Council Grove Christian Church

4/8/26
Servants of God,
“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.
 Lord, I am your servant;
I am your servant, the son of your maidservant.
You have loosed my bonds.”
-Psalm 116:15 & 16
 
The Bluebonnet Rat has gone home. The Lord has loosed his physical bonds and he has gone home. He leaves a giant gap in his family and in our church. He was a dear brother a trusted leader and a wonderfully companionable friend. I write of course, about Rick Schwerdtfeger.
Rick’s father was a veteran of the second World War. He returned from the war and like many Soldiers found he was living in a new world. His young family, like other veterans’ families during the cold war era, moved about following the work opportunities of a quickly expanding post war economy. Housing was short and like mushrooms, semi-permanent structures often filled the void. The Blue Bonnet Courts in Liberal, Kansas were one of those places. Liberal, in Western Kansas, was a community that grew faster than houses could be built. One answer was to build temporary housing communities. Of course, during the baby boom years, such places abounded with children. The kids of the Blue Bonnet Courts swarmed the streets and became known as “Blue Bonnet Rats.”
Rick was a Western Kansas guy. If you have ever spent much time west of Wichita, you will understand. As his family moved following work opportunities they ended up in Ulysses, Kansas where he graduated from high school and where he and Deb married in April of 1971. Rick and Deb raised their children and eventually ended up in Council Grove to be near their kids and grands. In his semi-retirement he stayed busy with a small used car lot. He purposely kept his overhead low and advertised on the internet. He sold cars and trucks to locals and to folks who lived several states away. You could find a good deal and a genuine Christian witness at his store.
Rick had a vivacious personality and an entrepreneurial spirit. From childhood he was involved in his own small business ventures. He loved to tell the story of how, on school athletic trips, he would take candy with him and sell the items to the other athletes meeting their desires and making a profit for himself. As an adult he became a “car guy.” He was the stereotypical car salesman when he began. He eventually owned his own dealership. As his walk with Christ deepened, he came to understand that his passion for selling cars and the needs of those who bought cars could yield countless ministry opportunities. In his last years of business he was known for his Christian witness and his willingness to pray with customers as much as for his honest dealing and sensitivity to their transportation needs.
Rick was passionate about supporting his favorite sports teams and for supporting the welfare of the community around Council Grove and Morris County. He and Deb poured out time and money and energy supporting their adopted hometown. Rick was generous, kind and opinionated in the best sense of the word. His desire to do the will of God bubbled out of him. He served as an elder and Sunday School teacher as well as an AWANA worker. It was not infrequent that he rushed from selling a car to help an Awana clubber recite Bible verses. During the Covid debacle Rick started a Facebook ministry called “Sunday School with Mr. Rick.” Because he was not able to sit at a table surrounded by youthful students, he taught Sunday School lessons that were posted on social media. His outreach stretched across the nation.
When Rick became ill and had to undergo major surgeries and numerous procedures he witnessed to his surgeons, the nurses and anyone else he could touch. On one occasion, just prior to a procedure that required anesthesia, he discovered that one of the young women who was caring for him at the KU medical center was distraught because someone had bilked her out of a lot of money in a car deal. When Rick came out from under the anesthesia he immediately began to get the details from the nurse. She was flabbergasted that he remembered and even more that he wanted to help her. From his hospital bed, he helped her recover her losses. Rick was just that sort of a man. He was not just a car guy; Rick was a Jesus guy.
It will be a great honor to recognize and remember him during the worship service honoring and celebrating his life this coming Saturday. If all goes as planned, one of the scripture readings will be the shared effort of a father and son team. Both men (one not yet ten) sat under the teaching of Mr. Rick. He was very proud to know that he had been able to teach God’s precious word to two generations in the same congregation. That says something about his faithfulness and service to Christ and the church of Jesus.
I miss Rick and I will until I see that big, beautiful smile in glory. If there is a greeting ministry in Heaven, I am certain Rick is in the rotation. It was an honor and a joy to know Rick and serve with him in Kingdom duty. I think it is fair to say that the Blue Bonnet Rat will have better accommodations in the life to come. I am certain that his vigorous service of publishing the glory of Jesus Christ is only growing in scope and increasing in influence.
Farewell, my fellow Western Kansas co-laborer in Christ’s Kingdom. See you again in God’s good timing. When we have been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun, we will have no less days to sing God’s praise than when we just begun!
Blessings,
Pastor John
Coram Deo