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God's Call Not Controlled by Circumstances
By Craig Pinley
ROSEMONT, IL (February 10, 2004) - "I don't want to become smart, I want to become a pastor."
Gary Ridout of Princeton, Illinois, came to North Park Theological Seminary in the fall of 1977 without any college education, but with a strong desire of God's call to the ministry. He had received approval from seminary faculty to attend classes for a year and his words to then-seminary Dean of Students Glenn Palmberg gave clear indication of why he felt compelled to be in Chicago.
More than 25 years after arriving at the seminary, Ridout believes that over the ensuing years he has grown a bit smarter. More importantly, he has become a pastor - a pretty good one at that - serving four churches during the 23 years since earning his seminary diploma in 1981. Ordained as a Covenant pastor in 1982, the 69-year-old native Iowan will retire in July from Mission Covenant Church in Blue Island, Illinois, after eight years with the congregation of 70 on Chicago's south side. Physical problems are influencing the retirement decision, but Ridout's spirit is still energized by what has occurred at the church.
"I'm fascinated by what has happened," said Ridout during an interview during last week's Midwinter Conference. "I had visions that anything south of Chicago was Al Capone country and Blue Island was even further south. I sort of came there reluctantly - but Craig Anderson (associate superintendent of the Central Conference) encouraged me to come and I'm excited. I'm serving the best church in the Covenant as far as I'm concerned. The ministry is growing, it's multiethnic and has great potential."
Ridout had felt a call from God to ministry for many years before finally inquiring about a seminary education. He had come late to faith (at a men's conference in Lafayette, Indiana) and had been heavily involved with a church in Pontiac, Illinois. I argued with God for nine years, saying that I didn't have the money and didn't have the education. That's the only real regret I have."
After losing his job as a regional representative with a farming company, Ridout eventually decided that God's call was too strong to ignore any longer. In the meantime, he and his wife had begun to attend the Covenant church in Princeton and had been leading Sunday night worship services. Seminary Dean Glenn Anderson said that the seminary had never accepted a student without a college education, but accepted him on probation. "They confirmed my call and said they didn't want to play God and tell me I couldn't go."
Ridout said that he left behind his wife, Pat, and a daughter in Princeton (another daughter had already left home) because he wasn't sure he would make it through the first year of seminary class work. He is grateful for his wife's understanding and perseverance in assisting him in ministry. "She's followed me in my vocation for 50 years and she's had her illnesses," Ridout said. "She's had a beautiful spirit about adjusting to wherever home is."
As he expected, Ridout's initial term of seminary classes was difficult. He recalled getting a "D" grade in an Old Testament class from Prof. Fredrick Holmgren and wondering if he was in over his head. Holmgren had a good answer for Ridout the day he went to talk to the professor about his future. "You're not going to let one poor grade prevent you from following God's call are you?"
But over time, Ridout's grades improved and he eventually finished with nearly a "B" average. Meanwhile, Pat was working at the Covenant Children's Home in Princeton and her husband was able to get a small scholarship and grant monies to help pay for school. Later, Ridout earned money working at Pioneer Seed Corn, based in Des Moines, Iowa. Working out of Princeton during the summers, he managed to earn most of the money he needed to finish school. "The great miracle is how God provided for us," said Ridout. "I've got many stories about having our backs against the wall and having money come out of nowhere."
Ridout served his first ministry in Savonburg, Kansas, from June 1980 to October 1984. He then took a call in Omaha, Nebraska, at Bensonvale Covenant Church. The church was in the middle of a racially changing area and Ridout had no training in multicultural ministry. He calls the growth of the congregation during that eight years as a time that affirmed his call. And a change of buildings with another church in town in January 1987 helped the congregation grow even more. "We saw lives changed in powerful ways and the Lord kept bringing in new people and young people," he said.
In 1992, Ridout left Omaha and began a two-year pastorate in St. Peters, Missouri, a suburban of St. Louis. Unfortunately, the 20-year-old church plant never got off the ground and the church closed in December 1994. Not long after, Ridout came to the Chicago area and he has never looked back. He feels young and it's in no small part due to the confirmation class of 15 he leads this year. Associate pastor Saundra Casey has been a valuable asset for the congregation and the congregation has found many ways to find practical helps for many newcomers and neighborhood children.
"It was a tough day, celebrating the savior's birth and closing the church at the same time," Ridout said of leaving the Missouri church. "While I was going through it, there was a sense of failure. And I had a couple of other calls, too. But (Mission Covenant church chair) Ken Pittman called me and we took the call and those years in Blue Island have been the best years of my life."
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