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.