With Great Thanks

Among my fondest memories of Rockbrook United Methodist Church in Omaha, Nebraska, is the Thanksgiving dinner at which the entire family gathered in the church parlor. The parsonage wasn’t large enough to hold everyone, and the parlor with its adjoining kitchenette provided all of the amenities necessary to accommodate the festive feast. In preparation for tomorrow’s celebration, it seems a good time to recall the many things from my time at Rockbrook for which I am grateful:

• We were near family again. Mary’s Nebraska roots were restored, and we were far more accessible to my Colorado family than we had been in Flagstaff.
  
• We were provided with a parsonage to live in, something that the Flagstaff church had not been in a position to provide their associate pastor.
  
• I had the nicest office that I’ve ever had before or since. Who cared that it was originally furnished as an expression of admiration for my predecessor?
  
• I had the freedom to be with Mary, Rachel and Rebecca just about whenever I needed or wanted to.
  
• I benefited from the collegiality of a number of United Methodist pastors, something that Flagstaff’s two UM churches just couldn’t offer.
  

With the experience I had gained moderating Dad’s radio program from the Arvada church, I worked myself into the fun spot of being the announcer for the Nebraska Conference’s weekly broadcast over KFAB, and I had the opportunity to take some classes in communications at the University of Nebraska, Omaha. The Midwest lifestyle was perfectly suited for raising our young family, and I was doing well with my studies which, for practical reasons, I had transferred to Saint Paul School of Theology in Kansas City. Life was good!