A Final Fellowship

Pastor Dale Emery is sitting in his home office and you can’t help but note the amount of books. Not the type you’d expect in the average Midwesterner’s study – summer mysteries or a copy of Tuesdays with Morrie. Instead, there are dozens of hymnals and religious texts. All with small colored ribbon placeholders. You can certainly tell that you are in the workspace of a pastor.

(Pastor Dale Emery)

Pastor Emery started his preaching career on July 1st, 1960 and will conclude June 30th, 2019. One year shy of the 60 year mark. But this is not his first retirement. In fact, this will be the fourth time he has retired and turned his flock over to a new shepard. He has had the privilege to minister in several states and numerous rural communities in North Dakota. Ashley, New Rockford and Hillsboro – to name a few. It’s in Hillsboro that he was called back to work for a fourth time, to oversee a joint congregation this time. The United Church of Christ and United Methodist Church formed the United Parish in this small North Dakota town. The congregation will meet on Sunday to celebrate their faith as well as the pastor who commuted from Grand Forks every week.

Speaking with Dale, I asked a few softball questions. For example, his favorite potluck dish is anything that combines hamburger with pasta. I also got to ask questions about when he first understood his calling. He was a teacher who happened to preach on the side. One Sunday morning, he says God spoke to him, not with words, but an urge to attend seminary and preach full time. God messaged, he listened.

Over the years, Pastor Emery has been a part of large churches, small congregations and dealt with the realities of working in rural North Dakota. There are several months that make travel difficult, if not impossible, and mornings so beautiful that you question why you should spend them indoors.

Time has aged Dale. Health problems have snuck up and it was time to make a tough decision. It was time to retire again and let someone else care for the United Parish in Hillsboro. He is incredibly sharp minded and I feel for him. When the mind is willing, but the flesh is weak – you can’t help but feel frustrated. Like any good spiritual leader, he doesn’t let that affect his demeanor. His skill set belongs to the people. When visiting an ill parishioner in the hospital, his attitude and attentions are fully focused on bringing peace to those he serves. No matter what is happening in the privacy of his own life.

He mentions that he took a hard look at his family during the early years. He realized that so much time was being spent outside the home that he immediately started a new practice. Every child, of which there are three, got a one on one meal with their dad once a week. Their choice! Whether it was fast food or a pizza at Chuck E. Cheese, these meals strengthened a relationship and gave Dale a chance to speak with his children and get to know them as individuals. An act that changed his life for the better.

It takes two weeks to prep a sermon. Hours of research and study go into choosing the right words. As a young man, Dale freely admits that he was vain enough to file away each sermon. As if it would be resurrected one day or stumbled upon by a theologian and declared “life changing!” As time went on, he realized that the waste basket is the place for a sermon once Sunday is over. Moving forward is important and keeping a message fresh is not only a good practice, but keeps your audience engaged.

It’s been said that a person requires 10,000 hours of work on a given skill to be considered a “master.” If you assume that 10 hours, which seems incredibly conservative, goes into each sermon and an hour performing it every week times 52 weeks per year and 59 years, Pastor Dale Emery is a Master of Serving more than three times over. You can certainly tell, especially in the fact that he uses a booming clear voice the entire time we conversed.

As I get up to leave and shake his hand, I can hear the rustle of company in the outer room. His children, friends and colleagues are staying with him – some having traveled the length of the country. Everyone in town to attend the Final Fellowship on Sunday, June 30th.

A lifetime of service to God and those in his churches and community will wrap up with a sermon that is written and scribbled – or may just be used as a guideline when he sees his flock as their pastor for a final morning.

I should note that “retirement” for Dale includes volunteer work, substitute preaching for colleagues and friends as well as continued service to those near him. It’s the equivalent of going from a marathon runner to a half marathon runner. But it’s hard to quit something you love.

I imagine that on Sunday he will preach, enjoy a fitting send off and walk into a sunny North Dakota afternoon. Maybe God will even send him a message and let him know that he did everything he was asked to do and more. He can end his service with the relief that he fulfilled the calling.