Melb Zerger Avers
(Continued from Last Week)
Last week our readers made the acquaintance of Melba Zerger Avers. This week we will continue to learn more about her son Bob, an ordained Lutheran minister, and his wife Joanne, who are now residents of Tiffin. In 1959 Joanne and Bob Avers, accepted a call as missionaries to Ethiopia. After a year in Addis Ababa studying the language, they and their children Mark, two years old, and Debbie, six months, moved to a small town called Adua in northern Ethiopia. There they found that most Ethiopian Orthodox priests were following St. Paul’s example as “tent-making pastors”. The pastors worked at jobs as farmers and tailors like others in their congregations and carried out pastoral duties.
Bob and Joanne taught English and Bible in the Teacher Training School and Bob worked to help Ethiopians recover from famine caused by locusts and drought. Joanne started small craft projects like basket-weaving and embroidery that helped the women earn some money.
Keshi Tsehai, who was a miller in the village as well as a priest, was their friend and Christian brother. He helped them over many “cultural bumps” that appeared in their daily life.
Even the poorest Ethiopians were very hospitable. If they knew the Avers were coming, there would be a feast. A short unannounced visit would be an occasion for tea and millet bread even if they had to send a child to the neighbors to borrow supplies.
In August, 1962, Dianne was born in an American Army hospital in Asmara, Eritrea, and Sharon in December, 1963 in Addis Ababa. Everyone in their congregation celebrated the births of their daughters with gifts like a couple of eggs, lemons, a chicken or a pot of stew.
After eight years in Ethiopia, the Avers returned to the states where they served a small Lutheran church south of Youngstown for two years. Then they were called back to Ethiopia where Bob served as pastor of International Lutheran Church and a sister church known as Lidetta Mekane Yesus in the capital, Addis Ababa. He also had Synod responsibilities. As it turned out Synod duties became paramount due to a shift in missionary personnel and very little time was left for the two small congregations he was called to serve.
Both congregations quickly and willingly assumed whatever pastoral duties he was unable to perform. The church building which was shared with their English-speaking congregation, was constantly in use: Day Care children, literacy students, sewing groups, youth programs, dramas, films, Bible study, singing, sports, from Monday morning to Sunday night. And this was all directed by members of the church. Technically Bob was their pastor, but in reality they were all pastors to each other and ministers and evangelists to the community around.
In 1971 the Avers returned to the U. S. and Bob was determined to try a “worker-priest” type of ministry. So he started work at National Machinery, reading blueprints, setting up the machines, operating the machine, and inspecting the work. After about a year during which he served as interim pastor with a United Church of Christ and then a Lutheran congregation, he was called to Zion UCC in Bettsville. There he was part-time pastor for a very enjoyable eight years, continuing to work at National Machinery.
Then Bob and Joanne learned of Habitat for Humanity and its program: “Offer what you have to the Lord, start with one family, trust God to do the multiplying.” The Avers traveled to Americus, Georgia where Habitat was founded by Millard and Linda Fuller and learned of Habitat’s strong commitment to Christian principles and its goal of eradicating poverty housing from the face of the earth by putting faith into action using the Theology of the Hammer.
The Avers returned to Ohio and put their house up for sale. After a month of training, they traveled to Utah to encourage the first affiliate of Habitat in that state in building their first house. In a year’s time the first Habitat family was in their home and had found a house to remodel for a second family.
Then in November 1985, news came of the floods from Hurricane Juan that destroyed 4,000 homes in the eastern part of West Virginia. Joanne and Bob were asked to be State Coordinators for Habitat and helped ten counties organize Habitat affiliates and start their housing ministry. After four years, they made a brief visit to Ethiopia again. Ethiopia was in the midst of a civil war. They met old friends and brought encouragement from Habitat International to the first Habitat groups who were organizing to build houses in Addis Ababa. They also visited their daughter, Debbie and her family, who were serving as missionaries in Madagascar.
When the Avers returned to the U. S., Joanne served as Project Director of Greater Columbus Habitat for Humanity. During the three years they were there, area churches formed partnerships and built 26 new homes. Robert supported Faith Mission, a shelter for the homeless. He drove a van that transported families to and from the downtown shelter and the network of churches that provided food and shelter from dawn till dusk.
The Avers continued their work in the Columbus area until 1999 when Bob Avers developed kidney disease and Joan was diagnosed with demylenating polyneuropathy. Once again they sold their house and accepted the offer of their daughter, Dianne, to recuperate at her home in Ottawa, Illinois.
In October, 2001, Bob and Joan moved to Tiffin to take care of Joanne’s mother, Velma Ferkel-Finsel, in her home. They cared for her until her death, June 30, 2002. Both Bob and Joanne are grateful to have recovered better health and look forward to taking part in Trinity United Church again and the community.
– Mary