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2 Thessalonians 1:3 Good News Translation
3 Our friends, we must thank God at all times for you. It is right for us to do so, because your faith is growing so much and the love each of you has for the others is becoming greater.
When I graduated from Andrews University, I married Sylvia, and we moved to the University of Iowa so I could get a master’s degree. Then we were already committed to go as missionaries to Africa. [Later we returned to Iowa City after a 5-year stint in Tanzania.] One of the first things we did in Iowa City was to find the Adventist Church. They had no building of their own but rented space to meet on Sabbath from the St. Mark’s United Methodist Church there.
The Adventist church had about 20 members. There were two families from the faculty of the University, both in the School of Dentistry. Some students attended who came and went as their education directed them, and there were several families who lived in the area and were not connected to the university.
Our pastor was also the pastor of a much bigger church in Cedar Rapids, about 25 miles north. He divided his time between the two churches, roughly by the different memberships. The most we saw of him was every second Sabbath. Usually, a church elder preached on the Sabbaths that the Pastor was not with us. I learned to give a sermon there quite frequently, and it was graciously received.
The church members organized a potluck every Sabbath. The food was always good. On one occasion, luck would have it that everyone brought desserts. I confess that it was a special meal for me. We learned to know each other and tried to help each other’s needs.
An older couple, Oliver and Geraldine Lien took us under their special mentorship. For most of the time we were there, he was the head elder and she the treasurer of the church. I could expect a call every Sunday morning from Geraldine: “The amount you have written on tithe envelope differs from the amount on your check. What do you want me to do with the extra money?”
I would apologize. At the time I had no calculator and only bought one for myself as a graduation present when I graduated with a PhD in Mathematics, ten years later.
She would respond, “You would think a graduate math student would be able to add a few figures correctly!” We both laughed heartily.
We held a prayer meeting regularly every Wednesday evening. Some of the time it was at the Liens or one of the other member’s homes, and sometimes it was at our apartment. During Sabbath Schools, and at the prayer meetings and potlucks, we would have excellent discussions about spiritual interests. We often came with different opinions, and this led to interesting thoughts. Yet we never got so defensive of our own opinions that it divided the church.
Thank You, Lord, for providing us with a loving and caring church home while I was in grad school. I’m sure it fostered a loving home in our family.
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