When she was 19 years old, Rina Burke left her home in Johannesburg, South Africa, to come to the United States. She worked as an au pair, first in North Carolina, and then in Lenexa, Kansas.
Rina, her husband and two teen-aged children now live in Lowry City, where she is the founder and head of Grace Christian Academy. On May 21, she will be speaker at the Christian Women’s Connection luncheon in Clinton.
Her topic: God is Still the God of Miracles.
“God brought us here through a lot of adventures,” Rina said.
Of German descent, Rina can trace her family tree in South Africa back to her great-grandparents. After coming to the United States in 1998, she lived here for 11 years, during which she married and had two children.
In 2009, she and her family returned to South Africa, planning to stay a year. It ended up being seven years, she said.
Because of immigration restrictions, her husband returned to the United States in March of 2015 while she and her children remained in South Africa. They were finally allowed back in the United States in July of 2016 after being separated from husband and father for 16 months.
The story of how Rina came to start Grace Christian Academy in 2020 is also full of miracles. The school is located in the former Lowry City United Methodist Church. Part of Lowry City for 112 years, the sanctuary was built in 1878, and the addition in 1955.
Turning the church, which was closing, into a school preserved a community landmark. The sanctuary and the addition have wood-framed stained glass windows dedicated to members of the church who donated the money for them. The windows had cracked due to settling and were scheduled to be replaced when someone suggested consulting Shirley Rucker, a stained-glass artist. Shirley examined the damage and was able to repair the windows.
Shirley is now head of the committee that organizes the Christian Women’s Connection lunches, which are held on the third Tuesday of the month from 11:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m at First Assembly of God Church hall in Clinton.
At the April meeting, Shirley’s mother-in-law, Carol Rucker, played the piano, and the speaker, Brenda Black, sang several praise songs that illustrated her talk, “God is Good All The Time.”
Originally part of Stonecroft Ministries, the Clinton Christian Women’s Club, now the CW Connection, will celebrate its 40th-plus birthday at the June 18 luncheon, as well as the birthdays of its members. The speaker for June will be Liz Tromsness Mitchell, a chaplain, marketing consultant and business owner who helps run the family farm.
Call Shirley Rucker, 417-321-0013, by Friday, May 17, to make reservations for the May 21 luncheon, which is catered by Melinda Dehn. Cost is $14, and includes entree, side dish, salad, dessert and drink. First Assembly of God is located at 1506 E. Ohio, at the intersection of Ohio and Hwy 13. All are welcome.
