Pastors

Pastor's Message
By Rev. Thomas V. Handrick

Confirmation:
Termination or
Continuation?

We recently once again celebrated the confirmation of a large group of junior high youth. We “adult members” of the congregation have been there. And the young children of our congregation still look forward to it with anxious anticipation. For now, however, it would do us all good to review this church tradition called “Confirmation” is — its meaning and significance.

The “old” 1943 Synodical Catechism, from which many of us more “mature” members prepared for confirmation, has the following two questions and answers:

From the Catechism …

— “330. What is confirmation? Confirmation is the rite by which a baptized person renews his baptismal vow, publicly confesses his faith and is received into communicant membership by the congregation.

— “331. What should be the prayer of the congregation on the day of confirmation? On the day of confirmation the congregation should pray for the catechumens that they may grow in grace, be steadfast in the profession of their faith, become fruitful in every good work and in the end receive the crown of life. Rev. 2:10 and Rev. 3:11.”

The “new” 1991/2005 Synodical Catechism (which, by the way, is a wonderful improvement over the 1943 edition) contains the following comprehensive question and answer about confirmation.

— “306. What is confirmation? Confirmation is a public rite of the church preceded by a period of instruction designed to help baptized Christians identify with the life and mission of the Christian community. Note: Prior to admission to the Lord’s Supper, it is necessary to be instructed in the Christian faith (1 Cor. 11:28). The rite of confirmation provides an opportunity for the individual Christian, relying on God’s promises given in Holy Baptism, to make a personal public confession of the faith and a lifelong pledge of

fidelity to Christ. Matt. 10:32-33 and Rev. 2:10.”

(Italics are in both of the originals.)

The “Confirmation” rite in Lutheran Service Book has the following questions with their expected answers among the many addressed to the confirmands:

—“Do you this day in the presence of God and of this congregation acknowledge the gifts that God gave you in your Baptism? Yes, I do.

— “Do you intend to hear the Word of God and receive the Lord’s Supper faithfully? I do, by the grace of God.

— “Do you intend to live according to the Word of God, and in faith, word and deed to remain true to God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit even to death? I do, by the grace of God.

— “Do you intend to continue steadfast in this confession and Church and to suffer all, even death, rather than fall away from it? I do, by the grace of God.”

Continuing a good work …

The presiding pastor then declares, “We rejoice with thankful hearts that you have been baptized and have received the teaching of the Lord. You have confessed the faith and been absolved of your sins. As you continue to hear the Lord’s Word and receive His blessed Sacrament, He who has begun a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

And, the beginning of one of the prayers states, “Almighty and most merciful Father, in the waters of Holy Baptism You have united Your children in the suffering and death of Your Son Jesus Christ, cleansing them by His blood. Renew in them the gift of Your Holy Spirit, that they may live in daily contrition and repentance with a faith that ever clings to their Savior.”

A beginning, not an end

Did you notice the references to Holy Baptism? Let me make two very important points for our newly confirmed members and all of us who were confirmed in the recent or long ago past. First, confirmation does not make us members of Christ’s church. That occurred in Holy Baptism. Confirmation offers the invitation to partake of the Blessed Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper in order to strengthen and safeguard our faith. Second, confirmation is not the termination of our learning about the Christian faith and how to live it. That learning must be a continuing activity or we risk the

weakening and even death of the faith the Holy Spirit gave us in Baptism.

Care: a shared responsibility

It’s a sad reality that throughout our Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod congregations, including our own, many who are confirmed and make those public vows don’t darken the doors of our sanctuary for a long time, if ever, again. While that is sinfully bad, it’s perhaps even worse that many of us rarely, if ever, pray for one another and personally encourage each other to be faithful to our vows. We just let people fall away and then wonder why, complain and criticize the pastors and elders for not preventing or correcting it. All of us — pastors, elders, sponsors, parents, family members and general congregational membership — share the responsibility to prayerfully encourage the new confirmands and each other to remain faithful to our confirmation vows.

Let’s use this sanctified occasion to do two very important things: One, review and renew our own confirmation vows. Two, continue, or begin, to actively pray for and encourage one another (especially our new confirmands) to live the Christian faith by regular participation in Word and Sacrament in our local setting or one of our sister LCMS congregations and daily obey God’s Holy Law. Let’s do so — not in an effort to gain God’s good favor but out of gratitude for His favor that He already gave us in and through the forgiving life, death and resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

God bless you, new confirmands, and all of us “old” ones as well. Let’s all be faithful to our confirmation vows throughout our lives on this earth!

Pastor Thomas Handrick

Born and raised in Houston, TX; Rev. Thomas V. Handrick Sr. attended Lutheran primary and secondary schools in his native Texas. He earned an Associates degree in 1969 from Concordia Junior College in Austin, and continued his studies at Concordia Senior College, located in Fort Wayne, IN. He furthered his educational pursuits at the University of Maryland- European Division and earned his B.A. degree in Russian in 1974. This followed service as an enlisted man in the U.S. Army in 1971, where he served as a Russian linguist in West Berlin, Germany, from 1972 to 1974.

After military service, he resumed his study for the pastoral ministry at Concordia Theological Seminary in Springfield, Ill. He served summer vicarages in Weatherford and Mineral Wells, Texas, in 1975 and his supervised vicarage was served at St. John's Lutheran Church, Meriden, Conn., from 1976 to 1977. In 1978, he graduated from Concordia Theological Seminary, which had relocated to Fort Wayne, IN.

He and his beloved wife Sally (nee) Reese were married in 1972. Sally earned a degree in elementary education from Concordia College, River Forest, Ill. They are the proud parents of three children: Heidi, Thomas Jr. and Timothy.

Rev. Handrick was ordained at St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Statesboro, Ga., and served as sole pastor there from 1978 to 1980. He later served New Hope Lutheran Church, Ossian, Ind., from 1980 to 1984. He comes to Immanuel after serving as pastor at St. Paul Lutheran Church, Wichita Falls, Texas, from 1984 to 2005.

Prior to his ordination, in addition to his service in the U.S. Army, he worked in retail grocery and photographic supplies, drove buses for a commercial carrier and was owner and operator of an independent photography business.

During his pastoral service, he has supervised field education and vicarages for seminary students. He served as a participant and elected officer of local ministerial associations in Georgia and Indiana and was a circuit counselor and LWML zone pastoral counselor in the Texas District. He served on floor committees at Texas District conventions and as a pastoral delegate to three LCMS national conventions.

Pastor Handrick is a sports enthusiast and has coached basketball and baseball, officiated high school basketball and umpired several levels of baseball. He served as a founding member and officer of the Wichita Falls Umpires Association. His other hobbies include golf, bicycling, gardening, yard work, landscaping, reading and travel.

Christopher L. Cole was born in Minneapolis, MN on July 24th, 1964, to Richard and Janice (Albright) Cole. His family moved to St. Charles, MO in 1967 where they lived until moving to Bradenton, FL in 1974. He has one younger brother (Andrew) who was born in 1972.

Christopher graduated from Manatee High School in 1982 and attended Southeastern College, Lakeland, FL. In 1988 he earned a BA in Biblical Studies with minors in both History and English. During his college years, Christopher participated in many short-tern mission activities and worked as a lay chaplain at the Polk County juvenile detention center and prisoner half-way house.

After college Christopher worked as a retail manager and corporate trainer for Bentley's Luggage Corporation of Miami, FL. He opened and operated stores at several sites in Florida, as well as Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Ann Arbor and Detroit, Michigan. After 15 years of sales and employee training working for Bentley's, Christopher enrolled at Concordia Seminary-St. Louis in the Fall of 1998. While attending the seminary Christopher served as a field worker at Immanuel Lutheran Church, Mt. Olive, IL under the direction of Rev. Dan Barbey. In the 2000-2001 academic year he was an exchange student in Cambridge, England living at Westfield House - the seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of England (our sister synod in the United Kingdom) and taking classes at the University of Cambridge. Christopher served his vicarage year (2002-2003) at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Fredericksburg, VA under Rev. Robert Koehler. While on vicarage he did campus ministry at Mary Washington College. On April 27th 2004, the Lord of the Church called Christopher to serve as Associate Pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church - Perryville, MO. He graduated from Concordia Seminary - St. Louis with a Master of Divinity degree on May 21st, 2004.

Matthew Travis Marks was born in Iowa City, IA on May 19, 1973, to Terry and Susan (nee McIntosh) Marks. He was baptized into Christ Jesus on June 17, 1973.

Matthew grew up in Peoria, Illinois, where he attended Concordia Lutheran grade school and Peoria Notre Dame High School. He graduated from Bradley University (Peoria) with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1996. In June of the same year he enrolled at Concordia Seminary (St. Louis, Missouri).

He served his vicarage year in Gainesville, Florida at First Lutheran church and did campus ministry at the University of Florida. Matthew graduated from Concordia Seminary with a Master of Divinity degree on May 19, 2000.

On April 11 of this year the Lord of the Church called Matthew to serve as Associate Pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church (Perryville, Missouri). He was ordained into the Holy Ministry at his home congregation, Redeemer Lutheran Church (Peoria), on June 25, 2000.