September 13, 2009                 “Fare Well”     

This is a very sad day for Emmanuel. It is with much sorrow that I write this piece. This morning, during the Sunday service, John Finch came to announce that his father, our beloved Pastor, George Finch, had passed away, peacefully, that morning.  As many of you know, the Pastor had been dealing with the many issues relating to the cancer that he had been living with for the last two years.  And now, his pain is gone.

This is a very personal story for me, and to every member of our church, and therefore very difficult to write.  I would like to share some of my thoughts and some memories of our Pastor.George had been our spiritual leader, our cheerleader, and our friend for more than twelve years.  We loved him so much.  He was there for us, supporting us through our heartaches, our joys….  and even our arduous Advisory Meetings.

 In these twelve years he became one of us; he took us back to our beginnings as an Italian Baptist church by establishing a Founders’ Month each October; he reminded us that our church was fulfilling its mission no matter the numbers on a Sunday morning; he continually encouraged us to “do”, do what needed to be done, whether it was a small thing or a big thing, whether it was easy or hard; he knew how to “prod” us to do the right thing.And, we so wanted to please him.

The thing that I remember the most, enjoyed the most, was his sermons and his prayers.He was probably the most eloquent speaker that I have ever heard.He spoke effortlessly, with perfect English, just the right words to make his point.  His sermons were so easy to listen to, always precisely on point.Hehad just the right mix of scripture, stories, and personalanecdotes in his messages to make the sermons personal to everyone.  When he said the pastoral prayer, it was like music to my ears.  They were so heartfelt, such an easy conversation with God, that he brought me right along with him.I will miss that.However, he was one of us, and wanted to show us that he loved us, too.  He loved music, and even joined our choir.  He also sponsored one of our greatest events in recent years, the Women of Faith Concert in 2007.  He brought professional musicians and performers to our church for us all to enjoy.  He baked pecan pies and baked beans for many of our coffee hours or social events.He always brought food, because he did not want to come empty-handed.

George has left us with quite a legacy, as he instituted many things that helped us fulfill our mission as a Christian ministry, even when we were discouraged.  Under his leadership and his urging, the Out To Lunch Bunch became a monthly event.  We had regular Neighborhood dinners as a way to minister to our church neighbors.  He invited Mayor Cicilline to read “Twas the Night Before Christmas” to the children at ourChristmas Concert each year.  He opened his home to us each year for an Open House to thank us for all that we did for him…..  and he did all the cooking!  He started the Saturday Communion services because he knew that there were some people who could not come on Sunday mornings, for whatever reason.

In George’s other life he was a teacher, a principal, and a counselor.  He was all those things to us, as well.  He taught us to pray, to “do”, to love God and each other, and even to bake, with his great recipes.  He led us into the twenty first century as a church that had purpose, at our Advisory Board meetings he lead us back onto the right path when we would stray from our task at hand, and he led us in prayer when we needed his help.  He counseled us when we needed to know God, that God would not leave us in our time of sorrow, of worry, of difficulties, or of helplessness.In addition to all of the things that I have mentioned, he also did many things that he did not need to do at all. 

And, my fondest memory?  He performed the marriages of all three of my children.

His funeral will be held on Saturday, September 19th at 11:00 am at the church.  The calling hours are on Friday, September 18th from 5 to 8 pm at Iannotti Funeral Home, 415 Washington Street, Coventry, RI.

Our church family extends its deepest sympathy to John and Carol, and also to Nettie.   While no words can ease your loss, please know that we are grieving with you.We will miss him.

                                                                                                                                                                                    Anni Rawcliffe, Editor