True Religion

During the past weekend CTS honored the memory one of our very own, Patrick Scholman. Patrick, a graduate of CTS, was a pastor and leader in the Flemish Pentecostal movement in Belgium. On Monday, 13 October, at the young age of 38, he was tragically killed in a motorcycle accident. CTS hosted the memorial service on Saturday, where more than 400 people came to honor the family and Patrick's life.

Times like these are never easy, but through these moments you begin to see what "real ministry" truly is: "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." (James 1:27, NIV).

As I saw Patrick's widow, Angelina, and his three young children, I was happy to be there to serve this family by helping to park cars, clean up the chapel, set-up chairs, and hopefully make one of the worst days in their lives a little easier. The CTS family came together in true servant form and "looked after" this widow and her children, as well as the extended family and friends.

It's times like these that reinforce why I love training students for ministry. My prayer is that they see ministry as so much more than preaching, teaching, and "platform ministry," but it sometimes involves getting your hands dirty and blessing those who are hurting in a very practical way.

If you read this and happen to have known Patrick, you can go here to see the web site dedicated to Patrick, or click here to leave a post for the family.  Also, you can see their family website in English here.