THE TOOL MAN

My father is the tool man. Martin Hanke has at least two of every tool known to Home Depot, Lowes and any other wannabe home improvement store. Some of his tools are now mine, and these are my most prized possessions. These implements are important not for how well they work, how long they have lasted or with what precision they were made. Their value to me lies in the knowledge that they were used to do God’s work; they were used to maintain Dulin United Methodist Church where I was raised in faith.

There are too many testimonials of my father’s handiwork to name in this brief tribute that represent the loving care he took to keep God’s house in good repair. As a mechanical engineer, his training was employed by the U.S. Navy in the Bureau of Ships to create and perfect the technique known as “replenishment at sea” or as we laymen call it, refueling a ship while it is sailing in open water. This dangerous operation requires the greatest precision and attention to detail, something at which my father excels.

It was this attention to detail that drew him like iron to a magnet whenever there was something at the church that needed to be “fixed.” We would walk through the halls of the old building, now more than 100 years old, and he would notice a door that stuck, a window pane that was broken, a room too cold because of a faulty heater. Always, he would say, “Someone should take care of that.” We would go home and soon he was searching through his collection for just the right tools, and the next weekend he would be the “someone” who took care of that. The work was always under the radar, and very few people at Dulin knew how their church was being maintained. But he was tireless in his efforts to keep things functioning as they should.

Of the many lessons I have learned from the tool man, perhaps the most valuable is how important it is to take good care of things. It starts with your things, but it soon expands to significantly more – things like the house of God, where the most important work of all is done. We have an opportunity at The Church of the Good Shepherd to be proactive in the maintenance of our building and grounds. I believe that every member of this congregation has been entrusted with caring for this house of God. As a result of my father’s constant example, I am a willing participant in that effort. Thanks, Dad, for the lesson and the tools.

— Myron Hanke

Courtesy of The Church of the Good Shepherd United Methodist