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Memorial Service Remembers Covenant 'Saints'
By Craig Pinley
MINNEAPOLIS, MN (June 30, 2004) - At a memorial service for Covenant pastors,
pastors' spouses, and missionaries who have died in the past year, the
preacher reminded us that their legacy of justice and mercy must be an
ongoing mission and not just empty words.
As I listened to the words of Brian Woodson, pastor of Bay Area
Christian Covenant Church, during last Wednesday's service, I recalled
the life and mission of some of these Covenant saints and how they
influenced my view of what it means to follow Jesus. Woodson's sermon
was entitled, "How Should We Then Pray?: A Prophet's Perspective and
Prerogative." He used Micah 6:8 as his primary text: "He has told you,
humanity, what is good--to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with
your God."
Little was said of the pastors, pastors' spouses, and missionaries being
remembered during Woodson's sermon. But Woodson's call to justice and
mercy, followed by sharing in communion, seemed an appropriate way to
remember those who had died during the past year. For Woodson had asked
participants this question – "Is it possible to be a good disciple and
yet remain uninvolved in human events?"
It was an appropriate question, given that for these servants being
remembered, ministry was more than just caring for those within the
walls of the church. It meant transforming their communities as well.
I'd not met all of the Covenant pastors, pastors' spouses and
missionaries who died during the past year. However, I knew something
about each of them, having written obituaries for them on
www.covchurch.org. I remember writing about pastor Donald Bruckner and
his love and passion for the Alaskans he served in ministry and mission.
I thought of Helen Casey, committed to helping serve the poor and the
voiceless in her hospital chaplaincy and pastoral work. I remembered the
stories about Russell Cervin, former secretary of world mission, whose
passion to help better the lives of others was boundless and
"boundary-less." And while I didn't know Frederic Lawson or Lillian Ek,
I know some of their children, and they are living examples of grace and
mercy.
There were three others Dennis Cadieux, Loraine Quarnstrom, and F.
Burton Nelson -- whose lived seemed to mirror the passion Woodson
preached about on Wednesday, the sense of urgency in which the prophet
Micah calls us to justice and mercy. Woodson said that "We are to
do justice to everyone, we are to love righteousness and mercy
everywhere. To walk humbly with your God is to move against the
nations "is to walk aware of post-modern American currents and move
against them," he said. "It is (to use Micah's words) to be just. And
the world is desperate for justice."
Cadieux was a pastor at Jesus People USA Covenant Church (JPUSA) on
Chicago's north side. He left a prospering business and to come live in
their community in an impoverished neighborhood. He did more than preach
a good sermon. He helped advocate for better housing for the poor in his
neighborhood, even engaging in politics to do so, and he cared for many
senior citizens who lived in the building JSPUSA owns. He was not well
known in Covenant circles but he was a blessing to many people who
desperately needed someone to advocate on their behalf.
Loraine Quarnstrom was the spouse of Leonard Quarnstrom, a longtime
superintendent for the Canada Conference. I heard many stories of how
the Quarnstroms cared for Canadians during their ministry. "They did
some incredible things, said some of their contemporaries I've
interviewed. I didn't know them until they had moved from Canada to
southern California. I watched how they ministered to a group of
Sudanese immigrants at College Center Covenant Church in San Diego and
was blessed both by their willingness to serve and the care in which
they did so. Furthermore, their love for each other was inspiring. My
image of Loraine will forever be this one: She and her husband,
shuffling into church, hand-in-hand, ready to hear what God would say to
them during worship service that Sunday.
Burton Nelson was one of my professors at North Park Theological
Seminary in Chicago and a fun person to be around. He was often the butt
of jokes pulled by his colleagues and had his share of pranks too. But
his passion for the marginalized was something that I remember most. I
remember being part of classes he taught on Dietrich Bonhoeffer and on
the Holocaust. I remember the passionate ways he advocated for the poor
and for how he preached about the importance of good Christian integrity
in our society "whether it pertained to right-to-life issues or how to
run a business" as he taught ethics classes.
During the service, Frances Decker, chaplain of Bethany Covenant Village
in Minneapolis, remembered the pastors, pastors' spouses, and
missionaries in prayer, stating that each of those remembered had given
something great to the local and greater church. I'm glad that I knew
some of those great things that had been done by these saints and hope
that their efforts to do justice and mercy can be something I - and
other Covenanters – can aspire to.
Copyright © 2008 The Evangelical Covenant Church. |
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