Rev. Rudy E. Poettcker
B.A., M.Div., D.Ed. in progress
Dean of Studies for RIC and RITS
Suriname Field Director
Headmaster, Christian Liberty Academy of Paramaribo
Rev.
Rudy Poettcker (pronounced "Pot-ker") and his wife, Sharilyn, joined Reformation
Christian Ministries (RCM) in 1994 and departed for Suriname on August 8 of that
year. Originally, he had sought out the possibility of working in Russia, but at
that time, the need was greater in Suriname. Little did RCM or he know what the
Lord had in store for him. As it has turned out, God has mightily used him in
individual lives, but also in the nurturing of the school in
 Suriname through
many difficult times.
EARLY HISTORY
JOINING REFORMATION CHRISTIAN MINISTRIES
EDUCATIONAL AND PASTORAL WORK IN SURINAME
TRIALS OF SERVICE OVERSEAS
DEAN OF STUDIES AND COMMUTING TO SURINAME
EARLY HISTORY
Rev. Poettcker was born and raised in Alberta, Canada, of godly German
Mennonite parents who immigrated from Russia. Sharilyn spent her early life in
Chad (North Central Africa), as her parents were missionaries there.
 After
they were married and unable to have children, the Poettckers adopted two
children, Karissa and Micah. For many years, Rudy Poettcker resisted entering
the ministry. As a result he engaged in various businesses and learned a great
deal of the construction business (which later God would use while he was in
Suriname). During his various studies in the Scriptures, he came to an
understanding of covenant theology and a biblical world-and-life view. As a
result he began visiting and eventually joined the Reformed Presbyterian Church
(Evangelical Synod, though now Presbyterian Church of America) of Calgary,
Alberta.
After completing his studies at the University of Calgary with a Bachelors
degree in history, he went on to study theology at two different seminaries and,
after some time, completed his theological training at
Mid-America Reformed
Seminary (at that time located in Orange City, Iowa). Upon graduation, he
served as pastoral supply in a Christian Reformed Church and was ordained in the
Orthodox Christian Reformed Church.
Through the many challenges and struggles having to do with liberalism and
unbiblical teachings, the Lord put them into yet another severe challenge of
their Christian life when their son Micah contracted brain cancer. This led to
several years of intensive efforts to pursue treatment, but eventually the Lord
was pleased to take Micah home to be with His Lord and Savior while in the arms
of his parents.
JOINING REFORMATION CHRISTIAN MINISTRIES
Rev. & Mrs. Rudy Poettcker with daughter Karissa in 1994 preparing to leave
for Suriname.
 After
this, Rev. Poettcker sought to establish a Reformed church in southern British
Columbia (Cranbrook, B.C.) while supporting himself with a business. It was
during this time that the Lord brought to mind the newsletters that he had seen
coming to his church from Reformation Christian Ministries. He made contact with
Rev. Donnan and after some discussions, flew down to Florida to meet with
Rev. Donnan and Rev. Patrick Dickens who was then just back from Albania for a
brief season. While originally looking at the field of Russia, where RCM had
native Russian colleagues but no missionaries, it was determined that either
Albania or Suriname would be more suitable initially in order to gain mission
experience. In the final analysis, Suriname was the decision that was made and
where the greatest need existed that could utilize Rev. Poettcker's educational
training.
EDUCATIONAL AND PASTORAL WORK IN SURINAME
Most of the rest of the history of the Poettcker's in Suriname will be
covered in the RCM
History under Suriname, but we'll make brief note of the highlights of the
work to which the Poettcker's have dedicated their lives.
He began primarily learning the system of the Christian Liberty Academy of
Paramaribo, Surname. He also provided pulpit supply in
First
Presbyterian Church. (Both the school and church had been started by his
predecessor, Rev. Geoffrey Donnan in 1979 and 1978 respectively.) After several
years and the departure of some other foreign missionaries helping in the
school, Rev. Poettcker was promoted to Asst. Head Master of the school, though
continued to carry a heavy teaching load and a shared preaching schedule. Some
time later, he was asked to join the session (consistory/board) of the First
Presbyterian Church (FPC) and continued to serve as pulpit supply as well as
providing theological training for Asgar Hamid, who was an elder in the church
as well as administrator of the school. Sometime later, Rev. Poettcker was
called to be the pastor of FPC and in this capacity, eventually, was able to
train Asgar Hamid to replace him.
 In
1998, First Presbyterian Church joined the
Covenant Reformed Presbyterian
Church (CRPC) with Rev. Poettcker as its pastor and also Mr. Hamid as an
elder. Simultaneous to this, during his frequent buying trips to the United
States, he assisted Rev. Donnan in the planting of
King's Reformed Presbyterian Church,
at that time in Fellsmere, Florida (now Palm Bay). In 2002, his student, Mr.
Hamid, came to the United States for an ordination examination by the CRPC
presbytery and was called and installed later that year (picture on right)
as the new pastor of FPC becoming the first indigenous pastor of the church
started twenty years earlier. Rev. Poettcker bore the brunt of the
responsibility for the training of then Rev. Hamid in preparation for this
momentous occasion.
TRIALS OF SERVICE
Amid the many trials that the Lord delivered the Poettcker's through, was the
encounter in January 2000 that Rev. Poettcker had with U.S. Immigration
authorities while seeking to return to the United States from Canada with some
belongings which had been in storage for many years. Despite prior
arrangements the Immigration personnel mistook him as one who was attempting to
immigrate illegally to the U.S. and barred him from further entrance to the U.S.
for a period of five years. Needless to say this was an extreme setback, as we
were in the process of preparing to file papers for him to emigrate to the U.S.
in order to take on the Dean of Studies responsibilities and give opportunity
for the work in Suriname to mature by having him less available. This process
was finally overcome in 2002, when Rev. Poettcker succeeded in obtaining a
waiver of this previous action through the U.S. Embassy in Suriname.
 In
March of 2003, an arsonist (probably a disgruntled student angry with Rev.
Poettcker) started a fire under his truck, which quickly spread to the
multi-purpose school and church building which included a residence above where
the Poettcker's lived. Thankfully in the Lord's providence, though they were
fast asleep at 3 a.m., the Lord sent a passerby, who after unsuccessfully trying
to rouse them by knocking, threw stones on the roof in order to awaken them.
They barely escaped with their lives and lost almost everything they had
including their papers which contained the visa that Rev. Poettcker had only
recently secured allowing him to reenter the U.S. Not only did this necessitate
a huge rebuilding effort, but also required restarting the entire visa
process.
(See full report on fire and rebuilding process.)
Before (above) and after (below) the fire in March 2003.
 Not
only was this traumatic for the Poettckers, but also for the Donnans who had
lived for nine years in the house and had built the buildings that were burned.
However, Rev. Donnan, in his first phone conversation with Rev. Poettcker the
afternoon after the fire, drawing from all of the experience and qualifications
of Rev. Poettcker, said to him, "I could not think of anyone more qualified to
cope with this than you." And his confidence was not misplaced. Not only did
Rev. Poettcker and Rev. Hamid oversee and particpate in the entire rebuilding
process, but with the exception of one day of missed school, both the church and
the school continued in operation during the two years of rebuilding.
The finished product March, 2005.
 During
the entire time that Rev. Poettcker was fulfilling his various capacities,
Sharilyn Poettcker served as the school nurse, worked with the library and also
occasionally sat in for an absent teacher. During one occasion, she was able to
save the life of the son of a nearby resident who had attempted to commit
suicide.
In 2001, their daughter Karissa completed high school in the U.S., went to a
medical technical training school in Orlando, and eventually was married and
returned with her husband to Calgary, Alberta, where she resides with her
husband and two sons.
DEAN OF STUDIES AND COMMUTING TO SURINAME
In 2006, the Lord finally made it possible for the Poettckers to receive a
permanent resident visa to the United States. In May of that year, they returned
to the U.S. finally to assume full Dean of Studies responsibilities while
continuing to oversee the work in Suriname. He was also promoted to the role of
Headmaster of Christian Liberty Academy in Paramaribo assuming that
responsibility from Rev. Donnan.
 After a good while living with the Donnans at the RCM headquarter and
residence facilities (something that had been done many times during extended
visits in the past), they were able to locate a suitable home in Palm Bay,
Florida (about 16 miles from the RCM office). Rev. Poettcker now commutes three
to four times a year to Suriname during critical times, continues to teach high
school courses and assist in the administration, buys and collects all the books
for shipment to Suriname each school year and now also is heading up the
Bachelor of Education curriculum development program for the Bachelor of
Education degree offered by Reformation International College. Additionally, he
serves as Dean of Studies for most of the students at the undergraduate and
graduate level for both the college and seminary.
 Once
they were established in the U.S., Sharilyn Poettcker dutifully secured the
necessary training and testing to requalify for her license for nursing and
secured employment as a registered nurse working in the oncology and later the
cardiac units of Holmes Memorial Hospital in Melbourne, Florida. Her on-going
ministry is in helping to support their living expenses in the U.S. so that her
husband can devote full-time to his calling of bringing advanced leadership
training to future reformers.
One of the most recent trials the Poettckers have faced is that during her
last few years, Sharilyn has had to undergo double-knee replacement due to
deteriorated knee cartilage. She successfully completed that and returned to
work in June 2008.
Rev. Poettcker also serves with Rev. Donnan as co-pastor of
King's Reformed Presbyterian Church.
Since the church is small, only recently has a stipend begun similar to the same
paid a visiting preacher.
As you can see, from the above, Rev. Poettcker is a most capable man who has
dedicated his life in service to the Gospel and has the greatest concern for
advancing the preparation of leaders for both Christian schools and the Gospel
ministry. He believes strongly in the purpose of
Reformation International College and
Reformation International Theological Seminary and the programs of education
designed for students from around the world.
At the moment of this writing, he oversees the work of six students from
Suriname, and one student from Italy as they study, along with others in North
America. He also is developing the Bachelor of Education degree program in
conjunction with some other associated Florida Christian schools. Additionally,
he is reworking the Master of Divinity degree to make it even more suitable for
the distance learning and eventual on-line process.
June, 2008
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