Sure Hope

A dear friend and mentor died this past Thursday, Rev. Dr. Richard R. Streeter (Dick). Dick was a remarkable pastor who lived and worked for his congregation, his family and friends. His loyalty was one of his outstanding characteristics, along with his anger, his humor, and his wisdom. He had a deeply caring heart and was a pastoral counselor, visitor and leader.      Dick and his wife, Pat, had an Irish household, no matter when you arrived there was always a kettle ready for tea. His father died when he was very young and his Irish mom brought him up. That loss managed his outlook on life. He was always ready for a tussle and sometimes created them. He never shied away from controversial issues and occasionally promoted them. There was a sermon where he said what I knew was going to upset people in the congregation and I asked him why he did it, because I knew it wasn’t necessary. He said, “Oh, I thrive on anger.” He was an emotional man who knew himself, and liked himself as he was.      If you were on his staff, you visited people in the hospital. Visitation was one of his hallmarks for ministry, visiting the sick, the shut-in, and those in need of counsel. There were times when I heard his office door, just across from mine, open and close on the hour because so many people were coming by for counseling. You could always count on his being available.      One of the remarkable things he did was to bring his church’s giving to a point beyond 50/50 for mission. That church came to a point where at least one half of every dollar given was going to some ministry somewhere else in the world.      I could tell you more stories about Dick than you’d want to hear and that was part of his ministry as well… storytelling. But I’d rather remind you of one thing… the sure hope of his resurrection. I am quite confident that Dick is in the hands of his Savior, and that he is rejoicing in a way that fills God with joy. It gives me hope and peace to know he’s there. Blessings, Geoff