On Sunday February 19th 2006, family, friends and MSIA ministers gathered to say goodbye to our friend Rev. Freeman Herb Schulze. Herb was ordained in 1986 as a minister in MSIA.

I personally had only known Herb over the last three years when he was in declining health. I was helping him from time to time after he moved to Oceanview Convalescent Hospital in Santa Monica where he passed into Spirit January 3rd 2006. The funny thing about thinking one really knows somebody is how little we really know of that person’s life until they have gone, and then we hear it at their memorial service.

At the memorial it was a revelation to listen to various individuals sharing their experiences of this precious man and his life. His brothers Paul and Raymond explained how the three brothers grew up in a St. Louis ghetto where their father was a Lutheran minister; and how as children they were confused when they were chastised by black and white for living in the ghetto.

Not knowing people of many other trades, the three brothers all became Lutheran ministers following in their father’s spiritual footsteps. Later in life, Herb became an Army Chaplain and served on the front lines in the Vietnam War. His daughters, Mary and Teresa, explained what a profound change this experience created in his life. One can only wonder at the horrors of war, which Herb shared with the other soldiers. MSIA’s own George Black spoke about the various medals Herb had been awarded including the Bronze Star. George shared that this prestigious medal is never given lightly and is only earned under unusual circumstances, especially by a Chaplain.

A young lady, Jodi Low, spoke passionately about a group Herb founded in Los Angeles, “SLAA” a twelve-step program offering support to people working on challenges in personal relationships. Jodi shared about the mentoring that Herb brought to the group in something she called “Authentic Communication”. She also spoke about the