Barb Schieber passed away Friday evening. She was a pillar in our church during the early days. She was one of our best teachers and was always working with the children’s ralleys we had back then. Barb was a tireless perfectionist who always did it “right”. She was a stately lady who mentored my wife in many ways.

I remember when she decided to retire from teaching children. I tried to talk her into staying, but she was a pioneer. She observed so many young women in the church deferring to her, and she knew no one would step up to becoming a teacher as long as the “older women” were doing it all. So she stepped aside and forced some younger, not so experienced, ladies to gain the experience they needed for the future of the church. This classy lady later struggled with Parkinson’s disease that stripped her of her functionality, but never her faith. I will miss Barb. What will you remember about Barb Schieber?

Pent Somkit passed away Friday night and she will be missed. She and her family immigrated to Indiana from Cambodia in the early 1970s. They have attended our church from the very beginning of their experience here. She spoke very little English but told Anita through a translator of hard days in Cambodia where she lost a child in a bombing at the school. These were the days of Pol Pot’s regime (The Killing Fields).

I remember we hired the Somkit boys to demolish a large chicken coup at our former residence. We couldn’t find Americans who would work as hard as they did.

I also remember officiating at Yort Somkit’s wedding. They were a part of a fellowship of oriental immigrants from the Ft. Wayne area. Some of these immigrants were chefs at restaurants and hosted a big oriental reception. I remember eating soup with octapus tentacles, among other mysterious stuff. But we also had the American influence: we drank out of Pepsi cans and had apple pie for dessert.

What will you remember about Pent Somkit?

Deloris Emerick passed away after a short battle with cancer. She was a hard worker and always seemed very responsible. I remember when Deloris first began attending Calvary Chapel (our former name). Christine Storrjohann was a bus kid who gave her life to Christ and became very involved in the church. She brought her parents, Bill and Helen Vallance to church and they also became committed. In turn, Helen brought her good friend Deloris. They always sat together in the back row and often brought other friends.

She always had an encouraging word when she waited on me at McDonald’s. What will you remember about Deloris?

If you haven’t heard yet, Carolyn Miller passed away last night following a battle with pneumonia . She was a sister to Marie Brewer, Sandy Albright, Cindy Rowe and Fred Ballentine, and dear friend of Dennis ‘Hap’ Dawson, all who also attend New Hope.

When I first met Carolyn years ago, she was a mixed up, backslidden Christian. Apparently she had received some bad teaching on Christianity and was convinced she had walked too far away from God to ever come back. Seriously, I thought at the time she might have a mental disability, but soon discovered it was spiritual deception. As she met with me in my office, over the phone, and in email communications, I became amazed at how quickly she learned and responded to my counsel. I rarely had to tell her something she needed to know twice. She needed the truth to set her free and just got it the first time.

As the months went on, I saw a change in her life. Her spiritual disillusionment became spiritual hope. The joy of the Lord returned to her again. She got more involved in her church and we began to see the change in the results of her life.

For unknown reasons, God has decided her purpose on this earth has been completed, and called her home. She is now with Jesus and I’ll miss having someone as teachable as Carolyn asking the tough questions in life.

What will you remember about Carolyn?