00:00:01:13 - 00:00:27:22

Bill Bonitz
Good afternoon. My name is William Burridge. I've been a teacher here at St Johns
for the last 31 years. I've been retired now for 28 years. But what a joyous event
for me to serve my Lord here and your men's St John has been a blessing to me. You
are my family. My beloved Christian brothers and sisters. I love you all.

00:00:28:11 - 00:00:52:06
Bill Bonitz
I've been so privileged to teach the children you were entrusted to me. I think
I've taught somewhere between 1012 hundred children here at St John. When I came
here, I thought there was nothing but Rotis in this congregation. And then I
realized Wohler was some other people here too. Some Sharples and some Waterman's.
And then it drifted to many others.

00:00:52:11 - 00:01:18:02
Bill Bonitz
But I've had the joy to serve my Lord in your midst. You've been a blessing to me.
I love you. I love all of you. I've loved you all while I've been here. And now
I've been retired for 28 years. And you're still my family. So may the Lord's
richest blessings continue to shower on St John's, as they have in the many years
beyond.

00:01:19:04 - 00:01:24:15
Speaker 2
Would you tell us about your experience here at St John? What was it like in the
early years?

00:01:25:11 - 00:01:54:11
Bill Bonitz
When I came to St John, I think it was in 1962 when I came, I was I came to teach
the upper grades and I was also asked to do the youth group and any other branch
job that anyone else didn't want, give it to the teacher. So I got a lot of other
jobs unexpectedly. It was a joy to be able to teach the seventh and eighth graders.

00:01:54:21 - 00:02:18:22
Bill Bonitz
That was my homeroom. There were five teachers on the faculty when I came here.
Mrs. Fredricks was the kindergarten teacher. She taught in the old parsonage that
was on the east side of church. Then there were four of us in the grades, just as
no school. It was the first year the school was used. Mr. Miele was the principal.

00:02:19:04 - 00:02:48:04
Bill Bonitz
He taught grades five and six. Mrs. Rump taught third and fourth grade. Mrs.
Mildred Zabel taught the first and second grade. And yours truly taught the seventh
and eighth grade. It was a joyous experience. I even learned the name one sconce
while I was here. Never heard that tongue twister before, but what a joy to serve,
my Lord and your image.

00:02:48:14 - 00:03:10:03
Bill Bonitz
You were always so willing to want to spread the good news of Jesus Christ, our
Savior. And I had the privilege to teach the children you entrusted to me. Thank
you so much. You're my family. I love you all dearly. Thank you.

00:03:11:02 - 00:03:18:04
Speaker 2
And are there any memorable moments throughout your time at Saint John that you
would want to talk about or tell us about?

00:03:18:14 - 00:03:51:01
Bill Bonitz
What's one one moment that comes to my mind. Back in 78? Well, you probably all
remember the blizzard that we had. Mr. Ray Bonenberger was taken care of, boiler
and the heating situation there. And Mrs. Rosenberg was the custodian during this
storm. Ray called me. He says, Bill, when you go over the school and check the
boiler. I said, Ray, I don't know anything about that boiler.

00:03:51:07 - 00:04:16:20
Bill Bonitz
He says, You get over to school if you get there and call me and I'll tell you what
to look at. So I got across the parking lot. It wasn't bad walking. I got in the
school and I got out down in front of the gym. And there was a surprise. There was
a snow drift in the middle of the hall, in front of the gym doors.

00:04:17:13 - 00:04:49:03
Bill Bonitz
I called Ray. I said, Ray, I'm over here at school now. But before we go in, I can
talk. I better shovel some snow out of the school so it doesn't thaw and melt and
run in the gym. Very few bill know. Very few people know that we had a snowdrift in
the school in 78 and I suppose there were a lot of other things that'll come to my
mind at some time or other that I can share.

00:04:49:03 - 00:04:52:04
Bill Bonitz
But right now that's the most memorable one.

00:04:53:17 - 00:05:01:07
Speaker 2
And how has Saint John impacted your life over the years? Can you tell us about
that?

00:05:01:23 - 00:05:34:03
Bill Bonitz
Well, since I've taught at Saint John for 31 years, Saint John has really molded me
and the strong desire, like you folks have to want to proclaim Christ to the
nations in over. The Lord was getting ready to ascend into heaven. He was with his
disciples. And before He ascended, he says two things. And those two commands are
still in effect today.

00:05:34:08 - 00:05:57:20
Bill Bonitz
And you folks here at Saint John helped me be able to do them. The first one he
gave to his disciples was God, therefore teach all nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. That command still exists today.
And you folks, I have been great with wanting to do that, to send out the message.

00:05:58:09 - 00:06:33:12
Bill Bonitz
The second command was love one another as I have loved you. I have some difficulty
with that simply because I'm a sinner. And the Lord was sinless. He couldn't love
perfectly. I can't love perfectly. But I want you to know I love you all. You are
great. You're my family. You're my Christian brothers and sisters in Christ. And
I'm so grateful I had the opportunity to work with you, to share Jesus to anyone
and everyone I meet.

00:06:33:23 - 00:06:59:19
Bill Bonitz
I'm still doing that now that I live in a senior citizen center, an eyewitness to
everybody I meet in the halls. And you folks have helped inspire me to do that. I
learned to do that while I was here at Saint John. I know my Lord and Savior for a
long time, but you are responsible for getting me so fired up about it.

00:07:00:15 - 00:07:02:03
Bill Bonitz
Thank you for your help.

00:07:02:14 - 00:07:11:03
Speaker 2
All right. And are there any parting words you want to say or any advice for the
younger generation?

00:07:13:06 - 00:07:14:16
Speaker 3
I hope that.

00:07:14:16 - 00:07:48:23
Bill Bonitz
All of you that are present here today
and tell them, don't be afraid to tell
or old and gray haired like I am. Take
about Jesus. My last prayer each night
will take the words of Christ to heart. Go
somebody about Jesus young as you might be,
every opportunity you have to tell somebody
before I go to sleep is Lord.

00:07:48:23 - 00:08:32:04
Bill Bonitz
Put somebody in my life tomorrow that I can talk to them about Jesus. You all have
opportunities every day, whether it be at work, at the grocery store, your
neighbor, make sure they know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. The Lord
placed you in the area of where you are and take good care of that place and may
all those neighbors, all those friends, all those relatives, everyone that you work
with, make sure they all know about Jesus Christ, their Lord and Savior.

00:08:32:21 - 00:09:03:23
Bill Bonitz
I think every person in the United States knows these two words Jesus and Christ,
but they don't know Him as their savior. And you are the responsible one in your
neighborhood to get the word out. Because in that command that the Lord gave to His
disciples, both of them, he ended it with two of the other most parts of the earth.

00:09:05:03 - 00:09:18:06
Bill Bonitz
So don't shine, get real busy. We need to reach people with the Lord and Savior.
Jesus Christ. Thank you. Thank.