A great cloud of witnesses. It is interesting to me how some passages make themselves really known to you through life experiences. I have always liked this passage, but if you were to ask me what my favorite passages were, I would probably not think of this one. But it has come to me over and over again and nearly knocked me over with the truth and power therein. It has finally gotten through to me that I do, in fact, have my very own cloud of witnesses!

The first that comes to mind is The Rev. Donald Gall. Don is a UCC minister who began his ministry about the time of the Civil Rights Movement. He served a small, church out on the prairie in the upper Midwest. Most of the congregation was second generation German immigrants and they were primarily farmers. Don felt that the faithful thing to do was for him to become personally involved in the struggle for justice. He joined a group of pastors and laypersons that met to discover what might be a faithful response. He helped organize trips to the south to join Dr. Martin Luther King in various marches. He was a part of each trip. He was beaten, and jailed. In the jails, suffered further beating and even rape. Many years later, as I looked into his eyes, I could see that the pain of those times was still there.

As was often the case in those times, the church did not take kindly to their pastor’s involvement in social justice. He was fired.

Many years later, after a long ministry in the area of Christian Education and Youth as well as social justice, he became a Conference Minister. It was there that I came to know him. He was passionate about his staff and would lay his life down for them. He also used his staff well, always seeking their wisdom and insight. He was an excellent theologian and insisted that all that we did was theologically sound. And he never ceased fighting for justice. When other Conferences would not even touch the subject of being open to gay and lesbian clergy, he led the fight.

When he left the conference to go to another ministry, honoring him was no problem. We all knew what his favorite passage was. He had told us so many times that it was his favorite. But he had also told us time and again to keep looking to Jesus. And that we must always do our best because there was you see, this great cloud of witnesses who had paved the way and who were watching.

Doing the painting for him that would be the gift from the staff at his going away party was sheer joy. As I painted the clouds, I noticed that there were faces in the clouds. Faces of all nationalities and races. It was more like lifting them out of the clouds that painting on faces. And then there was this wandering path and this person just running like crazy. At the party I was so overcome with emotion that I could not hand it to him. When it was given to him, he cried. So did I.

When I was leaving Iowa to come to CCC, I received a long letter in the mail. It was from Don. As I opened the letter I cried again. It was a full two pages of the importance of my ministry and words of encouragement for the future. My own personal cloud, come to me on paper, continuing to watch and model.

A great cloud of witnesses. Synod, Tony and his church.