Reflections on a Long Ministry Interview with John (JS) and Sharon (SS) Skillman


John and Sharon Skillman are retiring aſter 30 years of ministy in Lustre, Montana. Sharon has written many creative articles for Fellowship Focus, and John has served on the Commission on Churches and has sat on many ordination councils. Te Fellowship deeply appreciates their commitment and service to the Luster EMB Church and the Fellowship. — the Editor


FF: John, you have pastored the Lustre EMB Church for a very long time. When did you begin?


JS: We arrived in Lustre, Mont., on Aug. 1, 1990. Te Lustre community had just emerged from quite a few years of drought, so they were looking for encouragement. I remember on that first Sunday I chose to speak on Psalm 34 — a favorite passage.


FF: What ministry experience did you have before coming to Lustre?


JS: We had just completed 13 years at a rural church near Lewiston, Idaho. Tose people were so loving and patient and helped us grow and develop our skills and abilities. Some of the changes we introduced have continued to be a part of their ministry. Prior to serving in Idaho, we at- tended seminary in Portland, Ore. Following graduation we did a month internship making door-to-door contacts in Salt Lake City with a group called “Operation Utah.”


FF: Tinking way back, what were some of the things that led you to accept the call to Lustre?


JS: Before we came to the church in Idaho, the Lustre EMB Church had also contacted us. So we were acquainted with the church. Aſter 13 years, we believed that God was leading us to move, and together with our church leaders, we determined it would be a good time to make a change as things had been going well. Why Lustre? First, we knew the church and the man who contacted us. Second, we wanted a different school for our boys as they grew older, and Lustre Christian High School looked like a good option for us. Another motivation was that since God had led us into rural ministry, I felt that the Lustre church was a good fit and had some qualities that would enable me learn to do a better job in ministry.


FF: How old were your children when you came to Lustre? Did the church have an influence on them?


SS: Our boys were in fiſth and eighth grades. Tey loved the “rural community” effect, and enjoyed being able to play sports and hunt the wide-open prairies. Lustre had a fair- sized group of families with children near our kid’s age, and they embraced our boys and encouraged them.


JS: One of the young men came and took our oldest son to the


high school to play basketball, giving him pointers. Tat was a special kindness as Robbie was much older. Also their individual teachers came to visit and get acquainted with the boys, reassuring them that they would help them in whatever ways they might need. At first, it was harder for the boys since they had leſt many friends at their previous school and church where they were deeply involved in many activities and had great network of friends of various ages.


FF: What were some adjustments you had to make in coming to a rural congregation?


SS: Not many, since our previous church was also a rural ministry. Te adjustments were more geographic as we moved from the mountains to the prairie. And we grew to appreciate the faithfulness and love of so many Christians in leadership in Lustre. Tat quality was much more pro- nounced in Lustre, especially among the men. And there is beauty on the prairies, too, isn’t there?


FF: I’ve been to Lustre, and I know that it is a very rural — even isolated – ministry. Yet you have had an impact on people from around the world. How did that come about?


JS: Te people of the churches in this community and the Lustre Christian High School have always seen serving the Lord as a responsibility and as meaningful work. So we have actively supported and encouraged missions and missionaries all through the church’s one hundred years of existence. Parents encouraged their youth to go to Bible college and become grounded in God’s Word for life. So when our students went away to college or jobs, they expected to get involved in a church and serve as they had done here. And they were greatly welcome as leaders.


FF: Which FEBC commissions have you served on?


SS: I served several terms with the Commission on Women’s Ministries.


JS: I served on the Commission on Churches for 14 years, and presently I am helping out as a consultant in evaluating


continued on page 14 Fellowship Focus, May/June 2020 9


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