Family, Friends Celebrate Life of Wesley W. Nelson

CHICAGO, IL (January 14, 2003) - The sanctuary was packed Monday evening at Ravenswood Covenant Church as family, friends and members of the Covenant community gathered to honor 92-year-old Wesley W. Nelson who died last Thursday morning at St. Francis Hospital in Evanston following an apparent heart attack.

"I don't know if I've ever felt a greater honor," said Dr. Glenn Palmberg, president of the Evangelical Covenant Church in paying tribute to an individual many consider one of the spiritual giants of the Covenant faith. Ravenswood pastor Bryan Kletzing, quoting 2 Samuel 3 during his meditation asked, "Do you not realize that a prince and a great man has fallen?"

The evening was a mixture of memories, reflection, humor, music and challenge as Nelson's life unfolded through the words of the many speakers who shared their experiences with Nelson that spanned several decades.

Some of the best humor came from his daughter, Joyce Nelson Hansell, who described her father as a visionary who looked to the future, but was quickly brought back to the reality of the present by his wife, Margaret, who often would remind him, "Wesley, watch where you're going!" The warmth and humor reflected in his personal notes to others was another hallmark, including one he sent to Joyce along with a copy of one of his meditations in Covenant Home Altar and his observation that finding meditation value in that particular scripture reading proved quite a challenge.

Nelson's fascination with mathematics and his love for writing proved the perfect combination that explains his love for computers. He prided himself in having the latest, the fastest and the most powerful machine available, contradicting the notion some hold that computers are only for the young. Joyce also told of her father's desire to cross the Jordan - not the river of biblical renown, but rather his label for the famed and busy Foster Avenue that separates the new Covenant Home facility where he and Margaret made their home from the former retirement home site. Little known to most was the quiet trip Wesley and Margaret made to privately christen with water the new Covenant Home building before any of the residents had taken up residence there.

Palmberg also recalled examples of Nelson's often-wry sense of humor, especially the day years ago when Nelson was leaving his office at North Park Theological Seminary for the last time, carrying a large plastic bag full of papers. Palmberg, who was dean of students at the time, said Wesley noted that he brought the papers with him 16 years earlier when he arrived on campus, intending to do something with them, but that they had remained in a desk drawer all that time. "If they haven't been important to me since then, they probably aren't important to me now," Palmberg recalled Wesley saying as he pitched the plastic bag into the trash receptacle.

Nelson traveled often and was revered for his preaching prowess, having authored one of his many books on the subject of preaching excellence. Palmberg related a story told to him by Margaret, who served as Palmberg's secretary when he worked at the seminary. She described a visit with Wesley to a church where her husband was to preach. He told her he was going to speak on the "man by the pool."

At breakfast with the host family before church, the hostess asked him the topic of his sermon, telling him how impressed she was the last time he preached at their church and talked about the "man by the pool." Margaret said Wesley quickly excused himself from the breakfast table to go back to his room to do some work.

"Wesley was a rare and treasured gift of God to the Covenant, and we will miss him greatly," Palmberg observed on a more serious note. He read from a personal letter he later presented to the family. "For nearly 70 years he served our church in some capacity, often in several ways at once. At the seminary, he made a lasting impact on a generation of students who are now Covenant pastors. Through his books and articles he inspired both pastors and lay people with his profound and probing faith, his candor, his inquisitiveness and his sense of humor.

"Wesley was a matchless and captivating preacher," the letter continued. "His Advent meditations given both this year and last at Covenant office chapel services linger in our minds for their new and creative affirmations of age-old truths. (Editor's note: the series of six Advent meditations presented in 2001 and 2002 may be viewed by visiting Wesley W. Nelson meditations

"In his preaching, as in his life, he long epitomized the commitment to evangelism and social justice that is at the heart of Covenant faith," Palmberg said in concluding his remarks. "He was a stubborn and visionary voice of conscience for our denomination. We thank God for his great gift to us all in Wesley's life among us. In doing so, we remember as well his wonderful partner, Margaret, and we give thanks for her life and for all that she meant to him, to all of you within the family and to us."

Nelson was born in Albert City, Iowa, the oldest of four children. The family moved to Turlock, California, when he was 10 years old. It was there that he met Margaret Nyquist at the Covenant church, although the two attended different high schools. Another humorous moment came when his daughter recalled a high school debate tournament where the two took more serious note of each other. Wesley won a prize for his debating, his daughter recalled, but Margaret would later say she won the better prize when the two were married.

Nelson was professor emeritus of pastoral studies and the author of several books. Ordained in 1944, he served churches in San Pedro, California (1933-1937); Stockton, California (1937-1943); Tacoma, Washington (1944-1947); Lake View Covenant, Chicago, Illinois (1947-1952); and Oakland, California (1952-1960). He served as a professor of practical theology from 1960 to 1976 at North Park Theological Seminary and for a time served as director of evangelism and outreach for the Evangelical Covenant Church. He was one of the contributing writers of the Covenant confirmation book God's Friends and was the recipient of the Irving C. Lambert Award presented during the 1999 Annual Meeting in Green Lake, Wisconsin.

He is survived by four children: Robert of Louisville, Kentucky, who is a member of the Covenant Ministerium; Donald of Prattsburg, New York; Marge Sundquist of Green Bay, Wisconsin; and Joyce Nelson Hansell from the Denver, Colorado, area. Eight grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren also survive. His wife, Margaret preceded him in death.

He had just completed work on a revised and expanded edition of his book Crying for My Mother that is due for release during the 2003 Midwinter Conference.

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