Our family thanks you for being here this evening as we remember Hermann Siegfried Enke. We also thank Corey and Hilary Nordal, and Mitch Schuster for their musical accompaniments and interludes throughout this evening and thank all of you who have so generously provided the flowers and other gifts of love. You are greatly appreciated. 
Dad was a loving husband, father, grandfather, friend, brother in Christ, and pastor. But more than all of these successes, he was a Man of God. We are here because we desire to give an expression of thanks to God for Dad. Many lives, including most of you here today, were touched by the love that Dad lived before us and before God. Dad beautifully allowed Christ to shine forth as a living witness of the love of God. He faithfully served the Lord for these many years, with the desire that Christ would be glorified in the lives of those with whom he came into contact. His life was a living sacrifice for each one to whom the Lord lead him. He never felt that someone was unworthy to be loved. He tried to faithfully deal devotedly with everyone God brought into his life. His continual prayer was that the Lord would make him more fully an expression of Christ’s love. We have been blessed to be witnesses to the working of God on this earth through a living vessel of Christ. This fellowship has been shepherded lovingly, kindly, gently, and most important, earnestly, with a view after the full depths of Christ and Christ Alone. Many of us could stand and give testimony to how much the Lord used Dad to show forth Christ in a living relationship, in reality in our lives.
We know that there are a number of people who desire to give such a statement in remembrance of Dad. Out of deep respect and sincere regard for each of you, there will be an open microphone at the reception in the Lundgrin Events Center, across the bridge in the new University Sports Complex. You may feel free to give such expressions at that time. We just ask that you would accommodate one another so that everyone who would like to say something will have that opportunity. 
As well, there is an online guestbook in which you can leave more personal expressions of your heart. The simple website is stickered on the business cards at the welcome table for your use. Go to the webpage and search for Hermann Enke and you will have the opportunity to read the kind thoughts of others, and contribute your own heart felt statement. Mom will then receive a printed and bound copy of the guestbook as a remembrance of your love. 
Let us pray
	Heavenly Father, we thank You that we can gather together to rejoice in your loving kindness and tender mercy. You have blessed us for these many years with a faithful servant of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Our focus this evening is to rejoice in the goodness of your love. You deserve all praise and honor and thanksgiving for the manner in which You chose to express Your love in Christ Jesus through the service of dad in honoring You as his Lord and Savior. We thank and love You for Your expressed grace, in the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen
	Let us join our hearts in this praise as, together, we sing Great is Thy Faithfulness.
Great is Thy Faithfulness – Congregation (PowerPoint)
Great is Thy Faithfulness
Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father!
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not:
As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.
(Chorus)
Great is Thy faithfulness,
Great is Thy faithfulness,
Morning by morning, new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided.
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me.

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!
(Chorus - 2X)
Great is Thy faithfulness,
Great is Thy faithfulness,
Morning by morning, new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided.
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me.

One of Dad’s cherished readings in scripture was Romans, Chapter 5. Gary will now read it for us.

	
Romans Chapter 5 (Gary)
	Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation. Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned — for until the Law sin was in the world; but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many. And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift arose from many transgressions resulting in justification. For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. For as through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous. And the Law came in that the transgression might increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Gary’s Eulogy
He was born on May 9th, 1927 shortly after World War 1 and before World War 2.

He was one of 6 sons and 2 daughters born to the family of Pastor Hermann Enke and his wife, Anna.

As Ted and I can tell you, growing up a preacher’s kid is not easy.
But, with the political climate of Germany, it must have been even more difficult.

On his 17th birthday, he was called into service in the German Navy.

He was captured by the British and spent 6 months as a prisoner of war.

When he was released, he returned to his hometown to find that it, and most of his family was gone.

After learning the manner of their deaths, the location and condition of the remaining brother and 2 sisters, he was in great despair.

I’m not sure if he was in the town of Elbing or Erfurt, but he found himself on a bridge, ready to end his own life.

He climbed over the rail, but before he could let go, the memories of his childhood came back.

The teachings of his parents and the Grace of the Lord took hold.

It was at this point, that he put his life into the Lord’s hands.

In a very true sense, his life DID end on that bridge, and his walk with the Lord began.

He began his training for the ministry, working with the young people of his town.

Shortly after that, due to the Communist persecution of Christians, he was smuggled out of East Germany to England, where he attended Bible College.

He came to the United States as an evangelist, and was granted U.S. citizenship by an act of Congress.

The Lord’s hand guided Dad throughout this time and was preparing him for Christ’s service.

At this point, the Lord was truly gracious to Dad.
He met and married Mom.
It was truly “a match made in Heaven.”

She was loving, supportive, and kept Dad centered in his service to the Lord.

He had various jobs, was very successful in business, but when decisions had to be made, he always remembered his commitment to his Lord.

There were some good times and some very hard times, but these just deepened his Faith and commitment.

In the early 1970’s, a church was formed with Dad as the pastor.
The church took the name, Conejo Koinonia.

The church was small, largely because members grew in the Lord and were called to start new ministries elsewhere.

Dad’s personal ministry was not only a message of salvation, but a message of a solid commitment and walk with the Lord, as well.

His hope was to share the joys of a deep and personal relationship with Christ.

He truly loved this personal walk with the Lord and the people with whom he shared it.

I miss my Dad.

He was a great man, but his greatness can not be measured by his own accomplishments, but rather by what was accomplished through him.

He was a testimony to what the Lord can do by using one man’s willingness to submit himself and walk with the Lord.

I know that Dad’s greatest wish was, one day, to face the Lord and hear, “Well done my good and faithful servant.”

With the exception of my mother and Cousin Jodie, I can reasonably state that Gary and I have known our pastor for the longest time of all the people in this room. We have known him as our father, sometimes a stranger - after each of those long trips on the evangelistic field. He would be gone six to eight months out of the year and when he returned, we would have to get to know each other over again. We have known him as our Dad, the one to whom we could turn as a child, and who would make everything right. Sometimes it was a good relationship, and other times it was a painful one, especially with the board of education that he kept handy in our upbringing. 
	There are those times that we shared, when all we had was each other. I remember the day that we left our play wagon outside, the wagon to be used for transporting the two of us boys and a few bags of groceries from the store, since we couldn’t afford a second car. We looked all over the neighborhood, and for weeks we tried to find it, but it was gone, and – boy - was he upset and disappointed with us. As children, it hurt to think that we had caused him such grief and disappointment in us, his sons. The sad part, however, is that it was not the first, and unfortunately not the last time that we caused him such anguish.
	Gary and I were rather rambunctious. I don’t know how Mom survived until Dad got home from his long trips. One of the first things he would say, when he walked in the door, always seemed to be, “what did they do this time?” We always knew we were in trouble when mom and dad would just pray with each other before dealing with us.
	The other thing that worked together for good in the groundedness of the grace of God in our parents was the natural maturing process of two young men. Home was not always a home of peace and rest; it could sometimes be utter bedlam and devastation as we expressed our inner selves. Again, the Lord used even that chaos to establish a great trust in Him in our parents. They knew that it was only by the grace of God, day in and day out that we were surviving as a family. 
 	Suffice it to say that the Lord was very much in charge of the parentage that we received, for our benefit, and for their growth in Him. Dad, believe it or not, was not the perfect father. We had times of disagreement in our family, and times of dissension, when he was right and we were wrong, just because he was the father and we were the children. One thing, however, that was never an issue in our home was that the Lord was in charge. Our lives, as individuals, and as a family was centered around and based in the prayer that God would be pleased with us. My parents kept us in prayer constantly, even to the point of beginning when we were small, an earnest prayer that the Lord would prepare our life-mates, our wives for us. And He has answered that prayer wonderfully.
	We also knew that Dad was a minister, an evangelist. He was constantly preaching and sharing the Word of God. We would often go with him in our local area, when he was home, and we would be his greatest supporters from the audience. As he discussed the story of Shadrach, Meschach and Abednigo, the three young men of Israel thrown into the fiery, burning furnace, he would always ask, “What was the only thing that burned in that furnace?” We would squirm in excited anticipation ready to shout out the answer, “the ropes” only the ropes binding them were burned. He would glance down from the pulpit, because we were almost always in the front row, with that fatherly countenance of slight annoyance, but tempered with a father’s joy.
	Our home was a haven for us. We knew that we were living a different life than many of our friends. We knew that we were in utter dependence on the Lord to get us through as a family. There were times when all we had to eat were beans and peanut butter. Our provisions were given on a daily basis. We would not always know what there would be to eat from day to day, but the Lord got us through and He worked in the hearts of Mom and Dad through those times of dire need. No matter what, however, we were never without the knowledge that the Lord had all things well in the hand, and we gave complete thanks to God for that faithful provision. We were taught that God comes before everything else, because He is our life. 
That was not an easy lesson for two growing young men. It was not an easy lesson for Mom and Dad, but there was never any wavering from it. Even when we were old enough to fend for ourselves, we were very aware that their prayers were covering us.
	As teenagers, we knew that we could not get away with anything. There was always some way that our parents found out about our misadventures. The Lord always arranged to have someone wherever we were that would mention to Mom or Dad what we were doing. The reason was that, almost from the moment we left the house until the time of our return, Mom and Dad were in fervent prayer on our behalf. When we came home late, we knew that the night had been filled with the loving anguish of two parents united in beseeching God after our safe-keeping and after ways in which to be able to further express, in life, the greater measure of the Love of God to the both of us. 
Mom and Dad survived our growing years with all the grace of God in operation. How else do you think the two of them could so readily have lived in the triumphant power of the Grace of God before all of us to this day? As we were so often told and encouraged, God will work His truth into us, by whatever means, and through whomever He deems appropriate to make the reality of Christ life in us.
	My Dad, during those years, became more than just a Dad. He was my friend. It might amaze you to know that I could talk to him about anything. We would discuss things that were critically wrong in my life, things that, at times, I couldn’t even face within myself. He would take me aside, and very gently, and very prayerfully, let me know that He was on my side, no matter what was wrong. No condemnation, no “I told you so”, no guilt trips. It was always a gently, lovingly offered encouragement to trust the Lord TOGETHER.
	Dad has been my best friend, throughout all these years. When one talks about Our Loving Heavenly Father, and the grace-filled manner with which He deals in our lives, I have never had to look farther than my own father as an earthly expression of that relationship. He loves me, and I love Him. That is the relationship that is to be true of each of us in Christ. It is real, and it is beyond description. 
All of this is but a background to the various ways in which God was active in the lives of Mom and Dad, as He was preparing them for what would become the greatest challenge of their lives and marriage, His ministry. The Lord had in mind a complete service for these two in ministry to a portion of His flock, and He wanted them ready to be instantly available to any who would need the touch of God in their lives. I mention the two of them because ministry is never a solitary element. For one to be the true testimony of God, he or she must have a spouse who is holding the other in prayer, is standing in the gap, and is giving Godly counsel and encouragement through the darkest times. It requires that both the husband and the wife share the desire to be completely used by God, no matter what the road, no matter what the trial, no matter what the cost in terms of this earth’s riches. It is as a husband and wife are joined together in the living expression of the oneness of the church in Christ, that an understanding is developed in the goodness and the mercy and the grace and the covering of God in Love. One can never honor one without the other, for to do so is to devalue the work of God in the lives of His willing and obedient servants.
	Throughout our marriage, both Laura and I have been brought into this loving relationship of friendship. I must say, however that Dad seemed, at least to me, to be playing favorites. Every time I had a problem with Laura, he would always seem to take her side. It never mattered how wrong she was, he always told me to love her, to ask her to forgive me, and to seek after the Lord to soften my heart unto her. It always irked me because I thought she should be the one to apologize and to humbly and contritely seek after me to forgive her, but Dad never saw it that way. I was the one to forgive and to forget, and to hold no grudges and to never say “I told you so”. I was the one to initiate the changes that would bring about reconciliation. I was the one who had to give in. 
	Actually, he never took one side or the other, because both Laura and I knew that what was needed was a grounding in Christ. We needed to have Christ as the very essence of our marriage, as the only aspect of value in our marriage. That was what we constantly received through Dad’s encouragement. It was never a matter of who was right and who was wrong, but always a matter of allowing Christ to have His way in the situation, no matter how impossible it seemed. He always pointed us to Christ, and that meant that we had to forgive and to be forgiven, and to have our wants and desires crucified for the Glory of God to become the central element of our marriage relationship. It is an on-going process, but Dad and Mom were always there with us through it all, seeking only after the Love of Christ to be established in us as husband and wife, and as parents to our children. The same has been true, I know, in Gary and Laura’s marriage, and in the marriages of many in this room this evening.
	For this witness of Christ, I thank the Lord for my Dad, and I love him. As I have mentioned in many cards and at various times, I know that now the day has come when the Lord has greeted him with those words of Matt. 25:21, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

Mom and Dad took great concern in the manner in which their marriage would express Christ, from day one. The declaration of the song, Take My Life and Let it Be was of tremendous to Mom and Dad. Because of the manner in which they wanted their marriage dedicated to God, they pluralized it to Take Our Lives and Let Them Be. It began and ended their life together as husband and wife. It was sung at their wedding and it was sung on the day before Dad went home to the Lord. It was their continual heart’s desire – the anthem of their service to the Lord. I will read the lyrics, and then Jessica and Alicia will sing it for us.
Take Our Lives and Let Them Be
Take our lives and let them be
consecrated Lord to Thee;
take our moments and our days
Let them flow in ceaseless praise.

Take our hands and let them move
at the impulse of Thy love;
Take our feet and let them be
swift and beautiful for Thee.

Take our voice and let us sing
always only for our King;
Take our lips and let them be
filled with messages from Thee.

Take our silver and our gold,
not a mite would we withhold;
take our intellect and use
every power as Thou shalt choose.

Take our wills and make them Thine,
they shall be no longer ours;
Take our hearts they are Thine own,
They shall be Thy royal throne.

Take our love our Lord, we pour
at Thy feet its treasured store;
Take us, Lord, and we will be
ever only all for Thee.

Take Our Lives and Let Them Be – Jessica and Alicia

Dad loved music. From old cowboy songs, to Mozart and other classical composers, to almost anything German, especially waltzes and marches, he loved music. Mom and Dad shared several songs that were theirs. As mentioned, they began and ended their marriage with Take Our Lives and Let Them Be. They also sang Eddie Arnold’s No Other Lips, No other Arms often to each other. They were musically eclectic as they also fell in love with the lyrics of Elvis’s Can’t help falling in love with you. They spent an entire return trip from Lompoc playing and singing that song to get the lyrics just right. Two hours of Elvis crooning the same song, just so they could sing it perfectly to each other. That was but a small example of their devoted love for one another. 
	Dad’s greatest love for music, however, was for those songs of praise that he could lift up to the Lord. He loved to harmonize and sing in German, as we sang the English. Few of us will forget His 70th birthday party, when he jumped up to harmonize with Jessica and Alicia as they were singing. In his honor, they would like to share a short tribute of song at this time.
German songs – Jessica and Alicia
How Great Thou art in German with final chorus in English

We have asked Lori Meier to read the poem that she wrote for Dad on the occasion of his 70th birthday. It has really been a blessing to Mom and Dad these past ten years, and they have been so thankful to the Lord for the poem, but most especially for the heart expressed in it.
Just A Man

For: Siegfried Enke
By: Lori Meier
It's easy to call him a hero
When you look at all the lives he's touched
And it's easy to give him the credit
Though he says he doesn't deserve that much.

And if you know the hell he's gone through
To bring a slice of heaven back to us
You can't help but see the soldier
In this man we've come to trust.

He is relentless in his teaching
Come heartache, pain or tears
Forever the faithful servant
That we've been blessed with all these years.

He has never turned away
The lost that found his door
And when we walk away uplifted
It is our hearts that burn for more.

It would be so easy to thank him
For his unending, loving grace
For the beauty he has shown us
Through the days and hours of praise.

“But look not to me,” he tells us,
“When you fall to your knees and clasp your hands.
It is Jesus in me that you love
For I am just a man.”
Before the message, it is appropriate that we spend a few moments considering the Lord in those praise songs that Dad loved so well. Let us do so, not in remembrance, but in praise to the Lord God Almighty, Who has all things well in hand, and deserves our honor and adoration. 
Come Bless the Lord – Congregation (PowerPoint)
Majesty Medley
All Heavens Declare
Emmanuel

In John 12:26, we read, If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there shall My servant also be; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him. 
Having earlier delineated the course of development in the life of our family and our parents, I feel that it is appropriate to deal with the things that God has worked in me, and in many in this room, through the faithful witness of our pastor. “We have not come to praise him,” to loosely borrow a Shakespearean quote. We are here to thank the Lord for the testimony of Christ that has been lived before each of us. In the life that we have witnessed, Christ has ever been the focal point. We have seen one whose heart was after God to the fullest. 
	2 Tim 4:1-7 comes to mind in my thankfulness to God for the father that He gave Gary and me. Dad continually lived a life before God that would answer the challenge of the Apostle Paul in that letter to Timothy. In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage — with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 
	…I have kept the faith. There is much in this passage that is directly applicable to Dad. He never hesitated to preach the Word of God. Even when he was giving training seminars in the insurance field, he kept his faithfulness to God at the forefront. Everyone knew that he was a minister first, and a businessman only as long as it pleased God. This was true when he was a landscaper as well as when he was in steel construction. God had priority over everything.
The Lord worked in the heart of my father to the very point that we see in this passage. He enabled my father to be a minister after God’s Own Heart. So often, as I have watched and learned from his example and from his encouragement and from his prayers, I have been reminded of King David, a man whose heart was after God. Yes, David had his ups and his downs, but his primary concern was what was pleasing to the Lord. Dad’s heart was after what would please God. He never wanted anything less than to be in the will of the Father, glorifying the Son, in complete alignment with the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. When mistakes were made, they were most often made on the side of love, the same love as he received from the Lord.
I have spent a number of years under Dad’s tutelage in the ministry. There have been many things that he pointed out and that we have taken to the Lord together. Yes, he was a hard task master, but that was only because he wanted to instill in us the heart that places Christ above all else. Some of the things were not easy to accept because they invariably lead to the death of self. “Self has no place in ministry,” was one of the things that he stressed over and over again. The time before we met with someone to minister and to counsel, was spent before the Lord in prayer. After all, it is there that the Lord makes His servant ready to bring His word of healing and admonition to those in need. Then, as the meeting took place, he always opened it in prayer and sought after the Lord to guide and to direct every conversation. He encouraged me to learn to listen first, and then allow our hearts to lift up the person in love before the throne of grace. Our unceasing prayer was that the Lord would glorify Himself completely in that meeting, in that life, in that heart. We can never take any credit for anything, but always account it all unto the Lord from Whom all provisions come, especially the provision of His Love to the ones who are in such desperate need.
As well, there were many conversations about being the sounding board for others. Sometimes people simply need a place to vent their anger and their frustration. They need to blow off that steam before they can truly listen with an open heart. So what if the Lord uses us, His ministers, to be the target of all the pent up anger and disappointment. Count it as unto the Lord in our hearts and never, never, under any circumstances, take offense at what is being directed at us. Stand before the tirade in prayer and return only love and kindness and forgiveness. If, however, something is stated that is a criticism, thank the person and take that to the Lord for the Lord to make any changes that need to be accomplished in order that we will more completely and faithfully express Christ through these lives that we live before God and before man.
In line with that, we must always realize that we, who know the Lord so intimately, are held to a higher standard. There is no area that should be open to supposition or even a hint of lack of principle or integrity. We constantly seek after the Lord to expose any area that is of concern to Him and must be continuously willing to have the Lord change anything that would be seen as displeasing unto Him. 
These are but a few of the things that my pastor and I dealt with over the course of our walk together. In everything, I saw a man, a human being in whom nothing but God mattered. He was not perfect. He did not express Christ flawlessly in every day and in every situation. There were errors in judgment and errors of omission, as is true of every man except the Lord Jesus Christ. But, even with the human faults, his greatest testimony and witness to me has been that he was truly after the fullness of God to be evidenced through the life of Christ in him. He was a man whose heart was after God, and that is the greatest witness any of us can have on this earth.
He was to me as the Apostle Paul was to Timothy. So often, the very words of Paul were the words spoken to me, just as they were spoken to Dad by his mentor. 1 Tim 6:11-16 But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which God will bring about in his own time — God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen. 
These words are filled with encouragement and with love. They contain the admonition to always be faithful and constant in the Lord. Much of what was and is required, my Dad highlighted through the Word, the study of the Word, and the prayer of his heart unto God to make of his sons Men of God. Even in that prayer, it was not for our sake, it was always for the Lord’s sake. Yes, Gary and I are his sons, but the concern of his heart was always centered in the witness of the Son of God in the lives we live, that all of us live. 
My pastor was always a man whose determination after the Lord was manifested in a variety of ways. Some were obvious, and some were difficult, but the most determination that he ever portrayed was after the fullness of Christ. He intractably lived his life as unto the Lord, Whose servant He was. It was not a question of what Dad desired. 
All of us could share the truth that his life gave evidence to the fact that it is only what would please God that mattered to him. As a family, we endured many, many times of early arrivals at locations, very early arrivals, because he did not want to take any chance of displeasing God in his ministry. Sure, we would joke with him about his Germanic upbringing, but with him, it really was a simple matter of being where God had called him, and being there in plenty of time to be of service. Even if no one else had arrived, and it was still dark in the morning, we were there and he was giving himself over to the Lord in prayer to be prepared to be of service to any in need. 
As well, Dad’s love for God was constant in season and out of season. Everywhere he went, he was ready to bring forth the Word of the Lord and Godly counsel as the Holy Spirit directed. I have long remembered the fact that he desired to share Christ. It was not a chore for him; it was gladness for him to be able to talk of the wonderfulness of our Lord Jesus Christ. There was always so much more that he wanted to convey, but the words of man have never been sufficient to express the Love of his heart for God. He would be exhausted after his days of ministry because he always gave everything unto the Lord in that ministry. 
Col 3:23+24 comes to mind as I consider the pastor of my youth. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
Some would call him a perfectionist, and that is a true assessment of the way of life of my father. Nothing was half-heartedly done. If it was worth doing, it was worth doing to completeness without any shoddiness or shortcuts that would compromise the whole. He was greatly frustrated with any wall in the house that was not level, any angle that was not perfect, and any task that was not completed. This was evident in the work that he laid before God. 
It was hard for him to accept an excuse as to why something would be put off or not completed on time, especially being on time to meetings. Barring extenuating circumstances, to him, there was no valid excuse to be late to any of the times the fellowship came together to meet the Lord. Nothing was complete until Dad was first satisfied with the manner in which it would bring glory to God. It was done with a view as to how would this effort, how would the result of this discourse, how would the time taken for this project be worthy unto the Lord. Would God be pleased in it? That was the measure of the perfection that Dad put into whatever he did. Every fiber of dad’s being was focused on being wholly unto God with that which would be pleasing to God’s heart. 
In line with this is the fact that Dad enjoyed the Lord. He sparkled with delight at the every thought of the Lord. It was never a task or a duty with him. It was a privilege and an honor to be called to the work of the Lord. Every time we witnessed the goodness of God, Mom and Dad made certain that we lifted up the name of the Lord in thanksgiving. They were especially adamant in giving God the credit for everything, even the breath we take and the water that we drink. Nothing that comes into our lives is to be taken for granted, because it all comes from God. Dad enforced this dictate in a variety of ways, some which were very deliberate manifestations of his displeasure. But, no matter how much we rebelled against the high standard that was the life of our family, we always knew that Dad was a man who walked and talked with God. 
Sometimes, I am now ashamed to admit, it embarrassed us. Sometimes we wished that he would not be so deliberate in the walk that he had before God. There were many things that we forfeited because it would interfere with the life that we were living unto God. Friends were few, and acquaintances were limited because there is a lack of understanding and acceptance in this world of a man whose entire being is after God. Not that that mattered to Mom or Dad. It was immaterial in the light of Jesus Christ, and always will be.
As was mentioned earlier, there is a parable, recorded in Matthew, of the good and faithful servant, which is, I think, apropos for dad and his ministry. I will read a little of the Mathew Henry commentary concerning the joy expressed in this passage. Matt 25:23, “His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' 
	Matthew Henry writes:
(1.) The state of the blessed is a state of joy, not only because all tears shall then be wiped away, but all the springs of comfort shall be opened to them, and the fountains of joy broken up. Where there are the vision and fruition of God, a perfection of holiness, and the society of the blessed, there cannot but be a fullness of joy.
(2.) This joy is the joy of their Lord; the joy which he himself has purchased and provided for them; the joy of the redeemed, bought with the sorrow of the Redeemer. It is the joy which he himself is in the possession of, and which he had his eye upon when he endured the cross, and despised the shame, Heb 12:2. It is the joy of which he himself is the fountain and centre. It is the joy of our Lord, for it is joy in the Lord, who is our exceeding joy. Abraham was not willing that the steward of his house, though faithful, should be his heir (Gen 15:3); but Christ admits his faithful stewards into his own joy, to be joint-heirs with him.
(3.) Glorified saints shall enter into this joy, shall have a full and complete possession of it, as the heir when he comes of age enters upon his estate, or as they that were ready, went in to the marriage feast. Here the joy of our Lord enters into the saints, in the earnest of the Spirit; shortly they shall enter into it, shall be in it to eternity, as in their element. End of Quote (from Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition, Electronic Database. Copyright © 1991 by Hendrickson Publishers, Inc.)
	The Lord is so gracious as to call forth those vessels of His Love and Faithfulness to supply the ministry for His Body. These are the ones who have been chosen to place His Word of life and healing before His people. These are the faithful servants who strive to only do that which would please the Lord God Almighty, their All-in-all. The joy of the Lord is the measure of the grace that God pours out upon His people through the willing servants after His very heart. God has blessed mom, He has blessed Gary and me, He has blessed our families, and He has blessed this fellowship with such a witness. The honor belongs to God. The joy of our fellowship is the joy of the Lord. The growth of our fellowship is the work of God as He chooses to multiply and to draw and to knit together in Christ, those who are part of this community of believers. My Dad was not alone in this place of service. There are countless numbers and legions of men and women whose hearts are after the Lord to the complete fullness of God, wherever He has placed them. It is just that we can thank the Lord that the chosen minister for this fellowship was truly a man of God ordained to bring forth the Word of God in the life of Christ that was lived before you and before me. 
	   The writing of the Apostle Paul in 1 Tim 1:15-17, is most appropriate at this time. The focus is never on the servant, but must always be on the Lord, the source of the servant’s very life, Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners — of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen. 

Alfred and Alicia Pratt have, patiently and lovingly, put together a video montage of Dad’s life. We would now like to share it with you. (video)

At the conclusion of our prayer, benediction, and Doxology, you are all welcome to join together with us at a reception in the Lundgrin Events Center. You will find it by exiting the Chapel and then walking across the bridge to the new Sports Complex. There will be light refreshments and many opportunities to share our hearts together.
We come to the conclusion of this celebration of service with the prayer that is held in the song All My Days, as printed in your bulletin. I hope that it gives forth unto the Lord the glory and the honor and the praise and the worship that He deserves from the hearts of all gathered here today. We are so blessed in the life that we have in Christ Jesus, Our Lord, Our Savior, Our Everything!
Choral singing of All My Days
All My Days
May this life that I live bring You praise,
Blessing You and Your wonderful ways.
In the work of our hands,
And the words that I say, I will worship
You, Lord, all my days.

I will sing to Your name when I wake,
Giving thanks for each breath that I take.
From the first light I see,
To the last prayer I pray,
I will worship You, Lord, all my days.

All my days, all my days,
I will worship You, Lord, all my days.
All my days, all my days,
I will worship You, Lord, all my days.

Every day is a gift from Your hand,
You're the author of all that I am.
Let my story be told,
In the heart’s spoken phrase,
I will worship You, Lord, all my days.

All my days, all my days,
I will worship You, Lord, all my days.
All my days, all my days,
I will worship You, Lord, all my days.

Our Benediction is II Thess. 2:16+17:  Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace, comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word. Amen.    
May the Lord Bless each one of you.
Please stand and join in singing the Doxology.
Doxology

Praise God from Whom all blessings flow;

Praise Him all creatures here below;

Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;

Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen