A Time to Remember
UMConnection Staff
The choir from Christ United Methodist Church of the Deaf, dressed in brilliant purple and gold, sang with their hands and bodies and a heavy drum beat at the beginning of the Service of Remembrance May 24. Families and friends of those who died since last annual conference filled a section of the ballroom floor.
Retiring District Superintendent Rev. Eugene Matthews, dean of the Cabinet, delivered the message of comfort, which he called "When We All ..."
Filling his sermon with biblical passages from the Book of Revelations, John and 1 Corinthians, Matthews said, "God's goodness will always trump over evil, and even death."
In a world filled with chaos, mortgage foreclosures, Iraq, AIDS, civil unrest in Zimbabwe, Darfur, racism, classism and sexism, the Scriptures still offer hope and comfort, he said.
"We, like the saints of old, have plowed through ‘stuff.' ... But we lean today upon faith, perseverance and sacrifices of those whom we celebrate today," Matthews said.
Matthews began singing the gospel song, "I got shoes, you got shoes, all God's children got shoes," and was joined by Mark Miller, the conference musician. Soon the whole congregation joined in.
"Some saints from today," Matthews said, "will be preaching all over God's heaven."
The Rev. Al Clipp, conference secretary, then slowly read the names of the 11 clergy, eight clergy widows and two spouses of retired clergy, and five lay members of conference who died since the last annual conference as their names and photos were projected on the screens. As their names were called, a bell from the old Cokesbury College founded by some of the first United Methodists in this country, was tolled in remembrance.
A family member or proxy for each deceased person placed a candle at the altar for the person being remembered while family and friends stood in respect.
CLERGY
Rev. David Dawson, 83 - 4/21/2007
Rev. Michael Arkady Cross - 75, 5/25/2007
Rev. James K. McCants - 82, 10/18/2007
Rev. William Wyatt, Jr. - 59, 11/26/2007
Rev. Elmer L. Kimmell - 93, 12/12/2007
Rev. Margaret Ann Grow Fullman, 61, 12/16/07
Rev. H. William "Bill" Heslop, 70 - 12/29/2007
Rev. Charles Morgan - 92, 1/31/2008
Rev. George Allen - 80, 2/13/2008
Rev. Henry A. Silva - 83, 3/4/2008
Rev. Alicia Blake - 50, 3/14/2008
Rev. Johnnie Washington, 5/23/2008
CLERGY SPOUSES
Dinah Upton - 5/14/2007
Bernice Depro - 6/7/2007
Ruth Hill - 6/27/2007
Anna Grim - 11/4/2007
Edna Conaway - 1/10/2008
Bessie Crosson - 1/10/2008
Helen G. Lewis - 2/8/2008
Sally Ann Grant - 2/13/2008
Mary Reynolds - 3/7/2008
Bertha Maddox Milstead - 3/19/2008
Mary H. Bartlett - 4/12/2008
LAY MEMBERS
Helen Earl - 6/1/2007
Dorothy Wilson McCoy - 11/22/07
F. Robert Higinbothan - 12/25/2007
John "Jack" Hamill Hutson - 3/28/2008
Bobby Mason - 4/2/2008
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