Pine Ridge connections

Pine Ridge Presbyterian Church north of the Missouri River in Kansas City is a spirit-filled mission-involved congregation that we are very fond of. Carla has been on the staff almost nine years now (and part-time for three years before she went to seminary). The church is pastored by Jim Gordon, shown here with his wife Marcia. Our family involvement goes w-a-y-back, when Jim was a youth in our church in Marshall MO, and his Dad chaired the PNC that called Jerry to Covenant Church in 1972. Jim received his seminary training at McCormick Theological Seminary (as did both of us), and Jerry married them about 23 years ago. This week Jim's sermon touched on the Living Water mission trip he had just attended, learning to build fresh water systems in 3rd world countries--a mission dear to our hearts since Midland First has dug 23 water wells in our Uganda mission. The new sanctuary at PRPC is beautiful, and my favorite part is baptismal font, which is located in the middle of the center aisle near the front. It constantly bubbles gently. The bowl is filled with glass pebbles, and when someone is baptized, they are given one of those...or, when baptismal vows are renewed, the person can take one as a reminder of our life in Christ. The baptismal font is also a memorial to Jim & Marcia's fathers. This is Jason Brock, his wife and two precious sons, who are new members of PRPC. Jason and his wife were born and raised in Marshall MO, where we lived for 13 years...and Jason was born two years after Jerry began his ministry at that church, so we did literally watch him grow up. This, my friends, is one of those joys of ministry that Jerry and I are always awed about--seeing little ones raised in the church, crossing paths with them years later, and being able to rejoice in what God is doing in their lives. Jason's Dad was the principal of Marshall High School for many years, fortunately including the years our daughters attended MHS. Now meet Marve & Joyce Hohensee...we don't go quite as far back with them as we do with Jim Gordon and Jason Brock...but the Hohensees were members of our church in Enid OK, moving to Enid at almost exactly the same time we did, and leaving Enid for KC when we moved to Midland, so we have been friends for almost 25 years. When Marve was transferred to the KC area, I mentioned PRPC as a possible church home for them, if they settled in that north part of town. The first time they went out with a realtor to look at homes--guess what was lying on the front seat of her car? A bulletin from Sunday worship at Pine Ridge PC...and listed in the bulletin as part of the staff was our daughter's name. Marve told the realtor that Carla was the daughter of their former pastor in Enid...and now you know the rest of the story. It is such a joy to see them whenever we visit KC. And there are others - remember in a previous blog I mentioned Jerry's cousins in KC...we Worshipped with Jane on both Sundays I was there...one year the youth mission trip helped with a "Faces of Children" Conference in Washington DC, sponsored by FPC Midland...and another year, their youth came to Midland on their mission trip and worked with Midland Habitat for the week, staying at our church and being royally treated by FPC members. (One of the advisors told me he expected to lose weight on that mission trip, since there would be lots of outdoor manual labor, but every time he turned around, another FPC member was showing up with "goodies" for their break times on the job site...and how they enjoyed the hospitality of some of our members with the opening of their swimming pool for them each day, and good Texas barbeque one lunch.) Those youngsters are all away in college now but the adult sponsors remember those trips vividly. And so the Family of God connects and reconnects as we continue on our journey. Praise Him!