Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Remembering Charlie

Last Saturday the Board of Preachers' Aid Society met and one of the agenda items was a discussion about my retirement.  A proposal was approved and more details will be coming.  Right now I want to begin by expressing my deep gratitude that our Board is allowing me to enter into a transition period as I prepare for my retirement.

While I worked on the proposal I couldn't help but remember my entry into PAS.  Rod Goulding, a member of Trinity UMC in Springfield MA, was serving on the Board of PAS.  One day in early 1991 he handed me a job description and asked me to pass it along to anyone I thought might be interested.  I didn't pass it along; rather I kept it and showed it to my husband.

As soon as I glanced over it I realized it was for Polly Taylor's job at PAS.  I had read about her work a few years earlier in the Zion's Herald.  She was doing something brand new for PAS, visiting retired clergy and surviving spouses who lived in the New England states.  When I read the article I thought it looked like the best job ever!  Now I had the chance to interview for the position.

So, on a sunny, chilly day I first met Charlie Fowlie at the Friendly's on Sumner Ave, just down from our church.  We had lunch, we talked, and by the end of the interview I was even more certain this was the right job for me.  After an interview with the Pastoral Care Division I was hired and in July 1991 began my work with Charlie Fowlie and the Preachers' Aid Society.

From the beginning Charlie was a good colleague with whom to work.  He was always available for a conversation, he affirmed the work I was doing, he was open to new ideas.  He dearly loved PAS and spent hours traveling the conference to let people know about its ministry.  Charlie ushered in our emergency grant program and was often the person who discovered the needs of some of our retirees and surviving spouses as we continued to improve the visitation program.

At some point in our conversations Charlie would ask about my family and share about his.  We were regularly sharing stories of teenagers and encouraging one another.  He also loved his ministry dressing up as a clown and entertaining children in the hospital.  I felt like his time spent with children in hospitals was very close to his heart.

As Charlie approached his own retirement I could hear some doubts in his voice, maybe a little concern about what he would be doing in retirement.  On the occasions I saw him after his retirement he would tell me about a number of things that filled his life in Lovell ME including the Chaplaincy of the Fire Department, working on a history of PAS, and visiting with his family.  As often happens our communications slowed down over time though I always looked forward to his Christmas letter and made sure he received ours so could share our year with each other.

Unfortunately, when I first heard that Charlie's health was failing I took it to mean that there would be a gradual decline; I did not understand the gravity of his being diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis.  So I along with so many others was shocked when I learned of his death on September 26.  Preachers' Aid Society lost a part of ourselves that day as who we are today was built on  years of service given by Charlie to this organization.  Thank you Charlie, thank you for the gift of your years with PAS.  While you will be missed, the generosity of your ministry will live on with us for years to come.