Bishop Michael Girlinghouse,
Arkansas-Oklahoma Synod
We have a special guest this week, Bishop Michael Girlinghouse, of the Arkansas-Oklahoma Synod. In anticipation of his joining us for our Joint Worship Celebration this Sunday, Bishop Mike was gracious enough to take some time to help us get to know him better. Enjoy!
Thanks for agreeing to be part of Meet Our Partners. We always get started with some easy questions, such as what’s your favorite food?
What ever is on the table in front of me? I especially like deep dish Chicago Style Pizza and also Chili.
And your favorite drink?
Again, depends on the context. I like decaf Chicory Coffee... or a nice glass of Cabernet.
How about a favorite movie?
Has to be the original Star Wars.
Do you have a favorite color?
Red
And what about a favorite song?
There are so many! Faith wise, Be Thou My Vision or Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee. My favorite Christmas Carol is Lo, How A Rose 'Er Blooming. I love jazz music of all kinds, but anything by Duke Ellington (Take the A Train, Caravan) or Miles Davis (Kind of Blue) would top the list.
Do you have a favorite sports team?
Pro Football, the Green Bay Packers.
College Football, the Sooners,
Pro Baseball, the Chicago Cubs.
Tell me about your childhood. Where did you grow up? brothers and sisters? schools? etc.
I was born in Milwaukee, WI and spent half my childhood in a suburb called Grafton. At 13, we moved to central Wisconsin to a lake just south of Wisconsin Rapids, WI. I graduated from Nekoosa High School in Nekoosa, WI. I have one sister, Diane, who lives outside of Milwaukee and works in IT. My mom still lives in Wisconsin Rapids and my dad is deceased. After High School, I started college at MacCalester College in St. Paul, MN, finished my undergraduate studies at the University of Minnesota and then went to seminary at the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago.
What are some of your hobbies?
Cooking, reading, hiking, riding my motorcycle, photography and playing jazz trombone and djembe. (These days, I don't get to do any of them as much as I used to).
Wow! That's quite a list! You have lots of interesting hobbies. What about your job as Bishop; how do you spend your days?
Working with congregations, preparing sermons and lessons, working with the Synod staff, planning, managing the call process and working with pastors, reading email, attending meetings, traveling, mediating conflicts, reading, reflecting and praying (lots of praying).
Tell me about your family. Go on, brag a little!
My wife of 31 years, Terrie, is a wildlife rehabilitator, and a steadying presence in my life. We have one daughter, Rebecca, who is in her first year of graduate school in Chicago. She is studying to be a Forensic Psychologist with an emphasis in Child Protective Services. She was an honor student in college, and is pulling straight A's in grad school -- while working half time to support herself. I am a very proud dad! We also have two dogs and something like 15 birds (the birds belong to Terrie).
What is the best church event you ever attended (e.g. picnic, potluck, worship, etc)?
Where was it and what made it so special?
An ecumenical Easter Sunrise service during my internship in Connecticut. It was on a mountaintop. The temperature was perfect. The sky changed from deep blue to flaming orange and sparkling sapphire as the sun rose over Long Island Sound. No better way to celebrate the Resurrection! Then we went down the mountain, ate pancakes at the Congregational Church and finally finished with a huge Festival Eucharist with organ and brass at our own Lutheran church. Oh, and it was also my 26th birthday. Very cool.
Tell me about your fondest or most meaningful memory of an encounter you had with another Christian/s (e.g. parent, child, Sunday school teacher, pastor, friend, etc.)?
Wow! So many to choose from! Probably the most significant encounter was meeting Pastor Verlyn Smith, who was the Metro Twin Cities Campus Pastor, my freshman year of college. The college chaplain at MacCalester College introduced us at lunch one day and Verlyn invited me to be a part of a new ministry he was starting called "Lutheran Student Movement-Twin Cities." That was the beginning of more than thirty years association with the Lutheran Student Movement, led to my getting involved with campus ministry, which was my life's work until being elected bishop, was the basis for discerning my call to be a pastor, resulted in my meeting my wife, and probably a few other things. A pretty pivotal moment in my life and faith.
What do you hope will come of the faith partnership we're building here in Western Oklahoma?
Three congregations growing in faith, thriving in mission and ministry, and working together for the sake of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
If you could do anything you wanted to do (job, travel, etc.) what would it be?
I really do like being your bishop and feel deeply called to do that right now. It is what I want to do at this point in my life. However, if that call were no longer mine, I would love to travel, take pictures and write about it.
Who was, or is, the most influential person in your life?
After Jesus... probably my mom.
 |
| Bishop Michael Girlinghouse |
_______________________
Thanks for agreeing to be part of Meet Our Partners. We always get started with some easy questions, such as what’s your favorite food?
What ever is on the table in front of me? I especially like deep dish Chicago Style Pizza and also Chili.
And your favorite drink?
Again, depends on the context. I like decaf Chicory Coffee... or a nice glass of Cabernet.
How about a favorite movie?
Has to be the original Star Wars.
Do you have a favorite color?
Red
And what about a favorite song?
There are so many! Faith wise, Be Thou My Vision or Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee. My favorite Christmas Carol is Lo, How A Rose 'Er Blooming. I love jazz music of all kinds, but anything by Duke Ellington (Take the A Train, Caravan) or Miles Davis (Kind of Blue) would top the list.
Do you have a favorite sports team?
Pro Football, the Green Bay Packers.
College Football, the Sooners,
Pro Baseball, the Chicago Cubs.
Tell me about your childhood. Where did you grow up? brothers and sisters? schools? etc.
I was born in Milwaukee, WI and spent half my childhood in a suburb called Grafton. At 13, we moved to central Wisconsin to a lake just south of Wisconsin Rapids, WI. I graduated from Nekoosa High School in Nekoosa, WI. I have one sister, Diane, who lives outside of Milwaukee and works in IT. My mom still lives in Wisconsin Rapids and my dad is deceased. After High School, I started college at MacCalester College in St. Paul, MN, finished my undergraduate studies at the University of Minnesota and then went to seminary at the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago.
What are some of your hobbies?
Cooking, reading, hiking, riding my motorcycle, photography and playing jazz trombone and djembe. (These days, I don't get to do any of them as much as I used to).
 |
| Djembe ... for those like me who didn't know! |
Wow! That's quite a list! You have lots of interesting hobbies. What about your job as Bishop; how do you spend your days?
Working with congregations, preparing sermons and lessons, working with the Synod staff, planning, managing the call process and working with pastors, reading email, attending meetings, traveling, mediating conflicts, reading, reflecting and praying (lots of praying).
Tell me about your family. Go on, brag a little!
My wife of 31 years, Terrie, is a wildlife rehabilitator, and a steadying presence in my life. We have one daughter, Rebecca, who is in her first year of graduate school in Chicago. She is studying to be a Forensic Psychologist with an emphasis in Child Protective Services. She was an honor student in college, and is pulling straight A's in grad school -- while working half time to support herself. I am a very proud dad! We also have two dogs and something like 15 birds (the birds belong to Terrie).
What is the best church event you ever attended (e.g. picnic, potluck, worship, etc)?
Where was it and what made it so special?
An ecumenical Easter Sunrise service during my internship in Connecticut. It was on a mountaintop. The temperature was perfect. The sky changed from deep blue to flaming orange and sparkling sapphire as the sun rose over Long Island Sound. No better way to celebrate the Resurrection! Then we went down the mountain, ate pancakes at the Congregational Church and finally finished with a huge Festival Eucharist with organ and brass at our own Lutheran church. Oh, and it was also my 26th birthday. Very cool.
Tell me about your fondest or most meaningful memory of an encounter you had with another Christian/s (e.g. parent, child, Sunday school teacher, pastor, friend, etc.)?
Wow! So many to choose from! Probably the most significant encounter was meeting Pastor Verlyn Smith, who was the Metro Twin Cities Campus Pastor, my freshman year of college. The college chaplain at MacCalester College introduced us at lunch one day and Verlyn invited me to be a part of a new ministry he was starting called "Lutheran Student Movement-Twin Cities." That was the beginning of more than thirty years association with the Lutheran Student Movement, led to my getting involved with campus ministry, which was my life's work until being elected bishop, was the basis for discerning my call to be a pastor, resulted in my meeting my wife, and probably a few other things. A pretty pivotal moment in my life and faith.
What do you hope will come of the faith partnership we're building here in Western Oklahoma?
Three congregations growing in faith, thriving in mission and ministry, and working together for the sake of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
If you could do anything you wanted to do (job, travel, etc.) what would it be?
I really do like being your bishop and feel deeply called to do that right now. It is what I want to do at this point in my life. However, if that call were no longer mine, I would love to travel, take pictures and write about it.
Who was, or is, the most influential person in your life?
After Jesus... probably my mom.
What’s the one question I didn’t ask that you wish I had?
What’s your answer?
What is at the heart of your faith and theology?
God loves us. Period. We do not have to do anything, or be anything, or believe in a particular way to earn or deserve that love. God just loves us. Period. Once we know that, the rest of our lives are about living into that love, responding to that love, and sharing that love in word and deed. Jesus' life, death and resurrection was and is a demonstration of that amazing love for us and for the whole world. I try to let that love inform everything I do as a person of faith and a leader in the church.
What’s your answer?
What is at the heart of your faith and theology?
God loves us. Period. We do not have to do anything, or be anything, or believe in a particular way to earn or deserve that love. God just loves us. Period. Once we know that, the rest of our lives are about living into that love, responding to that love, and sharing that love in word and deed. Jesus' life, death and resurrection was and is a demonstration of that amazing love for us and for the whole world. I try to let that love inform everything I do as a person of faith and a leader in the church.
_______________________
Thanks Bishop Mike! Make sure to tell the Bishop hello when you see him this Sunday, and let him know you read about him in Meet Our Partners!
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