On Friday afternoon I witnessed the renewal of vows between Al and Wendy Dart. I said renewal because it was a very special type of renewal. I married Al and Wendy back in 1992. Wendy grew up in the church and was living and working in Groton when I began my ministry here. I knew here because she was the youngest sister of Curt and Hal Brockway. They were regulars at church and would often speak of their sisters, Nancy and Wendy. Wendy was the youngest of the four siblings. When she came to me to ask me to officiate at her wedding I was pleased to do so.A few years later we became very close. Our daughter Rachel was born in March of 1994 and Al and Wendy's daughter, Jennifer, was born in September of that same year. We were looking for someone to do childcare and Wendy volunteered. As a result of that decision the girls, Rachel and Jenny, grew up together. Wendy became active in church and Jenny came to Sunday School. Al got involved on the softball team and on the property committee. As they neared their tenth anniversary Wendy asked me if I would be willing to help them renew their wedding vows. It was a no-brainer. We planned a very beautiful celebration in the fall of 2002.
Unfortunately, within two years problems erupted in their marriage and it led them to divorce court. It is the path that so many couples travel now-a-days and it is sad for all involved.
About two months ago I got a call from Wendy asking me if I was busy on Friday, July 12. When I asked her why, she told me that she and Al were back together again and they decided they wanted to get remarried. What could I say? This renewal was going to be one that brought a smile to God's face. At 3:00 p.m. on Friday, July 12, 2009 Al and Wendy exchanged their vows in front of family and friends. It was a beautiful day.
My day didn't end there. In a little while I was on the road heading for Worcester, Massachusetts. I had a second wedding on Friday. This one involved the son and future daughter-in-law of Elizabeth and Matthew Isenburg. Carl Soderberg and Melody Johnson were married in the Tower Hill Gardens in Boylston, MA.
I've known Matthew Isenburg from my earliest days in Norwich. He owned the Ford dealership in town and we went to buy a car from him in 1987. A few years later we renewed our acquaintance as members of the Norwich Rotary Club. While I was working on my D. Min. degree we would often talk about my project and when I was looking to put my Church Newsletter Handbook, Matt gave me some pointers on how to make it presentable to the publisher.A few years later Matt showed up for a Christmas Eve service and before long he and Elizabeth began considering First Baptist Church as their church home. I met Carl when he was in the ninth grade. He came to a few of our youth group events and was involved in one of our youth retreats and a couple of Youth Recognition Sundays. He lived with his dad in Maryland but whenever he came up to say with his mom and Matthew, he would often find his way to church.
Carl and Melody met while they were students at the University of New Haven. After graduation in 2007, Carl began his career in the U. S. Army. The first year and a half took him away for a lot of schooling but he and Melody kept seeing each other whenever they could. Last Fall they became engaged and this Spring as their plans were coming together, they asked me to perform the service. I was so pleased to play a part in this chapter of another of our special family's historic moments.
On Saturday afternoon I participated in my third wedding of the week-end. Allison Walberg and Jason Beit were married in Lisbon. I like to tell everybody that Allison was the first baby I visited in the hospital as I began my ministry here. Lori is quick to remind me that the first baby was actually our own daughter, Rebecca. She is right but Allison, and her parents Pam Maynard and Don Walberg will always be special in my book. At the reception Allison and Jason ran a slide show with pictures going all the way back to their births. One of the pictures featured me holding Allison at her infant dedication service.
Allison grew up in the Sunday School and was active in a lot of our youth outings. She played on our basketball team and invited her friends to join us. In almost every picture of a Christmas Pageant or a Children's Day program you can find Allison among the group. She was part of a core of kids that included Becky, Lord, Casey and April Rezendes, Roland Widstrom, and various others that were at everything.
When Allison went off to high school at Norwich Free Academy she got involved in the marching band and that demanded a lot more of her time. That's where she and Jason met and they became an item. Of course I saw a lot of her while volunteering in the pit crew, but her dad, Don Walberg, also kept us abreast of qwhat was happening in her life.In 2004 she graduated and both Jason and Allison headed out to Western Connecticut State University for college. Four years later, they both graduated with degrees in music education. Last Fall they began their professional teaching careers in the area and set the date for their wedding. I was so pleased to be asked to participate in yet another special moment in the life of this family.
That's what long term ministry is all about. It is about relationships that span many occasions and even a few generations. Who knows? In a few years I may be called upon to marry Al and Wendy's daughter Jennifer or to dedicate one of the other couple's children and the cycle will continue.
What a great week-end for our church and its ministry.
Cal
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