Faces of First Pres
Meet Terri Sheetz
I had the idea for a blog when a fellow church member passed away in 2024. I have never written a blog before so bear with me. Here we go:
Last year I attended the visitation of a friend. We were chatty enough through the years, exchanging day-to-day musings, little snippets of our life and concern over health and events. We sat together at church gatherings and classes sharing portions of our faith. I loved talking to her and seeing her each Sunday. Unexpectedly she died. Several days later I found myself standing in front of a video showing photos of her life and many accomplishments. While I knew a small part of her journey, there was so much I missed. There were topics and interests we could have, should have discussed, and now it’s too late. I will never know her favorite camping spot or meal or tips to making a cozy campfire. I do not know her faith journey.
I hope to share the stories of our church’s living saints, highlighting your journeys and faith. Since I will be asking all of you to share your faith with me, I guess it’s only fair I share a little of mine.
I am a child of the 60s and 70s, growing up as the third and final child of Jim and Dottie Sheetz in Wilton Junction, Iowa. Most of you probably know it just as Wilton, but it had a junction when I was born.
I was blessed with amazing parents, brother and sister. Our small town felt safe where everyone knew everyone. In the summer we rode our bikes until the streetlights came on, watched Ed Sullivan, The Wild Kingdom, 60 Minutes, Disney, ate TV dinners and chicken pot pies. Like a Norman Rockwell painting. Not really, but kind of.
We attended the United Presbyterian Church with my grandparents, and I learned first what it was to be a Christian followed closely by what it was to be Presbyterian. Reverend Ukena was a kind, but no nonsense “retired” pastor who came out of retirement to lead our congregation. I learned about my baptism, attended confirmation classes, memorized answers to the catechism questions, recited answers in front of the entire church and was confirmed right before my 12th birthday. I never missed Vacation Bible School first as a participant and then as a helper. We prayed at home. I thought I knew what it meant to be a Christian.
Questioning my faith came at, of all things, a gospel concert. My parents were friends of a couple of gospel groups that toured the country during the 50s/60s/70s The Blackwood Brothers and JD and the Stamps Quartet. Fun fact: the Stamps later became the back-up, gospel singers for Elvis. We had met the groups through a friend of my dad’s who was a leading businessman in Wilton. They were a big deal winning Dove Awards and leading the gospel community. I felt special knowing them.
I remember being at a Blackwood Brothers concert when they had an alter call. This happened quite a lot. The members of the groups were Southern Baptist. Cecil Blackwood started talking about Jesus. He asked, “Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your lord and savior?” Everyone started swaying with their arms up and humming to the background music. Cecil kept talking, inviting people to come to the altar and be saved. People came forward and were prayed over. We stood stock still.
My 12-year-old self was confused. I’d been baptized and confirmed into the church. Wasn’t I already saved? Had my parents and Reverend Ukena gotten it wrong? Were we missing a crucial step? I mean these were important people, surely, they knew what they were talking about. It may have been Christian, but it was a long way off from my conservative Presbyterian upbringing. I do not ever remember discussing it with my parents or Revend Ukena. I worked it out on my own.
I grew up to attend Iowa State University. Go Cyclones!!! My roommate attended a church close to campus. She invited me to attend with her and I loved it there. Their ministry was the students with various activities and events. I joined the choir even though I cannot sing and Sunday evening student gatherings. I took a trip to Afton Alps near Minneapolis with other students for my one and only attempt at skiing. I was told I was very good at falling down. I attended a weekend retreat. However, at church I felt like a second-class member.
The problem that eventually drove me away was their stance on communion. It was a Missouri Synod Lutheran Church and while I was welcomed to attend, I was not allowed to take communion with them. By this point, I knew what it was to be a Christian and knew I was not less then they were.
Like most people, my life has taken many twists and turns. I’ve lived in Arizona, West Germany, West Virginia, Ohio and Iowa. I have not always belonged to a church but wherever I ended up I looked for a church to attend. Always a Presbyterian Church. It’s familiar and it’s where my faith was formed. I believe all are welcome and I believe we need to be feet and hands of Jesus in this broken world.
I do not have big aha moments. Most of the time I am not aware that God is with me and that’s something I need to work on, being present in the moment. But when I look back at my life, I see Jesus there in all of the moments. I see him holding me up at the funeral of my daughter, at the further breakdown of a bad marriage, as I “walked” my beloved mother home in hospice care. I see him smiling and rejoicing with me at my second marriage, at the birth of my nieces and nephew, at the times I spend laughing and communing with my dear friends. I see him in the faces of the homeless we serve through United Churches. I see him in your faces.
There was no alter call for me, just a faith I was born into and continue to grow into. I am eternally blessed to be a part of this church, the people of First Presbyterian.
ONE LAST THING – So I also want to include one fun fact or interest of the person profiled so we know each other a little better. For me, I love to travel. As a child, I experienced Minnesota fishing trips. Right out of high school I visited Portugal, Spain and Morocco. Now I have a goal of visiting many of the National Parks. I have a dog I’d like to travel with so that is somewhat of a problem, but I hear many of the state parks are just as good as the National Parks and they allow dogs.
Happy travels.