Gerry and Beverly Fosdal are the Wisconsin Conference Laity recipients of the 2009 Harry Denman Evangelism Award. They are described as being significantly committed to being the church and exemplifying relational evangelism at its best. Many young people, once troubled, are vital Christians today with one of the major reasons being the Fosdals who were there for them and introduced them to life in Jesus Christ. Rev. Brian Cook, the Fosdal’s pastor, shares the testimony of countless people who say “Bev and Gerry helped me to know that God is real and that He loves me and that He sent His Son to offer Himself for me.” Rev. Cook goes on to say, “This is their story. This is their song. And they have been singing it together for decades.”
Even in the midst of Beverly’s treatments for Sarcoma cancer this couple continues to be committed to helping other persons experience God’s transforming love through Jesus Christ.
Gerry and Beverly Fosdal began a serious walk with God in 1963.
Gerry, though having grown up attending the Methodist Church, did not begin to really think about life goals until almost 27 years old. He had adopted the unspoken family goal to keep father sober and make the bakery (the family business) successful. Wondering if there was more to life than simply going to school, working, finding a wife, having children and then retiring to a life of leisure, he was intrigued when an acquaintance invited him to a “special meeting” at a church. It was there that he was confronted with the choice of either believing in Christ as Savior or not believing. To not decide was a statement of unbelief. Though a simple gospel presentation, it seemed clear to him, decide for Christ. Over the next few weeks, he noticed a desire to want to pursue more about this “belief”. Even though a working adult, he accepted the invitation to join a high school Bible study. He began to pray, his first earnest prayer was for a wife.
Several hours later he met that future wife, Beverly, at a ski hill. Their conversations were intense and centered often on the Bible. Through many dates, dialogs with friends, and discussing a variety of church sermons, Beverly realized the futility of trying to find purpose and meaning in attending college, partying, meeting new friends and frantically attempting to experience all things new. As she and Gerry talked and read, within weeks she discovered that though she had learned much as a child about Jesus, sin and salvation, it had never been seen as personal. The Christ who died for the world was understandable; but that Christ had died for her and wanted “relationship” was new and most amazing. She joined Gerry in this new life. Both of them wanted to obey God as much as they understood of Him.
Starting out their married life together, they had a threefold purpose. Love God, love others and love each other. Those “loves” took them into fascinating experiences in Bible study through small groups as well as seminars and the lectures of sound teachers at their church, Willerup Methodist Church (now the Willerup United Methodist Church) in Cambridge. Having learned about the value of studying and memorizing as well as reading the Bible, they gained tools that would be helpful for personal growth and encouraging others as well.
Their home as well as their hearts were open to people. Throughout the years they have had a variety of young people live with their family. In the family business, a retail bakery, they have hired folks who often were struggling with issues that might appear to make them unemployable, but given “another chance” they found work and acceptance. Part of the church family in a small congregation of about 120 folks, the Fosdals have been involved in almost every church office or ministry. Youth leaders, Sunday School teachers, treasurer, Staff-parish chairman, trustee, missions board, Bible study leaders, lay preachers, giver of children’s sermons, the list goes on and on but basically they are willing to be gap fillers, doing what is needed. For more than forty years now, Gerry and Bev have been continually involved in small group Bible studies. Believing in the value of the individual, many of their study “groups” are simply with one other person. Topics range over the many topics that the scriptures cover, from the basic study of Jesus Christ to the design for marriage, anger issues, church doctrinal issues, parenting and step parenting. Women’s issues, men’s issues, teen issues and human conflicts or simply answering questions, the Fosdals continually learn from others as well as encouraging their friends to grow in faith and application of scriptural principles.
Over the years, Gerry and Bev have received notes, letters, hugs and phone calls of thanks as people express their appreciation for bringing them into “relationship” with Jesus Christ. When told of this award, one of their three children commented that he had never thought of his parents as evangelists, but of Bev and Gerry, the two finest and wisest parents a child could have. Perhaps one of their endearing traits is their willingness to share from their failures and imperfections. A typical quote from Gerry, who is known for his one-liners, “We don’t care who gets the credit as long as God gets the glory!” They are “real” people with “real” struggles who love God, love people and love each other.
