For those members of Grace Lutheran Church that missed Sunday's roast and toast farewell to Vicar Dom Guido, here are the stories that I shared, none of which are actually based on fact.
Coffee Hour Roast and Toast for Vicar Dom
We are here this morning to say farewell to vicar Dom and thank him for his service to Grace this past year. This morning’s program will include some singing, some presentations, some short skits and some good-hearted roasting. There will also be an opportunity for sharing some Dom stories.
As chairman of the Intern Committee I am responsible for completing a final evaluation of Dom for the Seminary. The intern committee and I have listened and observed throughout Dom’s time here to gather information to include in the report. The report has been completed and sent to the seminary office and of course the evaluation was very positive. This morning I would like to share a few stories that did not make the evaluation, some of which I cannot guarantee actually took place.
Dom came to Nebraska last August full of confidence and enthusiasm. Upon his arrival he met with Pastor Chris and the Bishop and they decided to take him fishing. The rowed into the lake a short distance when the Bishop realized that he had forgotten the water. So he proceeded to get out of the boat and walk across the water to the shore to get it. Once he had gotten back into the boat the Pastor Chris remembered that he had forgotten the bait." So he exited the boat and walked across the water to get the bait. When Pastor climbed back into the boat Vicar Dom said," Well if you guys can do it so can I!!! He climbed out of the boat, and fell into the water. At this point Pastor says," Do you think we should have told him where the rocks are?"
The Intern committee felt that Dom had a real gift for writing and delivering sermons. In fact one day as I was leaving church I overheard a member of the congregation tell Dom, “Vicar, today your sermon reminded me of the peace and love of God!" Dom was thrilled. "No-one has ever said anything like that about my preaching before. Tell me why." "Well - it reminded me of the Peace of God because it passed all understanding and the Love of God because it endured forever!"
Dom brought some new ideas with him to Grace. The training program he put together for ushers and worship assistants was very successful. But there were a couple of ideas that didn’t catch on. Ike serving prune juice at Holy Communion, if the Holy Spirit didn’t move you, the prune juice would. Or the week that he put the sanitary hot air hand dryer in the men’s restroom, and took it out after his sermon. When asked why he confessed that they worked fine but when he went in there he saw a sign that read, "For a sample of this week's sermon, push the button."
Dom was very creative during his time here. In fact he solved a very big problem we had at the church. It seems that we had bats living up in the bell tower. At a council meeting it was suggested to shoot them, but although some would be killed by the shot, it could leave holes in the roof and then we would have leaks as well as bats. Then it was suggested to try netting them, driving them out into the country and releasing them. But the bats would just find their way back. Vicar Dom came up with a solution. He baptized and confirmed them and we haven't seen them since.
Vicar was very active in area cluster meetings where pastors meet to discuss common issues. One night Pastor and Dom were driving down the road when they missed a turn and went into the ditch. A somewhat intoxicated man pulled up and asked if they were all right.
Dom said "Oh, yes, Jesus is with us,"
The man thought that over for a minute. "Well, you'd better tell him get in with me, you're going to kill him!"
Dom had the opportunity to fill in at a few churches around the area when their Pastors went on vacation. One morning he was at a church outside of Pender and only three people showed up to hear him preach. He asked the secretary "Did you give notice that I would be here today?".
"No" she said, "but word seems to have got round anyway".
Dom has had a lot of experience working with youth, and he is good at it. At Day Camp he set out a table of oranges and cookies. On the one side of the table, by the oranges, he placed a sign, "Take only one, God is watching!"
He saw one of the boys walk up to the cookies and started taking a handful. Dom asked him "Son, what are you doing?"
"It's Okay," the boy said, "God's watching the cookies!"
I know you are probably very anxious to be on your way. So In conclusion we want to thank you once again for your time here at Grace. We hope that we have been able to provide a very rewarding educational experience for you. Have a safe trip home. A year from now some congregation will be very lucky to have you.
