(Part 2 of 3)
By Bruce Stoltenberg

This is the second of three articles I am writing on behalf of the communication committee to describe our church governance structure at HRAC and the people who fill the leadership roles. This article will introduce five of the elders serving on the governing board. The next will introduce the 6th elder and the four other members of the governing board; a deacon representative, a deaconess representative and two members at large.

In the first article I quoted a passage in Hebrews that sparked some concern because it uses the word “obey”.

“Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you” (Hebrews 13:17).

I was not asked by the elders to use it and probably should have looked for another translation, rather than the NIV. I glossed over that word because I have never been asked to “obey” a church leader. However, the idea of being supportive instead of contentious and doing all I can to make their work a joy rather than a burden spoke to me, particularly at this time.

Now, let’s meet five of our elders, beginning with Joe Rinella. Joe’s first career was teaching school, but then he decided to become a doctor. Today he is also director or co-director of two hospice programs. He has been married to Nancy for 28 years and has four children ages 12 to 22 who have attended both public and private schools. Nancy was born and raised in this area and the presence of her extended family is one reason they came here in 2006. Joe was raised in the church and came to Christ as a child. He and Nancy have been members of the HRAC congregation since about 2008 and Joe is in the midst of his third three-year term as an elder. He has also taught Sunday School, led small groups, and taught marriage enrichment classes.

Jim Pennington is, also, a physician. He moved to Hood River in 1992 to join the practice where he still works, albeit part time now. In his semi-retirement, he serves in medical missions for about four weeks each year. He has been married to Leslie for almost 45 years now and has three grown children and two grandchildren. Jim was raised in the church and came to Christ as a child. He and Leslie have attended HRAC for 29 years and he has been an elder for approximately 20 of those years. Jim’s passion is small group ministry and he had been a part of small groups, usually leading them, since he started attending HRAC.

Bob Spotts moved to Hood River with his young family in 1978 to accept a job with Oregon State University as a plant pathologist at the OSU Mid-Columbia Ag Research and Extension Center. He worked there for the next 31 years. In 1978 he also began attending HRAC. He and his wife, Kim, have two grown children and six grandchildren. He has served several terms on the elder board, has led a men’s small group for many years and occasionally assists Kim in the nursery or Sunday School classes. He is on the board of trustees for Horizon Christian School and serves, with Kim, at the Fish Food Bank.

Marty Miller and his wife, Jayne, moved to Hood River ten years ago to operate a local business and began attending HRAC. He plunged right into ministry and has served in Sunday School, VBS, Awanas, and as a deacon. He and Jayne have led and participated in community groups. They have been married for 43 years and have two adult sons and two grandsons. While raised in a church, Marty and Jayne actually understood the gospel and came to Christ as adults about 28 years ago. Marty is serving his first term as an elder.

Tim Saur was asked to replace Carl Ralston on the board in the past year when health and family responsibilities made it difficult for Carl to continue. He is a retired pastor, although he agreed to play a limited role at HRAC while Steve and John were on sabbatical in 2019 and has remained in that role since. He served as lead pastor and elder at HRAC from 1996 to 2008. Tim married his wife, Marily, 48 years ago and they have raised four children, two of whom still live in the Hood River area. Tim was raised in the church, but had a turning point in his life during his sophomore year in college when he finally yielded to Jesus Christ as Lord of his life.

I asked each of these men what they admired or appreciated about the others. There were some consistent themes. Their faith is evident in how they live and lead. It is a very real part of who they are. They are humble, recognizing they do not have all the answers and that they make mistakes. This means they are open to new ideas. None of them seek the spotlight. They are mature and experienced, so they are not impulsive or carried away by new fads. They are conscientious and take their roles very seriously. While it has been tempting for any of them to step away from those roles in the past few months, they have not done that, believing it was important to provide leadership continuity to the church in the middle of all the other changes.

They are also unique. Joe is very thoughtful and analytical and thorough. He accepts criticism well. Jim is a steadying influence, thinking slowly and carefully. He knows himself well and appreciates those around him. Bob is really intelligent and a gifted student of the scriptures. He thinks things through thoroughly and in light of scripture before acting or speaking. Marty sees the best in people and is a great encourager. He is usually the first to volunteer to meet a need. Tim is a particularly good listener and reads people well.

So, these are five of the six members of our elder board and five of the ten members of our governing board. We will introduce the other members of those boards in the next article. Please pray for all ten and take the opportunity to encourage any of them when you can.