"Sidney's Legacy"
Dear Friends,
I am still absorbing the shock of Sidney King's death. Maybe because I just couldn't imagine our church without him, I was convinced that Sidney would pull through and that we would soon hear him again on our prayer calls and see his comments during our Sunday services on Facebook. The truth is I still have a hard time picturing our church without him, without his deep knowledge and tireless commitment, without his familiar laugh, without his support of our congregation and of me.
Although we're having a hard time accepting Sidney's death, I believe he was prepared for it. Sidney certainly loved life and wanted to live. To the end, he was working hard at his therapy, first in person and then online after the pandemic made travel impossible. In the last few weeks before we closed our doors, Sidney had returned to church and when we were separated he was still eagerly participating in Finance Committee and Vestry meetings via conference call and Zoom. At the same time, Sidney's Illness had made him even more mindful that we are given a limited number of days and also deepened his trust that the Lord was beside him, no matter what.
I'm sure like many of you, Sidney has not been far from my thoughts and prayers. And, along with his unshakeable faith, I've also been thinking about his love of ministry. As I wrote to you last week, Sidney never said "no" to ministry. I remember how eager he was to host Family Promise guests at the Parish House on Storms Avenue. I remember how disappointed he was that we weren't able to continue the Fourth Monday dinners here on Duncan Avenue. And, in a recent conversation, Deacon Jill shared how Sidney had played a large role in the Lighthouse, larger than many of us probably realized. If Jill was the mother of the Lighthouse, then Sidney was the father. He spent a lot of time with the residents - people who had fled danger to seek asylum in the United States - gaining not just their trust but also their love. Perhaps because he knew what it was like to leave a homeland and try to find a footing in a strange new land, Sidney took the time to get to know and to help each person. And, as a careful steward of God's gifts, Sidney was happy that our building was being used for such good and important ministry.
Sidney loved the church. You old-timers know that the history of the Episcopal Church in Jersey City is not always a happy story. There have been many disappointments, misunderstandings, and conflicts along the way. No one knew this painful history better than Sidney. Few people lived more of this history more deeply than Sidney. Yet, although he was sometimes frustrated, disappointed, and even hurt, he never gave up on the church. Just the opposite! He gave many hundreds of hours of his life to the often tedious work of attending meetings, both locally and on the diocesan level. While today many people have perhaps understandably soured on institutions, Sidney understood that they are necessary if we want to work together and achieve as much good as possible. Sidney recognized that institutions are needed if together we are to put our faith into action. So, all of those Garden State Episcopal CDC Board meetings helped to construct decent housing for the poor. All of those Union of Black Episcopalians meetings provided promising students with scholarships. And, all of those vestry meetings built a church that has the ability to do the kinds of ministry that Sidney loved so much.
I already miss Sidney. And I'm sure in the weeks and months ahead when we're faced with a problem or an opportunity I'll catch myself thinking. "I'll ask Sidney what he thinks." It really is hard to imagine our church without him. But, Sidney has left us a rich legacy: an unshakeable faith, a hunger for ministry, and a love for our flawed but beautiful church.
In last Sunday's gospel lesson - the lesson we usually read at funerals - Jesus tells the disciples, "I am the way the truth and the life." Sidney King knew Jesus to be the way. He followed the way. And, thanks to his example, we also know the way.
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