworth, Densmore and his wife were involved with chapel programs.

“I wanted to start helping, but I didn’t like getting in front of people, believe it or not. So, I started reading scripture because you don’t have to look at the people. That helped me to get comfortable,” said Pastor Jerry.

He found himself working with the praise team, choir, and men’s group and enjoyed that. The military chapel programs gave Densmore experiences with different denominations.

“One nice thing about chapel programs is you get a lot of

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different inputs, everything from Baptist, Southern Baptist, Seventh Day Adventist, Christian Science, the different levels of Lutheran and Mormon chaplains,” said Densmore.

Densmore recalls the exact moment he surrendered to God’s call for his life. It happened in 2006 while he was serving on temporary duty at a military base in Guam.

“I was over in Guam, sitting on a bench on a bluff about 600 feet above sea level near a place they call Pati Point. I was sitting up there looking toward the Islands of Rota and Saipan which you can see on a clear day, and I knew it was time to surrender to God,” said Densmore.

He did some exploring when he got back. Densmore talked with Pastor Jim Patrick and met with the district superintendent. He had completed the Certified Lay Speaker courses and led worship and also did some pulpit supply which included filling in at Camp Crook UMC in 2011. The final step was attending licensing school in 2014 to become a licensed local pastor.

“I guess I was taught that things happen in God’s time, not our time,” he said. In 2015, he accepted the appointment at Camp Crook UMC, Buffalo UCC, and the Harding

Community church. “The opportunity came up to serve at Camp Crook. I knew the people. It was a good fit.”

Growing up in Michigan, Pastor Jerry was familiar with rural life, dairy cows, and sheep. “I could identify with the people,” he said. “We connected, and one year we had three baptisms.

There hadn’t been any baptisms in a while. One was a gal— who was over 40 years old, that was baptized.”

After serving eight years at Camp Crook and Buffalo, Densmore will retire. Baptisms and confirmations have been highlights of his ministry. Easter Sunday, three more youth were confirmed.

“You have to plan things around lambing, calving, branding, farming, etc.,” said Pastor Jerry. “They make a living by nature; nature dictates a lot. We planned to have confirmation on Easter, and it worked out. It fit with everyone’s schedule.”

Another highlight for Densmore is playing guitar on music Sundays with area Lutheran congregations. People gather and bring their instruments and voices to sing the old hymns. In addition, Camp Crook UMC is involved in parades and other community events.

“We are the only church in town, so people look to us and know us,” said Pastor Jerry. “We have a bazaar in October which is supported by the entire community, and we support other functions. I mean, everybody knows everybody and the way they support each other regardless of denominational belief is what I think Jesus wants us to do.”

In retirement, he will continue living in Rapid City and will work with the district to serve others as needed. The Densmores look forward to spending more time with their girls and their families in the St. Louis, Missouri area.

Mark Elllingson Rev. Mark Ellingson recalls his fifth-grade Sunday school teacher telling him to enter the ministry.

“I remember one of my Sunday School teachers, Mrs. Johnson, told me I should be a pastor because I had a good voice. I have always had opportunities placed in my life to be a leader at church, in youth group, and at school. I even preached in the pulpit of my local church,” says Rev. Ellingson. “My call did not come at one point and time. It was something that just happened through God’s guidance.”

Ellingson will retire after 41 years of ministry this year. His call to ministry was something that became obvious over time.

Growing up Presbyterian, on a farm near Breckenridge, Minnesota, Ellingson spent a lot of time in various leadership roles. “I started to notice I never could miss the leadership positions,” Ellingson said. “You end up being the president of the youth group, the president of Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship at Moorhead State University, and similar opportunities.”

God’s call became clearer while seeking his degree in journalism from Moorhead State University. “It was really in college that I realized that’s probably the direction I was going. I was working on a journalism degree at the time, a great undergraduate degree for anybody going into ministry— to learn about asking questions, writing, and communicating.

I just knew that this was what God would have me do. So, I headed off to Asbury Seminary in Kentucky,” said Ellingson.

He says that being a very shy person, he was amazed God would call him to be a preacher.

He married Betty during his last year at Moorhead State University, and the couple moved to Kentucky for seminary.

Pastor Mark was exposed to different types of ministries at seminary, including working in a chaplaincy setting for people dealing with disabilities at a hospital in Lexington, Kentucky.

“It was an extraordinary experience to figure out how one communicates,” he said.

After seminary, his first appointment was a four-point charge at Bowbells, Coteau, Donnybrook, and Kenmare in North Dakota. “I spent two years in my first appointment. I was there with Pastor Ed Werner, who was retired,” said Ellingson.

“I loved the people and the setting. I liked serving small, rural churches.”

In 1984, Ellingson was appointed to Holmes and Thompson in North Dakota. For the next 27 years, Pastor Mark served Holmes, Thompson and later Lutheran congregations in the same area. The church and the parsonage were in the country.

“I remember Cecil Miller called the people of Holmes ‘the salt of the earth.’ Even though there were a lot of changes throughout the years, their faith was firm and consistent,” said Ellingson. “It was a wonderful place to raise our five kids out in the country. I have always been attracted to rural ministry.”

In 2007, a tornado hit the nearby community of Northwood.

Ellingson ran across a Lutheran disaster response team and began working with them. “I spent my time ministering to people and working with people who were not my parishioners. That’s kind of the definition of chaplaincy— you’re working with someone in a special situation who are not your parishioners. I found that I liked it and that I had some gifts for doing that.”

He began completing 400 hours of training to become a certified chaplain. Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) training

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is about preparing for ministry with people who are not your parishioners for a specific length of time and a particular purpose.

Leading a local congregation was rewarding for Ellingson, but chaplaincy work has become his passion. While completing CPE, Ellingson became a chaplain for Hospice of the Red River Valley. After a few years, he moved to Altru Health System as the manager of the chaplain program.

“One of the holiest times for me is at the end of life. It is a time when someone is at a place where their house and what they own doesn’t matter anymore. The thing that matters is God and their family. I’ve more than once been singing a hymn to somebody, and they died while I was holding their hand,” shares Pastor Mark. “While there’s a tremendous sadness with death. I’ve seen this as a holy, special, set-apart time.”

In 2020, Ellingson was suddenly laid off from his job as Chaplain Manager at Altru Health System along with dozens of others. LifeSource was not looking for a chaplain specifically, but the position of Clinical Hospital Coordinator for western North Dakota was open. Ellingson went to work

with 32 hospitals across the western two-thirds of North Dakota to support staff and help families. In the last year he has become the Liaison at Altru in Grand Forks (where he was a chaplain for several years) and 26 other hospitals in North Dakota.

For 17 years of his ministry, Ellingson served as the Dakotas Conference Secretary. “I ended up becoming the journal editor and then the conference secretary. I got to have connections with a lot of different people in a lot of different ways. I had fun with the role at the annual conference. When I started doing the journal, I would ‘cut and paste’ pieces of paper and paste them with rubber cement. Today it is all digital. Cutting and pasting changed its definition for me over the course of time,” recalls Ellingson.

In retirement, Pastor Mark plans to continue living in Grand Forks and working in his current position with LifeSource.

He will also continue providing pulpit supply at Holmes UMC and surrounding churches.

Mike Flowers “I’ve never really sat down and tracked how many people have come out here, but it’s in the thousands. I never counted how many wheelchair ramps were built, roofs replaced, or houses painted. Instead, I kept track of the relationships that were built between the two cultures,” said Pastor Mike Flowers. Mike and his wife, Libby, serve as the co-directors of Spirit Lake Ministry Center. Mike and Libby retired on May 31, after serving the people of the Spirit Lake Nation for 16 years. It is all about relationships and trust.

Mike Flowers grew up as a child of an Air Force family. His family ended up in West Monroe, Louisiana. Libby Flowers lived in the same community in northeast Louisiana all her life. They met in 1976 and were married in 1978.

Mike entered the Air Force, and the couple headed to Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri. The next stop was Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico. Then they headed to Yokota Air Base in Japan. After Japan, they were stationed at Minot Air Force Base in Minot, North Dakota.

In September of 1994, Mike retired from the Air Force.

Both ended up working in retail. “I had a job on the base where I worked three days on and six days off. I needed something to do on my days off. So, I started working at WalMart part-time, where Libby was working,” said Mike.

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When Mike announced his retirement from the Air Force, Wal Mart hired him as a district manager in Fargo. It was in Fargo, at First United Methodist Church, where they found their church home.

Mike was raised United Methodist, and Libby grew up in the Catholic denomination. “I was raised United Methodist, but after we got married, we quit going to church. So, for 17 years, we didn’t go to church,” said Mike. “God called us back to the church in 1995. We were involved in almost everything at Fargo First, including substitute preaching.”

The first time they attended worship at First UMC, they heard terrific music and met many people. After that, they got hooked in a ministry called Shoebox Christmas.

“Some people from Children of the Harvest ministry came to First UMC and talked about Shoebox Christmas. For the next two years, we led the Shoebox Christmas ministry from Fargo First,” said Pastor Mike.

In 2007 they responded to God’s call to serve at Spirit Lake Ministry Center. “We were both praying the same thing and didn’t realize it. We prayed that God would show us what he wanted us to do—where he needed us,” Pastor Mike said.

“We both loved our jobs in retail. Then we talked to Bishop Deb [Kiesey]. We asked her how to tell the difference between a call and our want. She said there are three signs, ‘First, if you go to bed at night and wake up in the morning and that’s what you’re thinking about. Second, if other people tell you

that that’s what you should be doing without you even telling them that that’s what you’re thinking. Third, you know you can’t do it by yourself, that you can only do it with God. Then you are being called.’ So those three things that Bishop Deb told us were the three things that happened. We were called to serve at Spirit Lake.”

The Flowerses stepped into a different culture to build relationships and establish trust with the people of Spirit Lake Nation. Getting to know the families and the people has been critical and rewarding. “The people of Spirit Lake are resilient.

You learn to look at their faces. Sometimes that’s all they have is the expression on their face. People are people. There may be different cultures, but we are all God’s children,” Mike said.

The ministry reaches hundreds of families annually by meeting their basic needs through the food pantry and Community Children’s Fund. “I remember Maxine,” said Mike. “Maxine came into the food pantry and tried just to take everything there. She believed we might not be there the the next time she needed something. Finally, we built trust with Maxine. She told everybody else we would be there if people needed something. Maxine became our friend and invited us into her house to pray.”

Shoebox Christmas continued and grew to serve 6,000 children. Gifts were distributed to eight reservations in the Dakotas Conference and the Red Lake Reservation in Minnesota. The gifts provide the children with the story of Jesus’ birth, warm hats, scarves, mittens/gloves, and fun toys.

Sidewalk SONday School morphed into the only faith-based summer day camp on the Spirit Lake reservation. Children come to the Summer JAM, a fast-paced Vacation Bible School experience. Monthly, families enjoy games, movies, and meals at Spirit Lake Ministry Center.

The Flowers brought the United Methodist Volunteers in Mission program to Spirit Lake. Teams come from all over the country to repair homes, build wheelchair ramps, or paint houses. The construction ministry helped build homes and relationships. “It’s important to be able to get into your

house. It’s important not to have a leaky roof. But, you know, the most important thing was the relationships. We have witnessed spiritual growth and the connections in families and the teams that traveled here,” said Mike.

A worshipping community sprouted. The Journey is now a congregation that worships each week, has small group Bible studies, and does community outreach and youth and children’s ministry. Mike attended licensing school and completed the Native American Course of Study program in 2011. He is affectionally known as Pastor Mike.

After an extensive seven-month remodel, a 53-year-old Quonset hut became the new worship center and dining facility for the Spirit Lake Ministries. The new worship space, a dream of Mike and Libby Flowers, became a reality after a successful fundraising campaign. With the help of donors from all over the country, many having volunteered on the reservation, and two significant donations, the dream became a reality.

“What happened was that we were connecting with people all around Spirit Lake Nation through our work with Volunteers in Mission (VIM) teams,” says Pastor Mike Flowers, pastor of The Journey. “People started asking, ‘Do you have worship?’”

In 2021, Mike was appointed to serve at The Journey at Spirit Lake and First United Methodist Church in Devils Lake, North Dakota. It became a partnership that brought vitality to both congregations.

“The partnership has made us stronger and both congregations stronger. First UMC is supportive of the Ministry Center. It has been a great partnership,” said Pastor Mike.

In retirement, Mike and Libby will travel in their motorhome to visit with children and grandchildren and vacation.

They plan to take their grandchildren on vacation to Virginia Beach. Mike and Libby will go to Destin, Florida, to assist with a ministry by Christmas. They will continue their journey by doing ministry on the road.

Mark Gronseth I went to seminary in my fifties. It was really God’s timing. It was perfect,” said Rev. Mark Gronseth, who will retire after 36 years of full-time ministry. He served as a full-time church musician for 22 years and as the pastor of a congregation for 14 years.

He graduated from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, with a

Bachelor of Arts degree in music and no teaching credentials.

“When I first started college, I thought I was going to be a band director, and that just kind of went sour,” said Pastor Mark.

After college, he wasn’t sure what he was going to do. With no teaching degree, he instead began working at a number of places in Fargo-Moorhead. He married his wife, CoCo, in 1979, and eventually landed a full-time job at the Fargo-

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Moorhead Community Theater (as their casino auditor) and was also organist on Sundays at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Moorhead.

was a combined assignment for someone to serve at the UCC and United Methodist churches. Greg said, ‘We don’t have anybody in place. So, how about if you give that a try?’”

“I would head to the church on Sunday. On Monday, I would count casino money,” said Gronseth. “At one point, my wife and I had, between the two of us, five part-time jobs. My music career wasn’t really coming together until 1986 when I began to really listen to God’s call. Then God helped get things organized. He always had a plan. Unfortunately, for too many years, I wasn’t listening to His voice.”

Three days each week, Gronseth headed to DeSmet. He stayed in the parsonage and served the two churches. The role lasted until the end of the year, and he found himself back in Sioux Falls again, where he served at Wildflower Presbyterian Church.

Gronseth’s journey toward ordained ministry began with music. For years, he served as a church musician at churches in Michigan, Kansas, and Sioux Falls, South Dakota. It was a vulnerable, full-time position that often fell prey to budget cuts.

“It took me almost ten years to realize that God was calling me into a church music ministry,” said Gronseth. “The first music job was at a United Methodist Church in Livonia, Michigan. Finances got tight, so they cut the musician. I spent a year looking for another church music job and ended up in southwest Kansas. After nine years in that position, the same thing happened–money. So I ended up moving to Sioux Falls to take a position at First Presbyterian Church.”

He was consecrated as a diaconal minister of music. The United Methodist Church used to have a lay office called Diaconal Minister; some are still in active ministry. The UMC no longer consecrates new lay diaconal ministers.

His job at First Presbyterian was cut due to a lack of funding.

That was the third occurrence. Pastor Mark knew that God was up to something.

“I had lunch with Greg Kroger. He was the district superintendent in the Sioux Falls area. We talked about pastoral ministry because I had been kind of feeling a little more of a tug toward that area. Greg said, ‘Well, we have this situation in DeSmet, South Dakota,’” said Pastor Mark. “It

“They needed a pastor. I needed a job. I served there January through May and got some more hands-on experience,” said Gronseth. “Then I went to licensing school in the summer at Dubuque, Iowa, and headed to Sioux Falls Seminary in the fall.”

While in seminary, Mark and CoCo served the United Methodist congregations at Wakonda, Irene, and Viborg.

Pastor Mark was ordained an elder in the Dakotas Conference in 2013. He was then appointed to serve at Breckenridge, Minnesota, and Fairmount, North Dakota.

He is one of the few individuals consecrated as a diaconal minister, ordained a deacon, licensed as a local pastor, and ordained an elder in The United Methodist Church.

His wife CoCo has been a ministry partner throughout the years. As a vocal and piano teacher, she would give lessons and lead music at the congregations and communities they served.

“I would usually come home and take care of the boys.

Then she would head to work and teach lessons,” said Pastor Mark. “Throughout the years, we would play together. She would play at the church I served or another church in the community. She still plays for the church here. We still minister together.”

In retirement, the couple hopes to find a home in Wahpeton, North Dakota, or Breckenridge, Minnesota. They will spend time with their two sons, daughters-in-law, and four grandchildren.

Sarah Herman “I accepted Jesus Christ when I was five years old; when I was 16, I came to understand what it meant to not only be saved but to live a life completely surrendered to Jesus Christ. During this time I felt called into ministry,” said Rev. Sarah Herman, who is retiring after 24 years of service in the Dakotas Conference.

Growing up in Kankakee, Illinois, she served at her home church throughout high school, teaching Bible studies and leading Bible school.

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Sarah’s faith and call to ministry grew as she entered North American Baptist College in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Sarah shared that after her first year in college, she was privileged to travel with a gospel team called “God’s Volunteers,” for a year, sharing her faith in Jesus Christ, along with 14 other team members. “We traveled all over the USA and Canada. This was an outstanding experience.”

After receiving her undergraduate degree, she married Elmo Herman. The couple had two children. Ike, who is married to Rebecca, and Nate, who is married to Stephanie. They have two grandchildren, Aidan and Emily, who are both in high school.

“I served alongside Elmo while we raised our children,” Sarah said. “It was such a joy for me to be able to raise our children and be part of Elmo’s ministry. When our son Nate was a junior in high school, the Lord began to open doors for me in full-time church ministry.”

Sarah went to licensing school during her time in the UCC. She moved to Alpena, South Dakota, to serve the United Parish of Alpena part-time. This was a joint parish–both UCC and United Methodist and was her first experience serving Methodists.

Sarah enjoyed working with the Alpena Church. During her last two years at Alpena, she entered seminary, a long-time dream. “I spent six wonderful years serving at Alpena. Then Elmo and I joined the Dakotas Conference, and we began our ministry with the Dakotas in North Dakota, where I served in Wimbledon and Kensal. Those were great ministries. I enjoyed our time together,” said Rev. Herman.

She was ordained an elder in 2015 while serving at Napoleon and Lehr in North Dakota. After a realignment in 2018, she

was appointed to serve Streeter and Napoleon, also in North Dakota.

“I truly loved all three of these ministries,” said Pastor Sarah.

“We enjoyed the people of North Dakota. We did feel the urge to return to South Dakota to be closer to our children.”

In 2020, during the COVID pandemic, the couple moved to South Dakota. Pastor Sarah was appointed to serve at Burke and Herrick United Methodist churches. Her husband, Elmo, serves the nearby Gregory United Methodist Church.

Pastor Sarah has a love for missions. She loves to encourage churches to reach out to their community, to the state they live in, and to the United States and the world. “This is based on the Great Commission in Matthew 28. When churches get a vision for missions, it is such a joy,” she said.

In retirement, she will continue to serve the Lord. “I know that God wants me to continue to preach and share the gospel of Jesus Christ,” said Pastor Sarah.

Juwle Nagbe Rev. Juwle Nagbe, will enter a retirement relationship with the Dakotas Conference this year. His journey in ministry spans 40 years and reaches from West Africa to North Dakota.

“I have gone through a lot of trials many times,” said Pastor Juwle. “I was arrested by the rebels many times. They tried to kill me. But God, for some reason, protected me. They never killed me,” he said.

Born in Liberia, Nagbe became a teacher and principal. He felt an urge to do something more. Juwle made his way to Duke University in the United States and earned a Master of Divinity. He started his quest for ordination in 1987, while he was in Liberia as a United Methodist minister. Liberia is his faith home. On Christmas Day 1989, civil war broke out. The war claimed more than 200,000 Liberians in a nation of 2.1 million people and displaced millions of other citizens. One of those displaced citizens was Juwle Nagbe. The ordination process halted.

“I was in the Nimba County when rebel rule took over and divided the country into two sections, the North-Eastern ruled by the rebels and the West ruled by Samuel Doe’s government.” said Rev. Nagbe. “Some of my family escaped to Sierra Leone, but I had no idea where they were. I went to Cote d’Ivoire as a refugee; and while I was there, I began

to search for my family. Not knowing where some of them were, I was able to leave to go to school in the United States at Emory University.”

Juwle completed his studies at Duke School of Theology in 2000. He continued in the Clinical Pastoral Education program at Candler School of Theology, located on the campus of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. He contacted the North Georgia Conference to seek ordination as an elder in The United Methodist Church. Because Juwle entered the U.S. on a student visa, the conference could not process his ordination. He needed to become employed in the U.S. or become a United States citizen.

While going through all that, Juwle was still searching through UNHCR’s records for the Liberians who were being resettled from Africa to the United States to see if he could find his sister’s name. Then it happened. Juwle learned that his sister was resettled from the hottest spot in Africa (Ghana), to the coolest spot in the United States at Fargo, North Dakota.

Upon connection by phone, his sister, Maude Thomas, decided to go to find Juwle in Georgia first.

After the visit Pastor Juwle said, “I told my sister, ‘I will come to you.’ So, I traveled from Atlanta for a visit,” he said. “I was planning to go back to Atlanta. But she said, ‘Brother, think about the years we were separated. We have lost our mother and father. Do you really want to be separated again?’ We prayed that God would open doors for us.”

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By June of the same year, he was employed as a chaplain with Sandford Health, which was the beginning of Juwle’s stay in North Dakota.

Pastor Juwle, who attended Flame of Faith UMC in West Fargo, noticed that several Liberian refugees had no place to worship. So, with the support of the congregation and Rev. Mina Hall, he started a worshipping community for those that made their way from West Africa to North Dakota.

“I knew that God must have brought me to North Dakota for a reason. Mina Hall and the people at Flame of Faith were so open. She encouraged me to start the ordination process here,” said Pastor Juwle. “But the ordination process did not move along because I was not a citizen of the United States.”

In 2012, Bishop Bruce Ough became the resident bishop for the Dakotas-Minnesota Area of The United Methodist Church. At the Northeast District welcoming and installation service, held at First UMC in Fargo, Pastor Nagbe was asked to read scripture (John 21:15-19) in his dialect at the request of Bishop Ough. Why Bishop Ough would ask someone to read that passage in his dialect, and why it was Juwle Nagbe to be called upon to read that in his dialect is still a mystery to Pastor Juwle. But that was the beginning of his connection with the Dakotas Conference.

“Who was that man who read that scripture?” Pastor Juwle shared, “I do not know if he understood what I read in my dialect, but he remembered the man who read the Scripture.

Only God could work those things out.”

Rev. Spurrell approached Pastor Juwle to serve three churches—two United Methodist congregations and one Presbyterian congregation—at Lisbon and Enderlin, North Dakota. “I said, ‘Sure if they can understand me,’” said Pastor Juwle.

“In 2013, I was appointed. The thing I loved about serving there was the openness, the love of the people, their readiness,” said Pastor Juwle. “We just got connected—our hearts, our spirits—just got connected, and that was just by the grace of God. We all grew so much together.”

In 2014, Rev. Nagbe was commissioned as an elder in the Dakotas Conference. He was ordained as a full member in 2019. Juwle’s wife of 37 years—Martha, his two sons, daughter, and three grandchildren attended the ordination service. His sister, who currently works as a nurse and lives in Bismarck, attended with her daughter and granddaughter.

In 2020, Rev. Nagbe was appointed to serve at Streeter and Napoleon in North Dakota. He will be living in Streeter and continue serving the congregations in retirement.

A few months later, there was a need of a pastor at Lisbon/ Enderlin charge. According to Rev. Marilyn Spurrell, the Northeast District Superintendent, Bishop Ough asked,

Randy Phillips “I am thankful for the privilege to have been in ministry at Mayo Clinic-Rochester,” says Rev. Randy Phillips, a Dakotas Conference elder.

“I constantly remind myself that whatever is going on, God is present.

God is at work.”

Rev. Randy Phillips is retiring after 27 of ministry as a pastor in a local church and as a staff chaplain at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

At Mayo, he worked with a team of 24-27 chaplains to provide care on the Mayo Clinic-Rochester, St. Mary’s and Methodist campuses to show the love of Jesus to persons at the most vulnerable moments of their lives.

“My primary workplace was the Mayo Clinic HospitaRochester, St. Mary’s campus,” says Rev. Randy Phillips. “The COVID-19 pandemic altered and increased my workload significantly, visiting patients and their families throughout

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the hospital in times of need.”

He grew up in rural Nebraska, attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, graduating with a master’s degree in counseling. Phillips began his career as a counselor in a Nebraska state prison. During that time, he experienced his mother’s death from ovarian cancer, a life-changing faith experience.

“My faith has always been important to me. I wrestled a lot with God during the time of my mother’s illness and death,” he says. “I found my faith increased. I spent a lot of time at the hospital, and I saw and experienced God. So, I headed to seminary.”

Graduating from seminary, he desired to be a chaplain, but the process for chaplaincy did not fall into place at the time.

Phillips found himself serving the Church of God in Grand Forks, North Dakota. There he met Rev. Harry Williams, a Dakotas Conference elder, who invited him to explore his call in the Dakotas Conference with The United Methodist Church.

He accepted the call to serve the Dakotas Conference at McLaughlin, South Dakota, and at Cando and Minot Faith in North Dakota. ”I rediscovered the possibility of chaplaincy and headed to Mayo in Rochester for a year of training. From there, I went to Erie, Pennsylvania, and served as a hospital chaplain for two years,” says Rev. Phillips. “I came back to Mayo when there was an opening, and I have been here ever since.”

Chaplains have the opportunity to come alongside patients and families, to listen and learn of the situation and the sometimes-insurmountable challenges before them. Chaplains reach out to all people regardless of their faith, religion and/ or beliefs, meeting them where they are in their life and situation, honoring their faith or belief system, helping as

they are able. The chaplaincy team at Mayo works together to see as many patients as possible and provide them some comfort in isolation. That may look like sitting in silence with someone, connecting them to family members using technology, or praying with or for them.

“Chaplains have the opportunity to honor the situation and to invite a broader reality that may give them hope or strength,” Phillips says. “This may invite remembering and naming meaningful resources and hope, for the moment and eternity. Patients may affirm their faith in God, support from their family and loved ones. Reminders of a broader reality often change how they feel—realizing hope and a calm that is bigger than this situation, this world, even this life.”

Ross Reinhiller

with the conference.

“The conference has always given me that opportunity to not only share but also to live out my call. I started preaching at Camp Crook and Buffalo, South Dakota, when I was in college.

When I was 20, Dick Fisher asked me to serve there in the summers. He trusted me. God has been good,” said Rev. Ross Reinhiller, who has served the Dakotas Conference for more than 40 years and has entered a retirement relationship

Ross Reinhiller grew up in southwest North Dakota and northwest South Dakota. His parents were teachers and moved to different communities in his early years. “I was blessed having a mom and dad that took their faith seriously,” said Rev. Reinhiller.

His call to ministry came in those formative years when he was in kindergarten. The Reinhiller family lived in Lemmon, South Dakota, and attended the Methodist Church. The pastor at that church was Rev. DeVern Schwenn.

“My kindergarten year was my traumatic year. I was 21 days in a row late for kindergarten because I didn’t know that you had to go at a certain time. My freedom was gone. Pastor DeVern preached something that year that spoke to me. He asked if I wanted Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. I remember going into my bedroom and just praying. That was the beginning of my journey. By spring of kindergarten, I had my call,” describes Pastor Ross.

Pastor Ross experienced a variety of pastors that encouraged and listened to his call. Revs. Art Scanson and Warren Wenzel invested in him. In addition, Ross served on the youth council at his church and for the conference.

He said, “I lived a long way from any camp. I grew up with the things that people grew up with—ministry on the radio, Bible class, and things available in the seventies. Then Art Scanson and Warren Wenzel, those United Methodist pastors, invested in me.”

After high school, Pastor Ross attended Dickinson State University, graduating with a degree in education. After earning his undergraduate degree, he attended Asbury Seminary in Kentucky.

“I attended seminary when I was 21 years old—quite young.

I thought I was going to be a church history professor. My master’s degree is in church history and historical theology, kind of an academic and professional degree,” he said.

After seminary, Rev. Reinhiller held a couple of teaching positions. He felt he needed some experience as a pastor at a local church.

“I thought I needed to know what my students were going through to teach effectively. I was appointed to Ashley and Forbes in the North Dakota Conference. Rev. Norm Neumann was the Eastern District Superintendent in North Dakota at the time. He told the churches, ‘You’re getting a young fellow right out of school. He will be very enthusiastic and think this is the best thing in the world. You’re either going to make or break his ministry. If you break his ministry, he won’t have the good sense to quit, but he will struggle all the rest of his ministry.’ So those two little churches decided they were going to make my ministry, and they really did,” said Pastor Ross.

Rev. Reinhiller returned to teaching at the Biblical seminary in Medellín, Colombia. “When I returned to Colombia, I returned as a pastor rather than a teacher.”

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While serving at Union Church in Bogota, he realized he had fallen in love and eventually married Rev. Val Reinhiller, who was back from seminary and was serving at First United Methodist Church in Bismarck. Ross was serving at Good Shepherd United Methodist Church in Mandan. Ross and Val got to know each other but never dated. However, they remained friends in conversation across the miles when Ross headed to South America.

“I went to South America. God got ahold of me and reminded me that there’s somebody that I really do love back home. So, I came back to the annual conference in Fargo and proposed. She said, ‘Yes.’ I went back to South America and came back in September, two days before the wedding. We got married, and we’ve been together ever since. We never kissed until after we were engaged. So, I tell my youth group, don’t kiss until you’re engaged. It worked for us.”

The couple headed back to Bogota, Columbia, in service together. “She married into that. It was the first time we were in ministry together as a couple. We served on staff in South America,” said Pastor Ross.

They returned to the United States and served a three-point charge at Faith UMC in Williston, North Dakota, Grenora UMC in North Dakota, and Bainville UMC in Montana.

During that time, two daughters were born into the family.

“I got a fellowship for pastors’ training at Asbury Seminary in Kentucky,” said Pastor Ross.

Returning from school, the bishop appointed the couple to serve at Winner, South Dakota. “That was just a great place.

You know, the church went from 170 to 400 in worship,” said Rev. Reinhiller. “We were the right people at the right time.”

From there, Rev. Reinhiller went to Bismarck, North Dakota.

He served as the superintendent of Shiloh Christian School.

“We went to Shiloh to focus on their plan, mission, and finances.”

He was then appointed to Southern Hills UMC in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Pastor Val served at Sunnycrest UMC in Sioux Falls at the same time. First United Methodist Church in Aberdeen, South Dakota, was the next appointment where they served together as a couple. Today they serve at Faith in Williston, North Dakota.

“I don’t know that we would have picked any of the churches we served, but we couldn’t have served better churches,” said Pastor Ross. “We’ve had the opportunity in every church to do just basically two things. One is to call people into a relationship with Jesus Christ and the other is to grow them deep at every church we’ve served. That’s been exciting because Valerie and I have dedicated ourselves to helping people find and fulfill their calls.”

In retirement, Revs. Ross and Val Reinhiller will continue serving and living in Williston, North Dakota. “I am retiring and serving alongside Val. So, we are kind of switching our roles,” said Ross.

Marlin Sapp “I always say God had a sense of humor by making me a pastor. I’m probably the least likely person to do it because, you know me, I’m a troublemaker,” said Rev. Marlin Sapp, who will enter a retired relationship with the Dakotas Conference this year after serving 16 years as a licensed local pastor.

Many would ask Marlin Sapp throughout his life, “Why aren’t you a pastor? You should be in ministry full-time.”

Marlin Sapp grew up in Hazen, North Dakota. His mother was not a regular attendee at church, and his stepdad was Catholic. Nevertheless, Marlin was welcomed by Hazen United Methodist Church, formerly an Evangelical United Brethren (EUB) Church.

He recalled that Rev. Peter Ackerman encouraged Sapp and two other young people to consider entering the ministry.

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“He thought there were three of us that should become pastors—myself, Rick Loewen, and Steve Stanley,” Marlin recalled.

After graduating from high school, he headed to Illinois to work. Then he returned to the Hazen area, where he worked as a carpenter, painter, and in retail. Pastor Marlin met and married Carol at his grandma’s farm just outside Great Bend, North Dakota. The wedding took place on the weekend, away from their Hazen and Golden Valley hometowns.

“I called my grandma and said it’s time to call your pastor so we can get married,” said Pastor Marlin. “The UPS driver delivered a package and said to Carol, ‘You came back from being away for the weekend, and here you had a different last name.’ I am thankful my grandparents were in good standing with the church and the pastor would marry us.”

Marlin and Carol became active in the United Methodist Church, serving on committees and teaching Sunday School.

He taught Sunday School for 25 years and spent much of his

time at the church.

became more empathetic.”

“I thought I was doing enough by teaching Sunday school for over 25 years, but then I was asked to fill in and lead worship,” recalls Sapp. “Then I took courses to become a certified lay minister. I took courses and was encouraged by Revs. Dave and Don Andrews.”

The turning moment was when his daughter Dawn asked him, “Dad, why don’t you go into ministry full-time? You know you like it, and then you’d like your work instead of going from here to there.”

For several years, he filled in for worship at Hazen, Beulah, Golden Valley, and other places in North Dakota. Pastor Marlin filled the pulpit for congregations that were United Methodist, Lutheran, and other denominations.

He became dean at a camp with Rev. Bruce Adams. “Bruce invited me to lead a camp with him at Lehr Camp. After awhile, we moved to Storm Mountain Camp. We led camps for twenty years,” said Pastor Marlin. “It was a camp for kids in grades four through six. We called it ‘Treasure Seekers.’ We taught the kids that they needed to seek the treasure of God. We also found a way to share treasures like the old gold mine at the camp.”

Carol and Marlin were also active Conference Council of Youth Ministries (CCYM) leaders. Some of the youth that Carol and Marlin worked with are now pastors in the Dakotas Conference and beyond—Paul Lint, Robbie Salmonson, Cody Schuler, John Telenga, Brandon Vetter, and William White, to name a few.

“Carol was great at getting youth involved. She helped with CCYM, and you will find her name on the Youth Worker Hall of Fame plaque,” shared Pastor Marlin.

Solar Oven Partners has been a part of Sapp’s ministry journey. He served on the board and traveled with teams on two mission trips to Haiti with solar ovens. “I spoke at 20 or more churches on solar ovens,” he said. “People loved to learn about the project.”

These experiences set the foundation for becoming a pastor.

“I think all of this gave me a better foundation to become a pastor,” said Pastor Marlin. “My eyes were opened, and I

He finally surrendered to God’s call. “It happened one night going to a PPR [Pastor Parish Relations] meeting. On the way over, I just realized I could probably do as good as a pastor as all those I had filled in for,” said Pastor Marlin. “Ray Baker was the district superintendent at the time. He encouraged me to become a licensed local pastor.”

In 2007, Sapp headed to licensing school in Fort Scott, Kansas. He was appointed to serve at Stickney UMC in Stickney, South Dakota. Later, Mount Vernon United Methodist Church was added to his charge.

“We followed people like Kermit Culver, Don Lagge, and Dave Motta at Stickney,” he said. “After three years, Mount Vernon was a new alignment.”

Each summer, Pastor Marlin headed to Garrett-Evangelical Seminary to complete his course of study as a licensed local pastor. “There was not an online option at that time. So, each summer, I would travel to Garrett to complete the coursework,” he said.

In 2014, Carol and Marlin moved to Linton, North Dakota, to serve the United Methodist congregations in Linton and Sterling. There have been several improvements made to the church and parsonage, even adding some aesthetics by making flower boxes out of the brick from the old church, which was struck by lightning.

In retirement, Carol and Marlin will continue living in Linton, North Dakota, and serving the congregations at Linton and Sterling.

Dean Trapp Rev. Dean Trapp was called to ministry when he was a junior in high school. He will retire this year after serving 34 years in ministry.

Growing up, Rev. Dean Trapp had Sunday school teachers and his great aunts tell him, “I think someday you are going to be a pastor.”

When he was in confirmation at Central United Methodist Church in Milbank, South Dakota, Rev. Sam Graf asked Dean what he wanted to be after high school and college. Dean told him, “I think I want

to be an attorney.” Graf said, “It would be good to have an attorney who is a Christian. But I think God is calling you into ministry.”

Rev. Trapp remembers the exact moment that he knew that God was calling him into pastoral ministry. “I was in my bedroom doing my devotions. I was reading a passage about the differences between Adam and Christ. I felt God say at that moment, ‘Dean, I want you to preach this.’ I knew I was called,” said Pastor Dean.

Throughout his years at Central UMC as a youth and young adult, he sang in the choir and was involved with the youth group. Rev. Dave and Mary Motta led the youth group.

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Pastor Dave and Mary took Dean on a tour of Westmar College. Then, he headed to Westmar for a bachelor’s degree in religion and sociology.

the United Methodist Churches in Groton and Conde. “It was great to serve the people of Conde again. It was like we never left,” he said.

After graduation from Westmar, Pastor Dean attended St. Paul School of Theology in Kansas City. “I was challenged by the liberal theology being taught at St. Paul’s. At times I felt very uncomfortable. But I was not the only evangelical student there. I became friends with some of the other evangelical students. We met together for prayer and Bible study and mutual support. And that helped me make it through my studies. Being at St. Paul’s and having the experience I did only made me stronger in my faith and helped me realize I was on the right path,” he said.

In 1996, he was appointed to serve the United Methodist congregations in Yankton and Gayville-Volin. In about 2005, Gayville-Volin was realigned to be served by the pastor at Vermillion. But Dean and his family served the Yankton Church for a total of 14 years. “It became known as home to our three children. They spent most of their school years there,” said Pastor Dean. “It was a wonderful time for our family and ministry.”

Upon graduation from seminary, Rev. Trapp entered his first appointment at Conde and Andover, South Dakota.

“When Susie and I went to visit the church and parsonage, we couldn’t get into the parsonage. At the time, they had no pastor so there was no one living in the parsonage. It was February. It had just snowed 10-12 inches on top of what they already had earlier in the winter. The snow had not been removed all winter. So, they just told us what the parsonage looked like,” said Rev. Trapp. “It was a great place to start. We still have some friends that we keep in contact within those communities.”

In 1990, Dean and Susie moved 21 miles north to serve a two-point appointment at the United Methodist Church in Groton and the United Church of Christ in Columbia, South Dakota.

After five years, there was a realignment. Rev. Trapp served

Barry Whipkey

Throughout his life, Rev. Barry Whipkey has grown in his love of Christ, people, and agriculture. He spent several years working in various agricultural jobs. But God had a different plan.

“I had been in agriculture all my life, but I knew God had called me to pastoral ministry in high school. I went to college for a short time and just was drawn back to the farm. And so I married, farmed, and went into the ag business with Dekalb/Monsanto for many years,” said Whipkey.

Pastor Barry grew up on a farm outside Flandreau, South Dakota, and married his high school sweetheart. Barry attended college for a bit. Then, the couple returned to Flandreau and farmed for 13 years.

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Debbie and Barry moved to Parker, South Dakota, where Barry worked for Dekalb/Monsanto in the southeast district of South Dakota. Two of their three children graduated from high school in Parker.

The next stop in Trapp’s ministry journey was Sunnycrest United Methodist Church in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, before moving to Huron to serve at Riverview and Virgil United Methodist Churches.

“Every place we have been in ministry, we have been blessed. I give thanks for that,” said Pastor Dean.

“We tried to inspire the campers by reliving God’s dream for Moses to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt. I played Moses, and we would climb to the top of Storm Mountain for the Sermon on the Mount and receive the Ten Commandments. It was a wonderful experience,” recalled Pastor Dean.

In retirement, Dean and Susie will continue to live in Sioux Falls, where they currently live. Dean will continue to work at Walmart as a Customer Host/Greeter. He will go from full-time to part-time, working two days a week beginning in June.

“We lived in Parker for ten years; two of our kids graduated from high school there. Then, the company moved me to Milbank,” said Barry. “In hindsight, it was a real God thing that we ended up there.”

Raised in a little Baptist church in Trent, South Dakota, Barry and Debbie continued attending the American Baptist Church until they moved to Milbank, South Dakota, in 1999. A friend invited them to attend Central United Methodist Church, and the congregation became their new church home.

“They put me into just about any and every position you could possibly imagine. I was on the leadership council. I taught some Sunday school. I did all the things that one would normally do as a layperson,” said Pastor Barry. “Debbie was very involved also.”

Then in 2003, his dad passed away. Rev. Mark Holland, who was serving as the pastor at Milbank Central United Methodist Church, and Rev. Deborah Ball-Kilbourne, district superintendent, invited Barry into ministry.

But, in the middle of Barry’s discernment, Holland left his appointment at Milbank Central UMC to serve a congregation in Iowa, and Rev. Dwight Meier stepped in, assisting Barry in becoming a licensed local pastor.

“Dwight led me into all of this. When I was finalizing all my stuff, Bishop Coyner asked me to get licensed before the annual conference in 2004. He said, ‘Go anywhere you can.

Get that done before the annual conference.’ So I did some searching and ended up in licensing school at Duke in North Carolina,” said Barry. “I went off for three weeks to Duke, so, I can claim that I am a Duke graduate.”

Pastor Barry began serving as a licensed local pastor in 2004 at a three-point charge in Larimore, North Dakota, serving the United Methodist Church, Arvilla Presbyterian Church, and Emerado Presbyterian Church.

“It was the most wonderful appointment we could ever have imagined coming into ministry—three little churches that loved us and taught us. We loved them. It was just a phenomenal first appointment for us!” said Pastor Barry.

In 2007, Pastor Barry was appointed to Riverview UMC and Virgil UMC in Huron South Dakota, a two-point parish where he served for six years.

During the summers, Pastor Barry attended Saint Paul School of Theology in Kansas City to complete the classes for the licensed local pastor course of study.

“I completed that in 2010. I graduated with two great colleagues–Laurie Kidd and Sharla McCaskell,” said Barry.

“It was an expensive process. Randy Cross served as a mentor and helped us with financial support, so we came out of that without any debt. That was a blessing.”

In 2013, he was appointed to serve at Madison United Methodist Church in South Dakota. Then in 2019, Barry and Debbie moved to Rapid City, South Dakota, to serve First United Methodist Church.

In retirement, the Whipkeys will move to a home in Avon, South Dakota, to live close to their daughter, son-in-law, and three grandchildren.

Lou Whitmer “In life there are bad times, there can be lots of pain, but there was good work that began in me when I was baptized. I had two great-uncles who were Methodist pastors. One of them baptized me when I was six months old,” said Lou Whitmer who has been in ministry for 47 years, serving as a pastor of churches for 16 years.

Whitmer retires this year.

Lou Whitmer grew up in Hettinger, North Dakota, where she attended the local Methodist Church and remembers being a part of the worship service celebrating the creation of the United Methodist Church. She was confirmed at Hettinger UMC, as were many of her family members before her. In 1907 her great-grandparents and grandfather were charter members of the little white Hettinger Methodist Church.

Her grandparents gave Lou’s family a piano that had belonged to their great-grandmother and paid for piano lessons. Then Lou became the church pianist.

“I started playing piano out of necessity at church when I was in the sixth grade. My pay was a box of stationary at Christmas,” said Whitmer. “I remember enjoying it, but I’m also very glad there are no recordings of the services,” she said. A vital memory is that same year she attended camp.

“The first time I really understood God’s love for me was at Wesley Acres Bible Camp.”

Her church family was and continues to be a support system.

“My mom died when I was 15. I remember the church being there for us.”

Family roles changed. Lou became a parent figure to her siblings and a support to her father. She recalls reading the book Motherless Daughers by Hope Edelman.

“I became what I read: I got the grocery list and the car keys.

I became the cook and cared for my younger brothers. I had a lot of responsibility. My dad and grandparents were in deep grief. I ended up getting a two-year degree rather than a four-year degree. There was a lot of pressure to get done with college, move back home, and continue to be the caregiver,” said Lou. She attended North Dakota College of Science in Wahpeton, earning an associate degree in business. Lou did not return home. She worked and lived in Fargo. Like a lot of young adults, she stepped away from the church.

“Then I went to this Bible study with a friend, and asked the pastor, ‘If God loves us, why did my mom die?’ He answered, ‘Lou, God punishes those whom he loves; what did you do?’ It was such a horrible thought that I was somehow responsible for my mother’s death,” she said. “Those words ringing in my ears began to shape my theology for the better,” said Whitmer, “and to this day I am very sensitive of how damaging scripture used flippantly as easy answers truly is for people.”

After a few years in Fargo, Lou ventured to Minot. An invitation from a beloved pastor, Rev. Jim Pomeroy, who would become her mentor, brought her back to church. “I

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met Jim Pomeroy, and he got me back on track. I got involved again at Trinity United Methodist Church in Minot, where I started playing piano and taught confirmation,” said Lou. “Jim asked me to consider the ministry way back then.”

She became the organist and music coordinator at Vincent United Methodist Church in Minot for the next 31 years.

Playing organ and helping with music kept Lou involved in church.

“I was really feeling a call periodically to do more. Jim had left and was a district superintendent. He would mention ministry or the gifts he saw in me every time I saw him. I got very involved with life. When the feeling crept up that there should be more, I would kind of push it down. I thought I was doing enough.”

Lou continued her work at Vincent UMC. She owned a gift shop for several years. People would come in to visit and she would listen. “It was kind of a social service agency because people came in all the time for everything but for buying gifts,” said Lou. She started working at Minot State University, when God’s call became clear. “I still remember standing in front of the printer one day. It was in the summer. There wasn’t anybody else around. I said out loud, ‘I’m going to seminary.’ It was just this overpowering feeling. I called Deborah BallKilbourne, and we had a long conversation.”

Lou thought maybe she would finish her bachelor’s degree and then head to seminary. Then she heard about another ministry path, licensed local pastor.

“I went immediately into ministry. I attended licensing school in Kansas and then was assigned to be the pastor at Kimball, South Dakota, at Kimball Protestant Parish,” said Pastor Lou. “The timing was right. My guiding scripture is, ‘I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Jesus Christ [Philippians 1:6].’ It was just the right time for me. Kimball was a great appointment for me.”

While in Kimball, she worked with the church, which was part of three denominations—Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, Presbyterian Church (USA), and United Methodist, to streamline their governance and finance structures. They were functioning in one building, but they still were trying to keep it as three denominations.

In 2011, she was appointed to serve as the associate pastor at First United Methodist Church in Mitchell, South Dakota.

After Mitchell, Pastor Lou was appointed to serve at North Highland United Methodist Church in Aberdeen, South Dakota, in 2013.

In retirement, Lou plans to live in and look for ministry opportunities in Bismarck, North Dakota.

She expresses gratitude for a joyful journey. “There’s more joy to this journey than we sometimes give credit. There are so many things that can make ministry hard. When you stop and look back, you can see all the sparks of brightness. You can get really mired down in the denominational stuff and the difficult people. But when I step back, I can see so many bright spots of joy and surprise in all of that,” said Pastor Lou.

Candidates Recognition of Orders

Andrea Johnson Andrea Johnson has found a home in The United Methodist Church.

She completed her ordination in the Evangelical Covenant Church and is transferring her orders.

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Andrea grew up in Minnesota.

As a freshman in high school, she attended youth group and knew there was something different about kids

involved in the church who were connected to God. It was there that she realized God’s love for her. Andrea felt God might be calling her into ministry.

She attended Minnesota State University in Moorhead, Minnesota, where she studied speech and theater education.

In college, she got involved in Campus Crusade for Christ (now CRU), worked at a mission ministry in Yellowstone National Park, and met her husband, Sam.

Later Andrea earned an undergraduate degree in management at the University of Sioux Falls. She completed her Master of Divinity at Sioux Falls Seminary in 2012.

While in seminary, Andrea served as the worship coordinator and assistant pastor at Living Springs Church in Brandon.

She serves as the Next Generation pastor at First United Methodist Church in Sioux Falls. She will serve North

Highland United Methodist Church in Aberdeen, South Dakota.

Andrea and her husband Sam have one son, Isaac. She enjoys watching and supporting her son’s many activities and is looking forward to continuing to cheer him on as he plays football and sings in the choir at Northern State University in Aberdeen, South Dakota.

Provisional Membership and Commissioning

Donald Dinger

Don Dinger spent 22 years in the North Dakota Army National Guard as a Religious Affairs Specialist (chaplain’s assistant). Born and raised in Minnesota, his faith is part of his identity. He is being commissioned as an elder.

He attended North Dakota State College of Science in Wahpeton, and received an associate degree in architectural drafting. Don obtained an undergraduate degree in Bible studies and youth ministry at Trinity Bible College in Ellendale, North Dakota. In 2022, he completed his Master of Divinity from Kairos University in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

When he was 16 years old, he accepted Christ in his life. Don knew he was called to be a pastor after attending Bible camp during his senior year of high school. He ran from God’s call on his life while he got a college education and started a family. Finally, after two deployments in the Army National Guard and some life struggles, Don surrendered to God’s call.

Don served as the administrative pastor at Legacy United Methodist Church in Bismarck, North Dakota. He currently serves at the United Methodist Churches in Steele and Tuttle, North Dakota.

Krista Ducker

Krista grew up in Ohio attending church and in the children’s choir, adult choir, and youth group. She distinctly remembers asking Jesus into her heart at a young age. Her dad worked as a Christian radio host, which fostered her faith and love for music. Her mom, an avid singer with a deep curiosity and love of learning, grew in Krista a similar desire to learn, grow and mentor others. Krista is being commissioned as an elder.

She traveled to England in her twenties and began to discern a call to vocational ministry. Unfortunately, life events and the tragic loss of family members paused her discernment.

However, over time her call to vocational ministry materialized. Krista found that her gifts in leadership as a

He is married to Stessa, and they are currently raising a daughter and a son. Together they have four adult children and four granddaughters. He relaxes by doing woodworking and restoring old furniture.

worship director and pastor flourished in the opportunity to serve The United Methodist Church.

She received a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in theology at Durham University in the United Kingdom.

Krista graduated with her Master of Divinity from Kairos University in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. She has served as the pastor at Southern Hills United Methodist Church in Sioux Falls, and as the associate pastor at First United Methodist Church in Brookings, South Dakota. Krista currently serves Ben Clare United Methodist Church in Valley Springs, South Dakota, and as a chaplain at Avera McKennen Hospital in Sioux Falls.

Krista is married to Jim and has one son, Lucas. She enjoys music, reading, puttering in the kitchen and long walks in the woods.

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Amber Laffey Amber has always gone to church and loved Jesus. Throughout her life, she has been actively engaged in worship, music, youth activities, Bible studies, and attending church camp. Her parents, siblings and extended family are committed followers of Christ and showed her how to do the same.

Her brother is an ordained clergy member in the ELCA. Amber is being commissioned as a deacon.

Her call started as a youth when she attended a church conference where she felt God’s call, perhaps to be a youth pastor. After marrying and starting a family, Amber served in many volunteer roles at the churches she attended. During that time, it became clear that raising her children to have an active faith life was essential. Amber landed at Fusion United Methodist Church in Mitchell, South Dakota, serving in many areas of ministry; and her family engaged in mission

projects. God nudged her in her calling to become a staff member at the Dakotas Conference office. While working at Annual Conference, she answered God’s call to professional ministry during the Celebration of Life in Ministry Service.

Amber attended Midland and Bellevue University in Nebraska and earned an undergraduate degree in marketing management. She graduated with her Masters of Divinity from Kairos University in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Amber has served as the pastor at Stickney United Methodist Church and Flandreau United Methodist Church in South Dakota. She currently serves the United Methodist Church in Alexandria, South Dakota.

She is married to Tyler. They have four children, three girlas and one boy, ranging in age from 5 to 15 years. She enjoys traveling, volunteering in the community and supporting her children’s activities.

Full Membership and Ordination

Matthew Morrison Matt grew up in Iowa and The United Methodist Church. His family has always had an active part in the life of the churches where they attended.

When he was confirmed, Matt recalls praying a prayer of surrender, asking Jesus to take over his life. He is being ordained as an elder.

His call to ministry became apparent while pursuing a career in music education. Matt had completed his master’s degree and was applying for teaching jobs. Sunday at worship he heard the question during the message, “God may be calling. Are you listening?” He pursued a call in Indiana, serving as a worship arts director. He moved to Sioux Falls, closer to home, expanded his ministry roles, and knew God was presenting him with new opportunities.

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He attended the University of South Dakota in Vermillion, earning a bachelor’s degree in music education. He later earned a master’s degree in trumpet performance from the University of Northern Colorado. He graduated with his Master of Divinity from Kairos University in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Matt has served at Embrace Church in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and Fusion Church in Mitchell, South Dakota. He serves as the associate pastor at Asbury United Methodist Church in Sioux Falls.

Matt is married to Amy. They have two children, Xander and Maia. His hobbies include cycling, bike repair, acting, and all things music.

Welcome to this significant service of worship and celebration of ministry. We pray you may participate fully in offering praise and thanksgiving to our God for the work of the Holy Spirit.

IN ORDINATION, the Holy Spirit acts to maintain the priority of the gospel by setting apart men and women called to leadership as apostles.

The pattern for this response to the call is provided in the development of the early church. The apostles led in prayer, teaching, and preaching; ordered the spiritual and temporal life of the community; established leadership for the ministry of service; and provided for the proclamation of the gospel to new people and in new places. The early church, through the laying on of hands, set apart people with responsibility to preach, to teach, to administer the sacraments, to nurture, to heal, to gather the community in worship, and to send them forth in witness. The church also set apart other people to care for the physical needs of others, reflecting the concerns for the people of the world.

Ordination to this ministry is a gift from God to the church. In ordination, the church affirms and continues the apostolic ministry through people empowered by the Holy Spirit.

ACTS OF ORDINATION AND COMMISSIONING are anchored in the sacrament of baptism and the ministry of the baptized. All baptized Christians respond as “the priesthood of all believers,” and so, as we begin, we reaffirm our baptism together.

COMMISSIONING may be compared to the experience of the early church in Antioch as the Holy Spirit instructed the community to “set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them” (Acts 13:2, NRSV). As provisional members are commissioned, we acknowledge and affirm God’s call and the individual’s response, gifts, and training for leadership in the local church and community. We offer our support for their continuing formation as each one journeys toward ordination and full membership in the conference.

ORDINATION is understood as the act of the Holy Spirit and, as a liturgical rite, the culmination of a process in which representatives of the whole church discern and validate the call, gifts and effectiveness for ministry. Ordination of deacons and elders is both to an office and for a lifetime. Ordination confers a new identity in the life of the church as well as authority for ministry. This identity is claimed in relation to Christ and his call to leadership and service with the baptized for the life of the world. Upon ordination, deacons and elders become accountable to the whole church, to the community of the ordained, and to the order of deacons or elders of which they are a part.

THE LAYING ON OF HANDS, referenced in II Timothy 1:6, indicates the sign of calling on God’s Holy Spirit to bestow the gifts of grace for ministry. Commissioned people are blessed on the shoulders as a sign of being sent into ministry for a specified period of time. They kneel facing the congregation as a sign that they are sent into the congregation for continued formation and service before ordination. In ordination, a bishop lays hands on the head of the candidate as a sign of the gifts of the Holy Spirit for a lifetime of ministry. The ordinands kneel facing the bishop as a sign that they are sent and supported by the congregation into a lifetime of service. The whole church affirms together with “Amen” to indicate recognition, gratitude, and commitment to the work of the Holy Spirit. The privilege of sharing in ministry with all in Christ’s holy church is celebrated by the inclusion of an ecumenical representative to share in the laying on of hands.

INSTRUMENTS AND SYMBOLS for the ordering of ministry are represented for the distinct orders. The Bible is common to all orders of Christ’s ministry. Commissioned ministers wear no stole. The ministry of the deacon is symbolized by the basin, pitcher, and towel, representing servant ministry. The deacon’s stole, worn over the left shoulder, across the body, symbolizes the servant’s towel. The ministry of the elder is symbolized by the chalice (cup) and paten (plate), representing the sacrament of Holy Communion. The elder’s stole, yoked at the neck, hanging straight down, symbolizes the yoking with Jesus Christ. The bishop’s instrument of ministry is the crozier, or shepherd’s staff, symbolizing the pastoral leadership of Christ and his flock.

Like all Christians, licensed local pastors may wear a scapular, which represents the servant’s apron, and a pectoral cross.

OFFERING taken this evening will support the Ministerial Education Fund, which provides scholarships to seminary students and continuing education funds for clergy.

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