Del Birkey: 1933-2009

Delmar Gene (Del) Birkey was born Feb 16, 1933 at Foosland, IL, son of Alvin and Amelia Birkey. He died May 13, 2009, at Central DuPage Hospital at the age of 76. Del attended a one-room country school, then Fisher High School, graduating with the class of 1951.

In June 1952, Del married his high school sweetheart, Donna Schrock, and the couple moved to Columbia, S.C., where they attended Columbia Bible College (now Columbia International University). Del graduated in 1957, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Education. While in Columbia, he served as pastor in several churches. He was ordained in 1955.

During the years 1962-1967, Del was part of the ministry of Youth Gospel Crusade, Westboro, WI. His particular specialty was youth meetings in churches using chalk drawings and magic object lessons. In addition, Del served as program director at Camp Forest Springs for several years.

Del earned a Master of Arts in Biblical Education (cum laude) from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Deerfield, IL in 1969. This was followed some years later with a Doctor of Ministry in 1986 from Bethany Theological Seminary, Lombard, IL.

Del served as minister at several churches in the western Chicago suburbs, but his most significant ministry was His Community Church—a house church that met for 15 years and was the culmination of his passion for renewal. Following that experience, he wrote a book published in 1988 titled, The House Church—A Model for Renewing the Church.

Another of his concerns was equality for women, especially within the church. In 2005, his book The Fall of Patriarchy—Its Broken Legacy Judged by Jesus & the Apostolic House Church Communities was published.

Del is survived by his wife, Donna; three children, Randal (Debbie), Cynthia, and Barry (Jenny). He also leaves thirteen wonderful grandchildren: Taylor (Laura), Noel, Marshall, and Kathryn Birkey; Ashley, Bethany, Ian, and Zachary Hernandez; Christy, Jenny, Katie, Jonathan, and Julie Birkey. Also surviving are four siblings: Carroll (Minerva) Birkey, Margaret Oyer, Floyd (Jean) Birkey, and Viola Stacey. He is also survived by Donna’s 97-year-old mother, Laura Mae Schrock.

The visitation and funeral will take place on Monday, May 18, 2009 at Hultgren Funeral Home in Wheaton, Illinois. Visitation begins at 3 PM. A memorial service will begin at 7 PM.

A burial service is planned for Tuesday, May 19, 2009, at East-Bend Mennonite Church Memorial Gardens, near Fisher, Illinois, beginning at 10:30 AM. – VIEW MAP

More Information

• Read Del Birkey’s Obituary – Hultgren Funeral Home
• Sign Del Birkey’s Guestbook – Hultgren Funeral Home
• Visit Del’s House Church Book website
• Read Champaign-Urbana News Gazette Obituary
• Read Bloomington Pantagraph Obituary
• The Schrock-Birkey Connection (Family History Info)

Memorial Gifts

Del was an avid supporter of both of these fine organizations. Memorial gifts may be directed to either:

Global Action
7660 Goddard Street
Suite 200
Colorado Springs CO 80920
www.global-act.org

or to

Christians for Biblical Equality
122 West Franklin Ave
Suite 218
Minneapolis MN 55404
www.cbeinternational.org

Please memo the gift in memory of Del Birkey.

Del Birkey

My father is dying.

Those are words I did not expect to be saying and thinking and feeling at this point in my life. I am 55 and my father is 76 and in otherwise good health. Last week he had a stroke that has robbed him of his mind and the ability to communicate verbally. He is currently on a ventilator with feeding tubes and IV’s, some of which we as a family will very soon need to decide how long to continue with.

Dad is a committed follower of Jesus Christ. He has spent the largest part of his life in Christian ministry doing youth work, pastoring churches, teaching and studying the Bible, writing and thinking about Christian topics, issues and theology. He is not without faults and failures, but he is a man whose legacy is one of growth and change as he trusted and followed his Master… Jesus Christ.

I am proud to be his son, and to have learned about who Jesus is from him (and my Mom) since I was a little boy. My concept of God as my Father, and Jesus as my Savior and the work of the Holy Spirit in my life have been in large part formed by this man… listening to him, and watching him live out his life. Needless to say, his life has had a significant impact on me. I am going to miss him.

Yesterday I was reminded of some foundational truths that Dad taught and exemplified in his life, as I read to him aloud out of the 8th chapter of Paul’s letter to the Roman church as found in the Bible:

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:

“For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

So, as I look into the future with the high probability of life without Dad physically present, it is good to know that neither of us will be separated from God’s love, nor will a physical separation between us be very long in the grand scheme of eternity. You see, there is a very real thing called Hope, that is based upon the above words being True. Christians believe that Jesus is real and that he actually is GOD (as he claimed to be) and that He exists today and the words recorded in the Bible are actually True. We gamble our entire lives and future on that fact. As Paul said, “…if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.”

So, as I watch my father in the process of passing from this life into the next, I am even more convinced that what he believed and lived and taught me is ultimately True… not less true. His dying does not make me believe less because I see HOW he is dying. His example in life and during the process of dying increases my Hope and Trust in Jesus as Lord. His Lord becomes my Lord even more.

Dad is an example of a life well-lived for Jesus Christ. I can only hope to live a life half as well. I pray that I will be able to leave a similar legacy when my days are up.

After over an hour of trying to calm him down, my wife suggested we try singing to him, She led us in some old hymns that Dad would know… and HE STARTED SINGING ALONG! It was unbelievable. He can’t talk or really put his thoughts together, yet when he hears the old favorite gospel hymns such as: It Is Well With My Soul, Great is Thy Faithfulness, How Great Thou Art, Jesus I am Resting, and many more – he actually went right into singing them with us!

It was another reminder that truth can be deeply rooted by a lifetime of study, application and celebration within the family of Christ. It was heart-warming to see him finding a connection with us in this way, even though he could not in any other way.

Here’s an article a doctor friend of mine found for me that is written in layman’s terms. http://www.medpagetoday.com/Cardiology/Strokes/2485 Even if my father recovers from this bout, there is no “cure” for this condition and it will most likely eventually take his life.

When I woke this morning, I never dreamed this would be how I ended my day. It is sobering. It is also a reminder of how precious each day of life and health really is, and who I know and have to thank for it.

At the close of this day, my advice is to hug those you love and tell them that you love them. Demonstrate that love every day. Walk the walk. One never knows when it will be your last chance. Better to have stated and demonstrated your love, and to have no regrets should a loff or tragedy occur. I’m recommitting myself to this.

I love you Dad. I am praying you will pull through. I leave you in Our Father’s hands.

Debbie Birkey tutoring at Breakthrough Urban Ministries

Yesterday, our local Oak Park paper, The Wednesday Journal, contained an article about my family’s involvement at Breakthrough Urban Ministries, in Chicago’s west side Garfield Park neighborhood [Link to Pouring Love, Breaking Through article].

The article was very well written by Abigail Cramton, who reported the topic with balance, intelligence and clarity. It featured many quotes by my wife, Deb, as well as Josh Hawkins photos of her and our son Noel tutoring some kids from the neighborhood. Kathryn, myself and our other sons are mentioned, as well as other friends (Cindy and Mo Russo) who also serve and volunteer in this ministry.

This kind of service is not a big deal for us Christians to be doing! Most of our neighbors would never do something like this… and they don’t. Yet, Christians do these things regularly and often, and are still too often perceived as being uncaring, separate, uninvolved, hate-filled and politically conservative. The same paper that featured this article often portrays us that way.

“Modeling and teaching service to others is one of our responsibilities as parents. The same way we are servant leaders to our kids, we want them to be servant leaders in their own worlds.” – Debbie Birkey

What I am most proud of is that we can be a part of breaking down the stereotypes that many in Oak Park have toward evangelical Christians who attend our church – Calvary Memorial. I think that this article more accurately and clearly communicates the worldview that we hold to and practice. I am all for breaking down and challenging those myths and barriers that many of our Oak Park neighbors have. I am for clearly presenting and modeling the teachings and example of Jesus by serving others, caring for the poor and oppressed, freeing slaves and prisoners, and declaring the good news that we can be reconciled with God.

Yes indeed, I am very proud of my family!

Arloa Sutter also commented on this article yesterday in her blog [Link to Blog Post].

I have been an Apple Macintosh user since 1997 when I purchased my first Mac Plus, with 1 MB of RAM and a 20MB serial hard drive, a dot matrix printer and some software for about $3,500. I love the company’s products, design sense and innovation. There is literally no other computer or operating system that I would rather use. Apple is clearly a leader in our world of technology and communication.

However, when it comes to issues outside of their core competency, Apple seems to lose its way.

Today, Apple posted this on their Apple Hot News feed:

No on Prop 8

October 24, 2008   12:18 PM

Apple is publicly opposing Proposition 8 and making a donation of $100,000 to the No on 8 campaign. Apple was among the first California companies to offer equal rights and benefits to our employees’ same-sex partners, and we strongly believe that a person’s fundamental rights — including the right to marry — should not be affected by their sexual orientation. Apple views this as a civil rights issue, rather than just a political issue, and is therefore speaking out publicly against Proposition 8.

Perhaps Apple is not aware of the fact that virtually ANYONE in California already has “the right to marry!” In fact, this is the case throughout the United States! Any person, no matter if they are male or female, as long as they are sane, of legal age, and meet the health requirements of the marriage license, can get married! Even if a person is confused about their sexual orientation they can still get married. You don’t have to declare your sexual orientation to get a marriage license!

So why is Apple touting their spending of $100,000 on a a non-issue?

I just don’t get it.

Barack Obama and Pastor Jeremiah Wright

There is one more big reason why I cannot support Barack Obama in good conscience. It is because of his stance on issues related to marriage, the family and sexuality. A friend of mine recently compiled the following list of positions that Barack Obama favors, from the public record.

Barack Obama Favors

• “the full and unequivocal repeal of the federal Defense of Marriage Act,” which protects states from forced legal recognition of same-sex “marriages” performed in California or Massachusetts.
• Homosexual civil unions (the legal equivalent of marriage with respect to childrearing, adoption, inheritance, tax and hiring law and freedom of association, requiring costly new government and insurance benefits that natural, traditional families and the rest of society must subsidize).
• He seeks to “ensure that the 1,100+ federal legal rights and benefits” of natural, traditional marriage are extended to same-sex couples.
• State-by-state homosexual marriage (by way of Supreme Court orders to override legislatures as necessary, dignifying what we once called “sodomy” with religious legitimacy)
• Condom distribution in prisons (de facto facilitation of “safe sodomy” )
• Full, open homosexual integration into our military. Our military women aren’t required to bunk and bathe with male soldiers; is it appropriate to force any of our troops to bunk and bathe with declared homosexuals? What about the morale of our troops?
• Automatic “same-sex citizenship” for foreign homosexual “permanent partners” of American gays.

If you are going to call yourself a Christian, you have to deal with the fact that from Genesis to Revelation, the Bible is clear about God’s rejection of all sexual immorality in general – and homosexual behavior in particular. Does Barack hold that Moses (echoed by Paul in Romans 1) is merely offering an option from the Lord Almighty in Leviticus 18:22-23?

“Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is an abomination.”"

“Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.”

Barack Obama recently contested the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff by declaring that “I do not agree with General Pace that homosexuality is immoral.”

I ask you then, Mr. Obama… on what grounds do you call yourself a Christian, yet reject publicly and categorically the position your historic faith holds on marriage, the family and sexuality? As a fellow Christian, I just can’t support you in this! I don’t see how any other Christian can either.

(Thank you to Steve for the compiling of public data)

Not only am I now working with a friend (Benjamin Nelson), and with two great partners (David and Don), I have also met a lot of wonderful new people: Jason Z., Justin, Chuck, Aaron and Tracy, Tom, Jason P, Jackie, Ben and many more. It’s been a pleasure to go to the office and work around these new friends on a daily basis.

I have also been blessed by the many friends who have emailed, telephoned and stopped by to see me. Patrick Flanagan, Mark Goeke, Kyle Williams, Steve Tanner, Ken Wolgemuth, Noel Birkey, Chuck Thomas, Derek Taylor and Chris Arndt to name a few. Others have called or emailed to give support and well wishes: Barry, Lou, Cindy, Tim, Corey, Krystian and so many more. Thank you so much for your encouragement.

As with any new business, the customers are very important. I am excited to have met Joel, Lauren, Vincent, and others at Sunshine Gospel Ministries. I look forward to working with Brandon on all the DKG web projects. Thanks to Chuck, Steve, Kyle, Mark and Trax for the new referrals and opportunities! Dwight, the creative work is awesome. I’m going to owe you big time!

One thing is for sure. I can’t do this alone! It takes teamwork, friendships, communication and relationship building to make it work. It’s really all about people… not jobs and tasks, projects or the bottom line. Understanding that it’s all a gift from God is key. I don’t control this new thing. It really isn’t mine anyway. I’m just a steward of what I’ve been given. The question is, what am I going to do with it? How will I make it grow and multiply? Will I be found faithful, having invested wisely and accomplished much?

I aim to give it all I’ve got. We’ll see what happens.

“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.”

- Thank you to all who sent cards and greetings. I really appreciate it!

She visited us on Thanksgiving, and my sister, brother and I posed for this photo with her.

Hi, Grandma! — You go girl!