Commun ty Matters Newton Presbyterian Manor
February 2017
Chaplain’s corner: In the end, empty By Jerroll Martens, Newton Presbyterian Manor chaplain
“I worked so hard but came up empty,” Solomon seems to say in Ecclesiastes 2:11. The word “labor” occurs 24 times and the word “vanity” (empty) appears 37 times in this short book, more than any other book in the Bible. The picture is that of hard work and wisdom accomplishing great things, yet leaving one empty. The writer, now in later life, seems to give his own testimony. Wealthy, he could have all. Enjoyments of all kinds left him empty. He noted that a poor daily working man sleeps better at night than the wealthy. Now reality hits. He will die and take nothing more CHAPLAIN, continued on page 6
Goerings prove love at first sight a real possibility Love at first sight may be a myth. But for Delores and Leonard Goering – better known as Dee and Len – it didn’t take long to realize they were meant to be. Dee had the good fortune to be sitting in front of Len’s brother and his girlfriend at a Bethel College basketball game versus McPherson College when Len came over to visit. There was no room next to his brother, so Len sat in the empty spot on the bleachers next to Dee, who played trombone in the Bethel pep band. “It seemed like there was something there. We just connected right then; it was funny,” Dee said. “We both had to admit later on, we both felt that way. He had such an outgoing personality, and he was so friendly and nice.” GOERINGS, continued on page 2