{"id":728,"date":"2009-06-27T17:37:04","date_gmt":"2009-06-27T17:37:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/newswire\/?p=728"},"modified":"2010-12-22T12:52:16","modified_gmt":"2010-12-22T17:52:16","slug":"7155","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/newswire\/2009\/06\/27\/7155\/","title":{"rendered":"T.W. Anderson Award to Robert and Oreta Bentz"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>PORTLAND, OR (June 27, 2009) \u2013 A Minnesota couple who have ministered to grade school students and senior adults, who have hosted ex-offenders and missionaries, and who have served in multiple community groups as well as church boards, were honored with the T.W. Anderson Award today during the 124th Annual Meeting of the Evangelical Covenant Church.<br \/>\n<!--more--><br \/>\nPresident Gary Walter presented the award to Robert (Bob) and Oreta (Reta) Bentz, who are members of Alexandria Covenant Church. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.covchurch.org\/cov\/news\/item7142\" target=\"_blank\">Click here<\/a> to read the text of the award message.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.covchurch.org\/uploads\/rE\/Km\/rEKmmMNzF8ByuN_9EVApzA\/Lambert-1.jpg\" alt=\"Anderson Award couple\" hspace=\"9\" vspace=\"4\" align=\"left\" \/>The couple, who have been married 53 years, also were charter members of Redeemer Covenant Church in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, and later members at Kensington Covenant Church in Kensington, Minnesota.<\/p>\n<p>The T.W. Anderson Award is named in honor of the only lay president of the Covenant. It is presented during each year\u2019s Annual Meeting and honors laypersons who evidence lives of commitment and dedication to Christ and the church, who have been members of the denomination for at least 25 years, have not served on a conference or national board, have provided outstanding service to the local church and community, and have been recognized vocationally.<\/p>\n<p>Bob says he was \u201coverwhelmed\u201d to learn the couple had been chose for the award. \u201cI felt that we don\u2019t deserve it, but we are grateful.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Today\u2019s award comes 50 years after the couple started attending a Covenant church in 1959. \u201cWe had never even heard of the denomination before that,\u201d Bob said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is such an awesome time for us,\u201d Reta said, in accepting the award.<\/p>\n<p>The couple encouraged others to serve others as God provides opportunity. \u201cWe are just ordinary people who saw a need. And when we could fill it, we filled it.\u201d Reta said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWherever the Lord finds you, whatever age bracket you are in, there is a place for you to serve,\u201d said Bob, who turns 80 this year.<\/p>\n<p>The couple\u2019s lives have been ones of compassion and service to all ages and walks of life, willing to serve behind the scenes as well as lead ministries. \u201cWe like to say yes,\u201d Reta says. \u201cThough sometimes we say no,\u201d she quickly adds.<\/p>\n<p>They don\u2019t say no very often.<\/p>\n<p>One or the other has served students as lunch buddies and mentors, volunteered at the local spelling bee, served as scoutmaster of the local Boy Scout troop, senior high league, and took part in a cribbage tournament used as a way to teach children how to do math in their heads.<\/p>\n<p>Reta has mentored a sixth-grade girl since the time the student was in first grade because the student\u2019s mother lives in another state and is addicted to drugs. The two have formed a close relationship\u2014playing games, cooking, sewing, or just hanging out together.<\/p>\n<p>The Bentzes have volunteered in the local nursing home, instructed the 55 Alive group, and driven people to doctors\u2019 appointments.<\/p>\n<p>The couple also has been willing to move well beyond their comfort zones in order to minister to others. For example, in his letter to the nominating committee, David Schonberg wrote Reta was uneasy as she started ministering in the local Douglas County Jail.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.covchurch.org\/uploads\/Va\/bc\/VabcxBP0EdZc9Q-tOnTmNA\/Lambert-2.jpg\" alt=\"Anderson Award presentation\" hspace=\"9\" vspace=\"4\" align=\"left\" \/>\u201cBeing locked behind four heavy steel doors, interacting with men and women who are grateful, but sometimes very profane, did not come naturally to her at first, but she did it for the Lord\u2019s sake and quickly toughened up like a sailor,\u201d Schonberg wrote. \u201cShe became comfortable and very effective.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She wound up serving nine and a half years.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat came out of Matthew where it says, as much as you\u2019ve done it to the least of these,\u201d Reta says. \u201cI thought, \u2018I\u2019ve fed people and I\u2019ve clothed people, but I had never visited anyone in prison.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n<p>For the last two and a half years, the Bentzes have invited ex-offenders into their home for a monthly dinner. Thirteen men \u2014most of them regulars\u2014showed up last month.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe don\u2019t take everybody,\u201d Reta says. \u201cWe take ones that are willing to change.\u201d She adds it is important for the men to have some place to laugh and have conversation across the table.<\/p>\n<p>The couple\u2019s home has been a place of hospitality for all, whether it was ex-offenders, foster grandchildren, visiting missionaries, church members, or other community residents.<\/p>\n<p>Other activities include serving and leading numerous boards and committees, assisting Celebrate Recovery, and organizing a church health fair.<\/p>\n<p>There is no great mystery as to why. Bob says simply, \u201cWe love people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-report-this\"><a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/newswire?moderation_action=report_form&#038;object_type=post&#038;object_id=728&#038;width=250&#038;height=300\" class=\"thickbox\" title=\"Report This Post\">Report This Post<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>PORTLAND, OR (June 27, 2009) \u2013 A Minnesota couple who have ministered to grade school students and senior adults, who have hosted ex-offenders and missionaries, and who have served in multiple community groups as well as church boards, were honored with the T.W. Anderson Award today during the 124th Annual Meeting of the Evangelical Covenant Church.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-728","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>T.W. Anderson Award to Robert and Oreta Bentz - Covenant Newswire Archives<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/newswire\/2009\/06\/27\/7155\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"T.W. 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