March 25, 2022

Role Models for Service – For all the Saints – Part Two

Read UMH 711 again

As I said in part one, the pandemic has affected us all in different ways, some good and some not so good. The not so good part that hit me hardest was not being able to gather as a community of faith on Sunday mornings – and other times through the weeks.
Several church members who have passed on during the past two years were role models to me for service to God, the church and the community. I want to celebrate these saints as I try to stand upon their shoulders. They have passed the baton, and I’ll acknowledge a few more who have had a lasting impact on my faith journey.

Jack & Shirley van Becelaere – Jack and Shirley might have written the book on service. I learned so much from them. They were always working on something for church. They both served on countless committees and took on a variety of leadership roles during their time at GPUMC. I really got to know them through working on the rummage sale. Jack would head up the electronics department with Jack Wooten and Denver Higley. Shirley was sorter extraordinaire and ran the cash box during the sale. She would call me each night to check in on me and see how we did sales wise. As it turned out they both made really great jello for the rummage sale workers. They both had a fabulous sense of humor. I remember Jack agreeing to be a live auction item at the Palooza fundraiser one year. He agreed to wear socks to church. Jack did not wear socks, so people bid quite a bit to see him show up to church wearing socks. Jack and Shirley took care of coffee hour for many years with Doug and Marybeth Cordier. After Shirley passed away, Jack found yet another way to serve his church and his soul. He offered us his gift of music at several church services and the Gospel Fest. He will never know how much that gift was needed and appreciated.

Charlotte Grose – My mom, Charlotte Grose, demonstrated the art of service to our family her whole life. She was always active in church. She and my dad were youth group counselors. Charlotte would be the one to organize the trips, fundraisers and retreats at Christ United Methodist Church. She participated in UMW at Christ Church and then at GPUMC. Charlotte participated in two church circles, one from Christ Church, and one from GPUMC. She was part of the boutique department at the rummage sale at GPUMC each year. She delighted in hosting her church circle meetings at our home. My mom was always in service to her friends and family. She was the first one to make a meal for someone who was ill or who had lost a loved one. She belonged to a Christian charitable organization, The King’s Daughters, for years that raised funds through rummage sales and card parties to support charitable causes. I think service for my mom was a tangible way to show her faith.

Donald Lakin – Don Lakin was most certainly a role model for service to me. I met Don through his daughter, my good friend Candy Lakin. We went to church together at Christ United Methodist church. Don and his family were leaders in our church. Don served in many capacities. He was a Sunday School teacher, a counselor for MYF, and held many other leadership positions. Don demonstrated service in professional life, his church life, and through community service. After establishing a successful Optometry practice in Southeast Michigan, he moved to Cadillac, where he taught at Ferris State University. He was very instrumental in establishing a YMCA in Cadillac, along with many other philanthropic endeavors. He and his wife Pat always welcomed me into their home and made me feel like family. His faith in God, love of life and his family will always be an inspiration to me.

“In all this I have given you an example that by such work we must support the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, for he himself said, ‘it is more blessed to give than to receive.’” - Acts 20:35

Nancy Grose