Eight years ago today my father-in-law, Bob Schmidgall, passed away. It was a total shock. It's almost like that day is frozen in time. I still have lots of unanswered questions. He was in the prime of life and the prime of ministry. But I'm grateful for the privilege of having him for my pastor and father-in-law for as long as I did.
He is my model and mentor for ministry. I don't think I know anyone who maintained a more consistent prayer habit. He was one of the best preachers I've ever heard. And his combination of leadership and servanthood gifts were unparalleled in my experience.
The example he set--planting and pastoring a church for 30+ years--is my inspiration. I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing if it weren't for his influence on my life.
I feel a mixture of grief and gratitude today.
I'm definitely standing on his shoulders!
He is my model and mentor for ministry. I don't think I know anyone who maintained a more consistent prayer habit. He was one of the best preachers I've ever heard. And his combination of leadership and servanthood gifts were unparalleled in my experience.
The example he set--planting and pastoring a church for 30+ years--is my inspiration. I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing if it weren't for his influence on my life.
I feel a mixture of grief and gratitude today.
I'm definitely standing on his shoulders!
4 Comments:
Pastor Schimdgall was an awesome man. I remember the day he died very well. I was completely shocked and saddened by his passing. He was also my wife's pastor for many years and we had the privilege of spending a lot of time with him when he did our premarriage counseling.
His presence is missed and I look forward to one day seeing him again.
My guess it that he and my father are hanging out in Heaven talking about old times and cheering us on...
Scott,
They might be reading our blogs :)
Thanks for the comment. It put a smile on my face!
Mark
Mark, when we first moved to Naperville we decided to check out all the local churches. And one of the first churches that we visited was Calvary Church (that Bob planted). I remembering being so impressed with the growth, the vision and all the good stuff they had going on.
But the one thing that I remember most was that every week Bob had the name of another local church and the pastor in their prorgam so the whole church could pray for them. How cool!
I too have fond memories of Pastor Schmidgall. We lived in Naperville for several years before checking out that church. I assumed must've been a Jewish Synagogue because of its name, "Calvary Temple".
I can't say that I was interested either in the beginning. I was 16 and at the time, we had been attending a nearby Catholic church. However, my mother wanted us to go. And after several weeks of being dropped off for youth group on Wednesday nights, she discovered I had instead actually been sneaking out and walking to the Naperville Public Library.
So, the following week, she dragged me in and, horror of all parental-embarrasing horrors, introduced me to a room of fellow high-schoolers and youth pastors as the new kid.
The only thing that kept me from killing her was that there was this cute guy caught my eye. He was smiling at me too. I immediately sensed it was a place I should get to know a little better.
And I did. We all started attending there on Sundays. And from the very first one, I knew there was something different about it. For one thing, the music was different. Sometimes, when the choir sang, it actually gave me goosebumps and made the little hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
And then, there was the way Pastor Schmidgall had with words. He could loudly and profoundly connect with my deepest fears, my greatest longings, and then, in a very quiet voice, he would whisper his most important and life-changing thoughts. They were so quiet that you really had to lean in and listen.
Another thing that made an impression on me was how he knew my name. I was one of thousands of members in his congregation and every Sunday, he warmly greeted people coming into the sanctuary with a big smile. "Hello Linda," he would say.
I would always find myself marveling at how he could do that! And he always had a gentle voice. The kind of voice I imagine God has―full of love.
So, I didn't have to think to long the first time God called me out of my comfort zone. And Pastor Schmidgall asked those of us who felt a nudge from the holy spirit to raise our hands. If we heard something that day that spoke to us, to let him know.
And while all heads were bowed, I looked up at him and raised my hand.
"Yes, you over there," he said with a smile. He acknowledged me so I could take my hand down.
Then, after that, he asked something else of us. (Oh no!There's more?!) He asked those of us who had raised our hands to come forward. And I knew there were quite a few people. I had heard him acknowledge many.
But he knew, and I knew, that it was important to be bold enough to acknowledge that pivotal moment in front of others, my family. And so when he asked, I came forward and he prayed over those of us who were standing at the front.
Bob Schmidgall was a man who made a huge impact on my spiritual life. He was like a huge wave that introduced me to Jesus so I could ripple forward and make an impact on others.
Which brought me here. I was actually “Google-ing” him. I miss his stories and was hunting for some.
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