Remembering Ken Churchill

I learned a great deal from Ken Churchill, my pastor and friend for many years. Ken officiated the wedding for Carolyn and I and Carolyn grew up in a house right across the road from the parsonage where Ken and his family lived. Ken passed away just short of his 90th birthday and I shared a few thoughts about what I learned from him at his funeral last Friday. Here they are:

Ken was a man who loved God. He nurtured his relationship with God by spending time in God’s Word and time in God’s presence through prayer. His ministry wasn’t a duty or a profession, it reflected his life with God. He showed me that and I’m trying to do it, not as well as he did, I’m still learning but I thank him for modeling this.

Ken was a man who loved people. I know that reflected God’s love in him but it was evident to everyone. Ken loved me. (Of course, 50 years ago we men didn’t use the L word very much,) but when I came in to see Ken he really cared about me. He read our prayer letters, he wanted to know what was going on in our lives and he listened. And of course, he prayed for us. Ken truly modeled the two great commandments. I’ve tried to follow him in this with still a long way to go.

Ken had a missionary heart. It was first evidenced in his call and ministry in China but when they were expelled by the communists and ultimately came to MCC, Ken led us in creating an outstanding vision for missions and practice of the same. I was the fruit of that vision along with many others. MCC was known through out the region as a mission minded church and when I worked for the Association of Mission Committees I would often talk about the MCC model, the result of Ken’s vision.

But Ken also cared about the person across the street. As a church he led us in door-to-door evangelistic efforts on several occasions, encouraged evangelistic home Bible studies and
many ministries that reached out to the lost. He wanted everyone to know the love of God as he did.

Finally, Ken showed me and all of us how to persevere. There were ups and downs in his ministry as there is with everyone of us. Ken never changed character or gave up. He consistently chose to do things the Jesus way. When he did retire from full time pastoral work he picked up the baton of US director for the Red Sea Mission Team, now Reach Across. He and Marie faithfully served in this role for at least another decade. When I would visit him at Ridge Pointe he would mention his ministries and Bible studies and his personal ministry carried on even to the Auburn Manor residence. Ken could truly say like Paul, I have fought a good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. I hope to continue imitating Ken as he imitated Christ his Lord.

I already said finally, but here is a further thought. At the end of his life, Paul wrote to his son in the faith, Timothy. He said, “That which you have heard and seen in me among many witnesses, the same commit though to faithful men, (and I must add women here,) who will be able to teach others also.” There are four generations in this passage and there are at least four generations in this room The majority of Kens legacy don’t even know his name. They are followers of Christ around the globe that are a part of this generational chain. So what’s the best way to honor Ken? Pass it on. Pass it on.