Purdue Lutheran Ministry

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Memory by PLM Alum – Robert Macdermott

My sophomore year of college I though myself heart and soul into ROTC. By the end of the year I learned that while I was doing well, there were other who, for whatever reason, were better, faster, stronger and outperformed me at martial activities. This was very disheartening as I had focused on this to the detriment of all other actives, social and spiritual. I had even stopped going to church. Near the end of sophomore year, a friend of mine from ROTC asked if I wanted to go to church with him on Sunday night, free dinner too. I came the next Sunday as was roped into helping pass out bulletins with my friend. There were just a few Sundays left before summer break, but when I came back junior year, I made a decision that I was going to branch out enrich my life, PLM became a key part of that. Over the next 2 ½ years I grew very close to my friends. We hung out outside of church activities and as I look back I find that those were the best friendship relationships I had during my college years. A large group from PLM attended my wedding. We keep in touch today as well. I’ve visited my PLM friends on at least 3 occasions and plan to continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

I often performed the assistant minister/chanter duties starting my junior year. Typically I would read thought that evening readings and prayers just before service started to see if there was anything tricky or not. That evening I decided to skip that step, I mean what could possibly be difficult in the reading. I breeze thought the readings and walk up behind the alter to offer up the prayers of the people. At this point I should mention that Pastor liked to include in the prayer something to the effect, “And help use to follow the example of your servant _______ who _______.” And being of Scandinavian decent, he often liked to use the example of godly men and women from the frozen north. So I continue, “And help use to follow the example of your servant Jon….Jon….” The last name was 16 letters long and not a single vowel in the entire work. I pause for what felt like a good minute and a half but was probably no more than 15 seconds and continued, “ Well Lord, you know who we mean. Hear us o’Lord” And I, embarrassed, look out at my friends, who are all at this point trying to contain fits of laughter, and can barely choke out, “Your mercy is great” I’ve never seen so many people try so hard to not burst out laughing. It is a found memory, and even thought it happened 7 years ago, it still comes up in conversation. Just this past Labor Day, as Lisa, Diane, and I were visiting Kyle, who shared ushering duties, this event came up in conversation.