Bessie Martin

Today, Thursday, February 12, 2009, there was a funeral in Glasgow, Scotland. It was a celebration of the life of Elizabeth (Bessie) Martin, who with her husband, Sydney, who died in 2004, were pastor family for the Parkhead Church of the Nazarene, there in the largest city in Scotland.

It would take a writer with considerably more than my skill to tell the story of these two people from the north of England (County Durham) who early on made their way to Scotland in the Church of the Nazarene, pastoring first in Twechar, a tiny town east of Glasgow, then for many years in the Parkhead church, which is the "mother church" in many ways of Nazarene churches in the British Isles, at least in the northern regions.

Sydney was a preacher, a preacher's preacher. The denomination chose him to be the "model preacher" in 1981 for the all the regional pastors' meetings, long after he had retired from active pastoring. Eastern Nazarene honored him with the Doctor of Divinity in 1983. He was the very epitome of powerful, reasoned, dignified pastor. Bessie was the perfect "other half" of the team. She organized countless district assembly details when their church was host to all the other Nazarenes in Scotland. She kept at least one set of feet on the ground when Sydney's mind was dealing with profound themes. Far from being an ideal dreamer, however, Sydney and Bessie had the gift of cvhallenging and inspiring many younger pastors and wives to excellence in ministry.

My own acquaintance with the Martins was fairly limited- beginning with the above named lectures, then extending to visits both ways and frequent times of fellowship, manitained by continual letters and phone calls. But the influence of Bessie and Sydney will linger in my own life. I loved them, and felt a love from them that continues beyond the mysterious boundaries they have already crossed, into the Church Triumphant.

Say a prayer of thanks today for people like Bessie, and Sydney, and the faithful you have known that pull you toward higher things. Pray, too, for Elizabeth, Jennifer, Jon, and their families who sorrow today, but, I assure you, do not have any bitterness in that sorrow, only joy and hope.