Pastor Travis Else Resigns from First Reformed Church Tales from Texas

Feature: News: Opinion: Sports: Tail of Tiny tour The Track two Bachelor: and Field puppy dueling GPAC raisers critiques Results page 3 page 2 page 6 page 7 March 5, 2021 Issue 3 Follow us online Pastor Travis Else resigns from First Reformed Church Zac Vander Ley– Staff Writer Another difficulty of being a pastor, Else graduate of Emmaus Bible College and current professor at Dordt University—most recently explained, is navigating the realities of a post- Rec Center pick-up basketball legend — in the spring of 2020. Kieser took one of those denominational church in the context of a found himself somewhat alone. Therefore, his classes. Although he wishes he would have withstanding ancient institution that resembles relationship with Pastor Else, a non-Dutch CRC taken the class more seriously, he remembers the traditional Hebrew church. member who also moved to Sioux Center in the Else learning the names of each and every “There was a time when the pastor was the most past, meant a lot. student while forming relationships with them educated, but in the last 50 years, people are all “When I leave church, I leave worshipping in class. educated and have instant access to people like Jesus,” Horan said. Back when Else began pastoring at First Tim Keller,” Else said. Horan also appreciates Else’s gospel- Reformed—around seven years and two months Else’s journey to the pastoral ministry was centered approach to preaching. This, coupled ago—there were few Dordt students regularly also filled with challenges and questions. At with Else’s humility, respectful challenges, attending the church. However, Else estimates first, after graduating as English major from and genuine interest in the people of his around 200-250 Dordt students currently call a family of English educators, Else attended congregation, has greatly impacted Horan’s First Reformed their place of worship. law school at the University of Iowa in hopes faith. “It’s all relationships,” Else said. “I delight of using his English degree differently than his This past Sunday, Feb. 28, marked Else’s in the maturity of the college students and family. After two years of classes and one year last sermon as a full-time pastor at First it is a gift to see them show up at church and of interning, Else left law with a deeper purpose Reformed church. Two Sundays prior, Else had worship.” . in mind. announced his resignation to the congregation. Through worship, Else found a way to engage “The world didn’t need another mediocre Contributed Photo “I was really surprised,” Lane Kieser, a with Dordt students. In fact, many alumni and lawyer,” Else said. junior, said. “It was a mixture of confusion and current students — alumnus Ray Badudu; God made it clear to Else, through scripture, On a Tuesday night, around a year ago, sadness.” juniors Zoe Hoekstra, Antonio Maldonado, small nudges, and prayer, that he should seek Stevie Horan remembers walking into the Kieser attends First Reformed regularly and Kira Waite; junior and freshman brothers the ministry. His study of English, nonetheless, Fruited Plain. In the wooden aesthetic of the with some other students from Dordt, but after Joe and James Kamstra; and sophomore Bryce still influences his pastoral work. cafe he met Travis Else: the then pastor of First Else’s departure, Kieser will begin searching for Enger; among many others—have served or “Words matter,” Else said. “We tell and read Reformed Church in Sioux Center. After Else a new church. He began attending the church currently serve by leading worship at First stories and then look to the greater story.” paid for Horan’s café miel with almond milk, as a freshman two years ago largely because of Reformed. Else does not know what the future holds— the two spent around an hour discussing the Else’s influence. However, worship has also become a if he and his family will move, or what his next question of covenant theology. Since 2017, Else has taught CORE-150 dividing issue in many churches around the job will be—but he believes that this whole After moving to Sioux Center, Horan — a courses (Biblical Foundations) as an adjunct globe. process has been an affirmation of his calling as “We should not be held hostage to genre,” a pastor and a reminder that God is in control. Else said. “So, I say yes to all of it.” “I will miss the opportunity to worship with Else has four specifications of worship and preach to the people I know,” said Else. in the church: it must be Scripture-saturated, “I’m going to miss adding to my list of Tales from Texas’ power hospitable and accessible, excellent, and Travis words,” Horan said. involve the participation of the entire church. In sermons, Else is known for dropping rather He explained worship can sometimes be like large words such as visceral or schadenfreude. crisis walking people through a foreign language. Gezellig is a word that reminds Else of home. Thus, it is integral that worship must move Sydney Brummel– Staff Writer beyond the subjectivity of preference. cont. pg. 8 When freshman Elizabeth Lipp (Laurel, NE) left for Texas with her family on Feb. 12, she looked forward to a vacation characterized by quality family time, the making of memories, Dordt hovers at zero cases and, of course, the renowned warm weather of the southern United States. While Lipp’s time Mikaela Wegner– Staff Writer in Texas may have involved the first two, the six weeks. Dordt will then follow the CDC’s warm temperatures, unfortunately, failed to Zero, zero, zero, zero … Dordt’s COVID-19 instructions on how to move forward. At the make an appearance. communication page reported no cases during beginning of the year Dordt promised the “The whole way down from Kansas and the first week of the spring semester. It’s now campus community that it as an institution will clear through Texas, it was 28 degrees,” Lipp March, week eight of the semester, and the follow the guidelines of local health experts. highest number of reported active cases has Every time Dordt has made a move to lighten said. Contributed Photo Lipp’s family tries to take a family vacation been four. This is an improvement from the safety protocols “We’ve heard very loudly, and annually. This year, the Lipp family planned to bridge was open, Lipp’s father booked a room same point of the semester last October, when very privately, from people who don’t want to travel through Fort Worth and San Antonio and, in a hotel—which was not open for overnight Dordt sat on the tail end of a spike with 35 see that happen.” Taylor said. among other activities, see the Alamo. However, stays—just so that his family could shower cases. The students of Dordt are divided about due to the unexpected forecast of freezing, icy before they returned to their Airbnb. The power Robert Taylor, vice president for student how to react to the virus and resulting safety weather, the family ended up driving straight to did not return to their house permanently until success and dean of students at Dordt protocols, which Taylor believes makes sense, Corpus Christi, a coastal city in southern Texas. Friday, Feb. 19—they day they left Texas. University, says people naturally are getting as it mirrors the rest of the U.S. The Lipp’s began their stay in an Airbnb on a “It makes for a good story,” Lipp said. excited that cases are down, hoping then to see As soon as the CDC begins lifting nearby island on Sunday, Feb. 14. The Lipp’s were a few of the many things change and go back to normal. restrictions, Taylor said Dordt will quickly “The lady [owner of the Airbnb home] individuals affected by the mid-February winter “We’re all sick of it,” Taylor said. follow. If future statistics show the new variants texted my mom, ‘You’re going to want to get storm in Texas. With the plunging temperatures Dordt has made various steps towards are not playing a role in the spread, there will groceries today because everything’s going to and icy conditions, millions lost access to protecting the campus community this likely be different guidelines than there are be shut down tomorrow,’” Lipp said. electricity, heat, and water. semester. One of which has been addressing a now. Sure enough, after Mrs. Lipp bought the Anna Blauw, a Dordt University graduate major point of infection: dining areas. Large, There is still currently the risk of another family groceries, they lost their power that from the class of 2020, is currently studying loud air purifiers are in all eating areas on wave occurring. If that happens, Taylor says Sunday night. On Monday night, the family’s at the University of Texas in Austin to get campus. According to Taylor, the machines will Dordt will have to “double down.” house lost access to water. her master’s degree in harp performance. Her “literally kill the virus if it’s in the air.” “And when I say that I don’t mean doing “We had no heat, so we’d drive around in classes are entirely online this year. Despite this progress, Taylor said he does even more,” Taylor said, “What more could we our car during the day to charge our phones and Blauw lives in an apartment in Hyde Park, a not know if anyone can explain why numbers do?” stay warm,” Lipp said. “Nothing was open… neighborhood situated about two miles north of are so low, both on Dordt’s campus and within In the end, Taylor said students have to so we went to the beach a couple times in our downtown Austin, where she and many others Sioux County.

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