Page 4 — Thursday, April 14, 2022 — The Hastings Banner
Have you met?
Do you remember?
Did you see?
Easter as a way of life
In these most difficult of times in a
jaded and materialistic world, the Eas-
ter story may be too much for some.
The celebration of the crucifixion,
death, and resurrection of Jesus has
been the Holy Week narrative for more
than 2,000 years, but our modern cul-
ture of false narrative and alternative
facts seems to be slipping away from its
faith in that timeless story.
If ever we needed faith in an unseen
Savior though, this is the time.
Even for those who doubt, the Chris-
tian celebration of Easter is a message
from which the whole world can benefit.
Easter is a time of renewal, hope and
joy. Easter is a chance for new begin-
nings, for a fresh start – especially
when we’ve faced lockdowns, sickness
and death, economic hardships and
now a war in a far-off land.
Easter carries a message for every-
one all over the world.
Although people view Jesus’ life dif-
ferently, people of all religions across
the globe observe this special holiday.
Jews will be celebrating Passover, and
Muslims hold a special place in their
faith for Jesus as a prophet.
As a nation, we’d all do well to take
heed of that worldwide call, to see it as
a promise upon which some wonderful
things have happened and to recognize
some of the wonderful people who
brought us great things.
Our 16th U.S. President, Abraham
Lincoln, was one of our leaders who
understood what religious faith meant
to us as individuals and families, as a
country and a world.
“Having no common values, heri-
tage, commitment, or hope, then we are
a nation in serious trouble,” Lincoln
said. “This nation, under God, shall
have a new birth of freedom.”
There has been a great deal of debate
over the years about whether Lincoln
was a Christian because he never joined
a specific church; although he attended
church services regularly while he
served as president.
“That I am not a member of any
Christian church is true,” he said, “but
I never denied the truth of the Scrip-
tures, and I have never spoken with
intentional disrespect of religion in
general, or of any denomination of
Christians in particular.
“I do not think I could myself be
brought to support a man for office
whom I knew to be an open enemy of,
or scoffed at, religion.”
According to David Williams, a med-
ical professor at the University of
Michigan, “regular religious attendance
leads to much less psychological dis-
tress.” In other words, Williams says,
“It appears the practice of religion has
a significant effect on happiness and an
overall sense of personal well-being.”
Religious affiliation and regular
church attendance are near the top of
the list for most people in explaining
their own happiness. It serves as a good
predictor of those most likely to have a
strong sense of well-being, as Abraham
Lincoln once proclaimed.
Maybe that is what’s missing in the
lives of a growing number of people.
I grew up in a family where religion
played an important role in our lives.
We attended Mass weekly, enjoyed
every religious holiday and cherished
the role that believing in God played in
our lives.
What has soured us as a people
today, when we are so quick to judge
one another, condemning those who
don’t think like we do?
The phrase “history repeats itself”
often reminds me of our times, espe-
cially during this upcoming Holy Week.
Are we unlike those people of Jesus’
day who, thousands of years ago and
disregarding all the evidence, con-
demned and crucified a man who spoke
peace, love, and hope?That’s why Christians take such joy
in the story of his resurrection.
A new Pew Research Report sug-
gests that many Americans still listen to
that wondrous story. Confidence is
returning in the feeling of safely attend-
ing church once again – even though
the percentage that says they actually
will attend is down from prior years.
Just four in 10, or 39 percent of
Christians, say they plan to attend
in-person church services on Easter
Sunday, which is lower than the 62 per-
cent who say they typically go to church
on Easter.
The lack of participation of recent
churchgoers also says something about
our respect for tradition.
It’s an acknowledgment – even if it’s
for one hour on one Holy Day – that
Easter is more than just bunnies, bas-
kets and dinner with family and friends.
“A house divided against itself can-
not stand,” Lincoln said. “This nation,
under God, shall have a new birth of
freedom.”
Our Founding Fathers made a special
effort to promote the freedom of all
Americans to practice their faith, yet, in
recent years, political leaders seem hes-
itant to speak of that freedom due to the
constitutional separation of church and
state.
As a rule, though, most politicians
never give a speech without referring to
religion in some way.
Throughout history, the influence
that religion has had on our lives and
the family stability it provides is indis-
putable, so it makes sense to me that
Congress take the lead in a national
debate on the important role religion
plays in our lives. That just might be
the only way to reduce the huge divide
that plagues our nation.
Easter is one of the most important
celebrations for Christians who cele-
brate the anniversary of Jesus’ resurrec-
tion and ascension to heaven.
As the lyric from the song “Eagle’s
Wings” reminds, Easter tells us that
God holds us in the “palm of his hands
and will make us shine like the sun,” a
gift promised to us if we simply believe
in Him.
Even for those who exercise their
free will to not believe, the Easter story
has some practical meaning. Easter is a
reminder that God and the gift of His
son are bigger than our problems. If
nothing else, this fantastic story takes
our minds off ourselves, our stresses,
and our relentless rush to achieve and
have more.
The Easter story gives us confidence
to pursue what is right and to care for
others. We can assess growing threats
to humanity and be equipped with a
proper response.
In the words of Jesus we are invited
to “ask and it will be given to you; seek
and you shall find; knock and the door
will be opened for you.”
So I invite you to attend an Easter
Sunday service this weekend, open the
door for someone you may not know
and enrich your life with the message.
It is the answer to the troubles of our
world – just as it has always been.
Happy Easter!The Hastings Banner
Devoted to the interests of Barry County since 1856
Published by... Hastings Banner, Inc.
A Division of J-Ad Graphics Inc.
1351 N. M-43 Highway • Phone: (269) 945-9554 • Fax: (269) 945-
News and press releases: [email protected] • Advertising: [email protected]Frederic Jacobs
Publisher & CEOHank Schuuring
CFO- ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT •
Classified ads accepted Monday through Friday,
8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Scott Ommen
Mike GilmoreTy Greenfield
Jennie Yonker- NEWSROOM •
Rebecca Pierce (Editor)
Kathy Maurer (Copy Editor)
Brett Bremer (Sports Editor)
Greg Chandler Benjamin SimonSubscription Rates: $52 per year in Barry County
$60 per year in adjoining counties
$65 per year elsewherePOSTMASTER: Send address changes to:
P.O. Box 188
Hastings, MI 49058-
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at Hastings, MI 49058Here's the hearing room
Over the past 18 months, space within the Barry County Courts and Law Building, 206 W. Court, has been upgraded to better
accommodate court services. As a part of that project, a new magistrate's hearing room has been added. Here's what that new
space looks like.Scrambled Easter
egg hunt
Banner April 5, 1972
No Easter Egg Hunt – The Hastings
Area Chamber of Commerce Easter
Egg Hunt scheduled for Johnson Field
Saturday morning was canceled after
a heavy April snowfall spread a 4-inch
blanket over the community. However,
some 1,000 eggs had been colored
by Earl Cooklin and the staff of the
Hastings school hot lunch program,
candies had been obtained, and Key
Club members were set to distribute
the eggs. So, the Key Club students
took about 40 dozen of the hard-
boiled colored eggs to the Provincial
House, the Barry Medical Facility and
Pennock Hospital, and then at 11
a.m., they sacked 50 dozen more
eggs and 150 pounds of candy to
hand out to youngsters. Here, Rick
Rohde (left) and Dan Buerge are giv-
ing Jack Thomas and Barbie Colvin
their sacks. The first Easter egg hunt
was in 1971 at Tyden Park, and more
than 1,000 enjoyed the event.As he was about to be interviewed, Phil-
lip Englerth asked a question of his own.
Can he record the interview?
“This is a year of firsts,” he explained.
To start, he competed in the 2022 Bar-
ry-Roubaix bike race – the Hastings-based
gravel bike race, considered the largest of
its kind in the world. And now, he’s being
interviewed.
To commemorate the bike race, his
first-ever, he just looks at his phone lock
screen – a selfie of him and other organizers
of the Barry-Roubaix at Kloosterman’s
Sports Tap hours after the race.
To commemorate this interview, he
wants a recording.
Englerth, 45, doesn’t always get the
opportunity to do things for himself. He
prides himself on doing things for others.
He says that he has a servant’s heart.
“It basically means that I really love to
help people,” he said. “Any place in town
that needs help with something, I’m always
open to trying to be helpful to them.
“... I just go around and say, ‘Is there
something I can help you guys with?’”
Englerth, the son of Ed and Pamela
Englerth, was born and raised in Hastings. He
graduated from Hastings High School in- After high school, he completed a
month-long vocational assessment at what is
now called the Michigan Career and Techni-
cal Institute, where he discovered his strength.
“I found out that I’m really good at
cleaning,” he said.
Now, he finds employment by cleaning
for people – snow shoveling for neighbors
and cutting flowers at Barlow Florist. He
has worked at Mexican Connexion for
nearly four years, where he cleans, sweeps
and mops.
Englerth also spends a fair amount of his
free time volunteering. He works at a local
soup kitchen, fundraises for an epilepsy
foundation and has served as a board mem-
ber at the Lighthouse on the Lake Center.
One of the highlights of his year is setting
up the Big Ticket Festival, a Christian
music event in Gaylord.
Volunteering is how Englerth first
became familiar with the Barry-Roubaix.
He saw it around town and thought it would
be fun to help out.
Over the years, he became one of the
longest-tenured volunteers with the event,
working mostly at the registration desk.
But after the race in October 2021, some of
the race organizers planted an idea in his
head: Englerth shouldn’t just volunteer. He
should ride.
Englerth had never participated in a bike
race before. He spent most of his free time
playing the acoustic guitar and listening to
Christian rock. His favorite TV show is
“The Chosen” and he is creating a song to
go with the show, with hopes of performing
it live at Green Street United Methodist
Church.
But he thought about the possibility of
riding and agreed. He wanted to try some-
thing new. He started training just a few
weeks before the race March 26. He rode
the course a few times and biked around
town when he could.
Englerth finished his first Barry-Rou-
baix. He called it “exhausting” and “major-
ly cold,” but “kind of fun in a different
way.” He volunteered, too, but the highlight
was riding in the race. He crossed the finish
line in 2 1/2 hours.
“For being that cold, that wasn’t bad!” he
exclaimed.
Englerth sits in a recliner in his living
room during the interview. A bicycle restsin front of him, next to stacks of CDs.
There’s another bicycle behind the reclin-
er and one in the shed behind the apart-
ments. He wants to get a stand to prop up
his bikes and practice inside when it gets
cold outside.
When asked if he plans to ride again next
year, he doesn’t hesitate.
“Oh, absolutely,” he said.
With one caveat: He wants to start train-
ing for next year as soon as possible. And
just two weeks after the event, he’s seen in
downtown Hastings, riding his bike.
For his many ways of volunteering, Phil
Englerth is this week’s Bright Light:
Person I’m glad to have met: There
have been a few through the Big Ticket
Festival. I’ve got a chance to meet Toby-
Mac and his buddy, Michael Tait. Most
everybody from the Christian rock group
called Shiny Penny. I’ve become close
friends with them.
Best gift ever received: The passion for
music, which I guess would come from
both God and my dad, because my dad’s a
singer/songwriter.
Favorite dinner: Sweet and sour pork or
chicken. And usually at Thanksgiving, I
don’t really like green bean casserole so
Mom came up with the concept of carrot
casserole, which is even better. It’s got car-
rots, syrup and fried onions, and sometimes
I’ve made a variation of that.
If I could change one thing: I really
would like to be able to have more confi-
dence sometimes. Because sometimes I get
fairly easily discouraged. God’s kinda
working on me with that.
If I could build or make something:
Making something for the bike. To be able
to make things so that I could train with that
bike instead of having to buy something to
set it up on.Each week, the Banner profiles a person
who makes the community shine. Do you
know someone who should be featured
because of volunteer work, fun-loving per-
sonality, for the stories he or she has to tell,
or for any other reason? Send information
to Newsroom, Hastings Banner, 1351 N.
M-43 Highway, Hastings, MI 49058; or
email [email protected].Phillip EnglerthFred Jacobs, CEO
J-Ad Graphics, Inc.