Funeral Service for Donna Pelton

Order of Service

Welcome and Scripture Reading - Doug

2 Corinthians 1:2–4 (CSB)

2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort.

4 He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

Prayer

Reading of Obituary - Roger

Donna Lynn Pelton, 71, passed away January 2, 2025 at Pawnee Valley Community Hospital, Larned. She was born April 7, 1953 in Fort Leonard Wood, MO, the daughter of Clyde and Nina King Morss. The family moved to Colorado Springs, Co, where she graduated high school.  She later met Gary Pelton and they quickly fell in love. On June 4, 1972, she married Gary R. Pelton in Burdett and became a housewife and farm hand. Donna was a very selfless woman, and showed her love for people with a servant heart, which came from her relationship with Jesus Christ. She was a member of Faith Fellowship Church, where she was the treasurer for 48 years.  She was a Pawnee County Commissioner for 24 years, American Legion Auxiliary Post #280, helped with township (Brown’s Grove, Sawmill, Shiley) voting in Burdett and owned the Burdett Café.  Donna enjoyed gardening, flowers, quilting and could whip up a meal in no time. Survivors include: her husband, Gary R. Pelton, Burdett; her mother, Nina Morss, Burdett; three sons, Jason (Robin) Pelton, Aaron (Kelly) Pelton, Burke (Kelcee) Pelton, all of Burdett; two brothers, Alan Morss, Lee (Toni) Morss, both of Burdett; sister-in-law, Donna Morss, Fountain, CO; thirteen grandchildren, Samantha (Jacob) Coltrane, Colette Pelton, Seth Pelton, Chloe Pelton, Kaylea Pelton, Laycee Pelton, Baylee Pelton, Cassie Pelton, Evie Pelton, Eli Pelton, Easton Pelton, Eleanor Pelton, Ellis Pelton and one great grandson, Coen Coltrane. She was preceded in death by her father, Clyde Morss and a brother, John Morss.

Sharing of who Donna was and her love of Jesus - Roger

Congregational Singing - Because He Lives - Galen and Robin

Message - We Serve Christ

It is always hard when we lose a loved one

But especially when it is somebody like Donna

Somebody who always gave of herself

I wonder how many meals she made for people

how much she gave to those who needed it

how many hours she simply served

but she did not do it to be seen

Colossians 3:23–24 (CSB)

23 Whatever you do, do it from the heart,(HEART = life, person, heart; means that is who you are) as something done for the Lord and not for people,

24 knowing (KNOWING - understanding because of what you have seen) that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord. You serve the Lord Christ.

It was her love of the Lord that made her such an amazing woman

we feel the pain and the heart ache

it is healthy to grieve and good to work through that process

God does not promise us that we will not ever grieve, but that he would be with us as we do

one of the shortest verses in scripture, John 11:35 “Jesus wept.”

comes at the loss of a friend of Jesus

the weeping was not at the death of the friend, whom Jesus would soon raise from the dead,

but the pain that humanity endures at the loss of a loved one

The reason we have death goes all the way back to the first two people created by God

You might remember Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden

walking in perfection with the Lord, knowing no shame

they were given one command, not to eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil

we all know how the story goes, the serpent temps Eve, she takes the fruit and eats, along with Adam who is with her

immediately they felt their shame

Genesis 3:19 You will eat bread by the sweat of your brow until you return to the ground, since you were taken from it. For you are dust, and you will return to dust.”

This sinful nature that our first parents had has been passed down to each of us

We have all earned through our sin the same punishment

God’s desire is reconciliation…

Ephesians 2:4–5 (CSB)

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us,

5 made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace!

God’s heart breaks over the pain and grief we experience

Knowing that we would always choose sin, God offers us salvation through his son

Because God is not like us

when somebody does something against us we often have a list of things that they have to do to make up for it

they have to work off the debt

when kids disobey, they have a punishment, might make them do extra chores or something

not with God

Romans 5:8 (CSB)

8 But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

while we were still sinners, while we were dead in our trespasses

God does not make us do certain things in order to receive the love that he has for us

Romans 10:9 (CSB)

9 If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

I pray that in this time of loss, you will draw near to God, because he will draw near to you

that you would confess and believe to receive the love that God wants to pour out on you

Congregational Singing - Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing - Galen and Robin

Benediction - Doug

Numbers 6:24–26 (CSB)

24 “May the Lord bless you and protect you;

25 may the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;

26 may the Lord look with favor on you and give you peace.” ’