The Melheimian Sabbatiblog

Rich Sommer on The Office

And last night who did I see having fun with Pam on the season premier of "The Office?"

You guessed. The kid who drove me nuts in confirmation.

(See below)

An Emmy For The Only Confirmation Kid I Could Have Killed

Stick around youth ministry long enough and you'll see it all.

Last night I watched the only confirmation kid I ever wanted to kill step onto the primetime Emmy Award stage and receive the 2008 award for best drama with his cast.

Rich Sommer was the classic drive-the-pastor crazy kid as a pube. He had a smart answer for everything, a mischievous smile on his face at all times (like he was up to something... which he always was), and an endearing way of driving you to consider changing professions or picking up the nearest lead pipe and pummeling him within an inch of his life on regular occasions.

Mad Man describes me pretty well whenever he was in confirmation class or on a youth outing.

Once at a Bible camp he led a group of 7th graders in torturing another kid. They did the pranks like pulling springs from a bed so the kid who jumps on the top would fall through and a half-dozen other near "send 'em home" escapades. Then one afternoon while playing capture the flag, Rich hit a tree and dislocated his shoulder. I took him to the emergency room (enjoying the entire ordeal) and, while away, the other three henchmen in his little band pinned a kid down in their cabin and sprayed bug spray in his eyes and mouth. (A clear send-em-homeable event).

We returned from the clinic. I surveyed the situation and called the parents. That night, little Richie said, "Man, am I ever glad I was at the hospital with you. Great alibi!"

Jump ahead a couple years.

It was the spring of his confirmation year, during our kid/pastor interview. Rich told me in all honesty that he didn't want to be confirmed, that he had too many questions, and that he was only doing it to keep his parents happy. (Actually, I think he told me "I don't believe any of this ***") I told him I was astounded at his honest questions, that I was honored that he'd tell me, and that I'd be pleased to explain to his parents that he shouldn't have to walk through a charade followed by a parade in a robe.

"I'll be happy to go to bat for you with your parents... on one condition. You've go to go with me to leadership training Bible camp this summer."

"But I don't believe any of this "****". I don't believe in a God who would let all this suffering go on in the world without caring..."

"Neither do I, " I said.

That summer we spent a week playing with kids, slapping North Dakota mosquitos, doing crazy skits, hiking through the moose-infested swamps, and spending late, late nights stirring the fire and talking about the deepest questions a 15 year old had, along with a bunch of other kids, including his best friend Matt Peterson.

Jump ahead a couple years.

It was 4:30 pm on my last day of parish ministry. I had cleaned my desk out and was on my way to a 75 city tour to launch what would become Faith Inkubators. I received a phone call from Rich.

"What time are you done?"

"What do you mean done?"

"Finished. Kaput. No longer my pastor."

"I suppose technically, midnight tonight. Why?"

Long pause.

"I want to be confirmed."

"You what?"

"I want to be confirmed. I think I believe. But I work until 11. Can we meet at the church at 11:30?"

At 11:30 pm on August 31, 1993 I did my last act as a parish pastor. I met the only confirmation kid I ever wanted to kill in the candlelight of a darkened sanctuary. His best friend Matt Peterson was there. (Matt, now an ELCA pastor). A couple other friends from camp were there. Monty and Dana, our youth workers were there. And I confirmed a crazy, wonderful, mixed up, obnoxious kid who on his best days would drive a pastor to drink into the faith of the church.

He kneeled. His friends laid on hands. We shared the bread and wine.

Then at 12:01 I slid my church key under the senior pastor's door and we went out for pie at Perkins.

EDC Signed as Preschool Incubator Mentor

Quite a week.

Luther Luedke, the CEO of the Education Development Center (www.edc.org), was here for dinner Tuesday night to meet with the board of our new Preschool Incubator Project. EDC will be our mentor/coach team to study the philosophy, pedagogy, methods, models and materials we're designing for brain-based/arts-based early learning. They'll invest the first six weeks critiquing our plans, then up to Easter evaluating our methods as we test them on real live kids.

There's still a pile of work to do and a lot of loose ends to tie up before we can make our official announcements about the scope and shape of PIP. Until that time is right, here's a little something fun to wet your appetite. It's part of an animal/color/number alphabet for our curriculum, animations, games and books.

A, B, C, D, E, F, G,H shows up as Ant, Bee, Cat, Dog, Emu, Fox, Gnu, Hen... in the colors of the Crayola 24 pack.