Benjamin Rosenzweig

Ben Rosenzweig, 67 Kearney resident A celebration of Pastor Ben's life and victory will be held 10:30 a.m. Friday, May 1, at Grace Fellowship with the Pastor Melanie Warriner officiating. Visitation will be from 5-7 PM on Thursday, April 30, at O'Brien-Straatmann-Redinger Funeral Home, and continue one hour prior to service on Friday. Memorials are suggested to the Lighthouse Church of Kearney, Nebraska. Condolences may be shared online at www.osrfh.com. If you would like to know more about the Jesus that Pastor Ben served, the congregation meets weekly at 10:45 AM on Sunday mornings and 7:00 PM on Wednesday nights. Pastor Ben Rosenzweig was known to all as a man who was fearlessly and tenaciously in pursuit of His Lord and Savior. No matter the circumstance, his one true passion throughout life as a believer remained Jesus Christ: knowing Him, sharing Him, and proclaiming His Truth. Ben was born on January 23, 1948, in LaSalle, Illinois, to Don and Marie Rosenzweig. He grew up in Mar Vista, California, and attended Venice High in Los Angeles. He entered the Navy on January 30, 1968, and served during the Vietnam War while being stationed out of Singapore. He was honorably discharged on January 20, 1969, and continued to serve in the naval reserves after his return to the United States. He eloped with the love of his life, Ruth Boyd on December 3, 1977. They were married in Las Vegas, Nevada. The couple made their home for many years in Santa Monica, California, where all three daughters were born. Ben worked as a journeyman electrician and member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), before becoming the associate pastor of The Lighthouse Church of Santa Monica. In 1991, Pastors Ben and Ruth moved their family to Kearney, NE where Ben accepted the position of senior pastor of Victory Foursquare Church (now The Lighthouse Church). They served as pastors of The Lighthouse for over twenty-three years, until their retirement in February of 2015. He met often with interdenominational pastor's groups in both Kearney and Grand Island, and was well-known for encouraging fellow pastors in their pursuit of God. Over the years, He was active in various roles within the Foursquare denomination, including serving as a divisional superintendent. Ben had a way of seeing gifting and potential in others. His tenacious exhortations to step out in faith paved the way for many to expand their gifts in the ministry. Under Ben’s leadership, the Lighthouse Church was a place of worship, prayer, laughter, and challenge, where growing together was a part of life, and the Presence of God was prized above all else. Ben loved to worship with abandon, and could be found nearly every week sitting at the congas, toms, or world drum during worship services. As the years passed, he reluctantly gave up dancing, but always claimed to be "dancing on the inside". His fearless commitment to prayer and the prophetic created a space at The Lighthouse Church for Holy Spirit-inspired worship and intercession that continues to this day. Even as he weathered the storms of sickness and adversity, Ben never lost his sense of humor, his trademark orneriness, or his tenacious commitment to seeing souls saved, hearing from God, and following hard after His King. To the end, he pastored and fathered others, and he ended this life as he had always desired, faithful in loving God and loving people. Pastor Ben Rosenzweig, 67, of Kearney, Nebraska, died at home on April 23, 2015, surrounded by the worship of his family as he departed this world. He is now dancing for the first time in ages in the presence of Jesus. He is survived by his wife, Pastor Ruth Rosenzweig (Kearney, NE); his daughters Michelle Boulware (Holdrege, NE), Pastor Deborah Rosenzweig (Kearney, NE), and Shannon Decker (Axtell, NE); his son-in-laws Scott Boulware and Matthieu Decker; and his grandchildren: Quentin, Kianna, Kaleah, and Devin Boulware, and William, Aleigha, and Lynlee Decker.

Benjamin Rosenzweig

January 23, 1948 - April 23, 2015