Memorial Day is traditionally a day when those in the United States and especially Springfield Christians remember ones who have died.  As thoughts of friends and family have flowed there are some that should be shared with you.  When you read these words, ponder on those you have lost that bring back similar memories.

Mom and Dad were the type of parents who took their children to Sunday School and church every week when they were young. As teenagers they allowed them to choose a different church to attend despite their moving to another congregation. Prayer was always one of Mom’s methods of ministry. Dad served in more practical ways as a bus driver. This tradition of service has made their son who he is today.

Everett Long and Lester Stratton were two teachers who demonstrated how to lead young men to become the men they were called to be. Lester was in his sixties and retired at the time. He was the oldest high school student your writer ever met. He was a mentor and a friend to his classmates.

Everett was the teacher who made us question our own salvation experiences when he made a public profession of faith while teaching Sunday School and being an ordained Deacon in the church. At his baptism, many admired him for his bravery to openly admit he had been playing church all his adult life.

Brother Maples, the elderly minister encouraged the young preacher boy with the comment that he did not feel like he had been in church if he did not have to shine his shoes when he got home. The ministers’ job is a rough one and Allen knew that from his years in the pulpit. He is also the one who first used the phrase, “It’s a good day when you can sit up and take solid nourishment.

Vern is another friend who has gone home to be with the Lord. When asked to teach a senior adult men’s class years ago, thoughts of being with men twice my age and trying to lead them in Bible study were troubling. With Vern’s encouragement, it was possible. That became an experience that will never be forgotten.

My friend from high school, Mark, was another hero of faith. Instead of being depressed after a stroke, heart attacks, and eventually having his aorta explode while having an angiogram, he accepted a call to the ministry while in his sixties. He became our church’s senior adult minister as a volunteer. When he went home to Jesus, we all wept and rejoiced.

As we pause on this Memorial Day, remember those who have been in your life. I could spend hours telling you stories of others that have meant a great deal in my life. Keep tuned to this site to hear more of these as the years proceed. If you want to share a story of your own, post it in the comments below.

©Copyright 2025 by Charles Kensinger