A Call for Prayers

I received word this morning that Dave Gremminger, a part of our extended church family at Oakfield United Methodist Church, passed away on Wednesday. I would ask that you pray for his family and friends through this difficult time. Thank you. More additional information, this is the obituary that was published this morning in the Fond du Lac Newspaper:

David P. Gremminger, 77, of Campbellsport, passed away of natural causes on Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2010, at his home.

He was born on the family farm southeast of Campbellsport on Jan. 8, 1933, the son of Paul K. and Frances Fox Gremminger.

Dave graduated from Campbellsport High School and served in the U.S. Army.

He worked at B & H Lumber in Campbellsport and owned his own business called "The Woodshed" in Fond du Lac until he retired.

Dave served his community through the Campbellsport Fire Department. He was well known for his efforts and involvement with the fire department and made memories there that he cherished.

Dave loved the community of Campbellsport and fishing the area lakes. He is now reunited with his fishing buddies Syl Wenzlaff and Roderick Reese.

Dave was the beloved father of Kristin, Allen and Mike; father-in-law of Jeanie and Carey; grandfather of Jared Jerue, Cody, Lucas, Tanner, Evan and Erica; and brother of Sister Elaine, SSSF, Bob (Bonnie), Carol Jones, Ruth, Roger (Kasem) and Sue (Jim) Hohl. He was a special friend of Beulah Oppermann.

Dave was previously married to Eleanora Gremminger (nee Waldschmidt).

He was preceded in death by his mother, Frances; his father, Paul; his brothers, Donald and Eugene "Bud"; and his brother-in-law, Ernie Jones.

Visitation: Visitation will be Monday, Sept. 6, from 5 p.m. until time of Mass at the St. Matthew's Catholic Church, Campbellsport.

Services: A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Monday, Sept 6, 2010, at 7 p.m. at St. Mattthew's Catholic Church in Campbellsport. Rev. Neil Zinthefer will celebrate and burial services will be Tuesday at the Veteran Memorial Gardens at Ledgeview Memorial Park, Fond du Lac.

Course of Study:Two Days of Classes Done!

I meant to write this entry this morning, but I did not have time. So, in writing this entry I have been through two days worth of classes. I will admit the days are long. Between the two classes, we have about six hours of instruction each day. We have a thirty minute chapel session, plus papers and group projects in the evening. It is making the week go by pretty quick.

So far, I realize that there is a lot I have to learn. Right now, the focus is on pastoral care and Biblical interpretation. These are two areas in which I would appreciate some help. So far, the classes have been wonderful and very informative.

For these two days, I have managed to run at night. I am used to running Oakfield with country roads and minimal traffic. A Chicago suburb does not provide that kind of environment. I have been trying to dodge the crazy Chicago traffic.

My prayers go out to the family of Don Grahl, who passed away on Monday morning. I was thankful to have the opportunity to sit at Don's side at Rolling Meadows with some of his family this past Friday. I appreciated the time I had to get to know him, and I am continually amazed to hear about the lives that he has touched and the difference that he made.

Marge Blank

I received a phone call from Marge Blank's son. He informed me that Marge Blank passed away this morning at 11:00 AM. I do not have a lot of details at this point but funeral arrangements will be made soon.

In the first sixth months that I have been a pastor at the Oakfield Church, Marge has come to church almost every week. Christa and I were able to visit her a few times in her apartment. She shared so many wonderful stories about her times visiting Camp Byron, her job as a cake maker/decorator and her involvement with the church.

She was certainly a beloved member of the congregation and she will be missed. When I have additional information, I will make sure to post a reply to this message.

90 Minutes in Heaven

I know that this book has been around for a few years. I had heard folks talk about it. I was at the Oakfield Public Library during the Village-Wide Rummage Sale and found a copy of the book for $1.00. How could I go wrong? I added it to my reading list.

The book is an account of Don Piper's being dead for 90 minutes and during that time experiencing heaven. When he comes back to life, he talks about his long recovery process from a devastating accident.

I hate to begin my review by arguing semantics, but 90 Minutes in Heaven was not an appropriate title for this book. His actual account of experiencing heaven was but two chapters of the book. The rest of the book details his slow recovery and all the accompanying misery that goes with it. Later, he does talk about ho0w his experience has affected the lives of others. I was disappointed, because I expected the book to provide more details about his experience in heaven. That was the title.

That being said, his description of his recovery does give an amazing story of determination and the power of prayer. I was also amazed about how a community of believers came to rally around this one individual's recovery. We could all stand to learn from that.

I suppose the biggest struggle I have is with his account of heaven. I can't imagine why the author would lie about his experiences, and I'm sure that was his experience. But, was that heaven or a hallucination? I just don't know. And to think that he speaks at funerals saying he can speak with authority about what heaven is like is slightly disturbing to me.

I would recommend you read the book, if but for its story about the power of prayer and love for hope of recovery.