Video by Dave Stucke, Dakotas Conference Communicaitons Associate.

The Dakotas Conference Commission on Archives and History celebrated four clergy who have served 50 years in ministry.  

Rev, Dr, Bruce Forbes, left, receives his Jubilee certificate from Cheryl Finney,center, while Rev. Duane Coates looks on, right. Photos by jlynn studios.

Cheryl Finney, Dakotas Conference Historian, presented certificates to these four Dakotas Conference clergy. We celebrate four clergy who have served 50-years in ministry:

• Rev. Dr. Bruce Forbes

• Rev. Dr. David Heetland

• Rev. Gary Rae

• Rev. Richard Sykes

Rev. Duane Coates, chair of the Dakotas Conference Commission on Archives and History, shared the biblical and historical reference of celebrating the 50-year mark for the ministry of the clergy. 
 
 “Jubilee is a biblical concept. Every 50 years, we release people from their obligations to us,” said Coates. “It starts with 50 years of service and ends with a party.”

The service records of each clergy member serving the Dakotas Conference is the reference to which jubilee status is marked.  Coates notes, “Sometimes clergy member’s service started before their recorded status in the Dakotas Conference. If records do not reflect the complete service of clergy members, they are urged to contact the Commission on Archives and History.”

Rev. Gary Rae, left, receives recognition as a jubilee clergy from Cheryl Finney, center. Rev. Duane Coates, right, spoke at the presentation on Friday, June 11, 2021, at the Dakotas Annual Conference in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.