Charlie's Funeral

I wrote about our member Charlie Simmons who died last week as a result of injuries from an automobile accident. On Friday, July 25 we had a visitation at the church and a lot of folks came by. It was good to see all the people that Charlie had affected by his presence among us. People from the Diner where he ate his meals; people from the bank, where Charlie stopped by often for banking but also for coffee and cake (he usually provided the cake!); people from the larger Christian community in the New Paltz - Kingston area; our church members; members of the Bruderhof - what a wonderful turn-out.
The funeral was held at Woodcrest in Rifton, NY - a Bruderhof community. It was a joint service of our church and Woodcrest, and it was held outside on the lawn, under shade trees (for those fortunate enough to sit there) with a nice breeze and not too hot temperature. There was music and sharing, but the most surprising and powerful thing of all was the clip of Charlie saying "Amen!" and "Glory!" and sharing with us his deep love for Jesus.
I felt so blessed to be part of this joint effort of the two faith communities. That is how it should be. We who love Jesus are part of a large church that knows no man-made boundaries. We have one Lord and one faith and we share together as one body. I have enjoyed getting to know my brothers and sisters in the Bruderhof and look forward to a continuing relationship of worship and fellowship. That's what Charlie would want! That's what the Lord wants.

Remembering a friend

Yesterday I received news of the death of a member of our church, Charlie Simmons. Charlie had come to our church several years ago. He was a fixture in Ulster County, having worked in several jobs, coming to know just about everyone in the county. You would know Charlie was in church because of his loud, definite "Amen" coming from the back of the East Room section.

He was a large man who always said, "I keep a low profile." His profile was anything but! I remember one day when I went into the bank and Charlie saw me. He shouted out, "Here comes my pastor! Pastor, I'll get you the prettiest teller!!"

Charlie lost his wife a number of years ago, and he often mentioned how much he missed her. The first thing several people said when hearing of his death yesterday was "He's with Marge now!"

We had some church friends come up to our Greene County home for dinner last night. I learned of Charlie's while our friends were on the road, and called them to let them know Charlie had died, but come on up - there was nothing we could do at the moment. And then I let them know that we would be eating vegetables that Charlie gave me the day before at church. They replied that they had vegetables at their house that came from Charlie.

Charlie Simmons was an incredible man. He always let you know what he felt. He loved Jesus with all his heart, and he let you know that. Now Charlie knows firsthand the love of Jesus. In my mind I can hear the voice of God coming down from heaven, speaking of Charlie's faith, "Amen!"

We'll gather later this week to remember Charlie. I just couldn't wait to pay tribute to this incredibly big-hearted Christian who has gone on to be with the Lord.

Amen!!

Back Home!

I arrived safely back home on Friday night, June 27. It sounded good when the passport official said, "Welcome home!"

This was the best trip to Haiti for me yet. I've only been three times, but the first two seemed like "get acquainted" trips. This time I accomplished the two tasks I had set out for myself, or were set out for me: to help paint one of the kids' houses and to preach in a local church.

One of the things that became more evident than ever before is the need for the walls between churches to come down. Pwoje Espwa is not a Catholic project, even though Fr. Marc is a Catholic priest. Certainly the Spirit of Jesus is evident at Espwa. But there is no proselytism going on. The church I preached in is evangelical. There was no pressure there either. But both Espwa and the evangelical church bring the gospel of Jesus Christ in uncompromising and clear ways.

There are many reasons for the suffering in Haiti. I would never claim to understand it all. There are spiritual, social, economic, cultural and historical elements to the difficulties in Haiti. There is no one answer to the problems of Haiti. And yet there is one answer: love in Jesus Christ. Love that is grounded in faith. I heard someone say that those who make it for the long haul have faith; the purely humanitarian worker will burn out more easily. Faith looks beyond all the reasons given for Haiti's difficulties and says, "Trust in God, live the gospel - be faithful."

I have come to love the Haitian people. My time with the little church in Guillioux brought me closer to the people than in the other two trips. I pray that God will keep us in relationship through the months until I am able to return.

By the way, I heard through the grapevine that there is someone in Florida who actually reads this blog. Thanks!