Wednesday, February 26, 2020
As a young, budding vicar at Trinity Lutheran in Kinston, NY, LeRoy fast become my mentor as he supervised and challenged me to grow as a servant leader in the church. Every day with LeRoy was an adventure, and as a vicar, you rolled up your sleeves and joined him in whatever task was ahead. He never told you exactly what to do, he let you figure it out. He had an uncanny ability to cause you to dive deep within yourself, and uncover your talents and bring your gifts out into the open. He knew every vicar had their own unique personality and he wanted you to be confident and become your own person. I loved and admired him for what always seemed to be an unwavering bravery and confidence. I honestly thought he would live forever with his love and zest for life. I will miss him greatly and will be forever grateful for his influence on my professional and personal development. I can still hear his voice and many of his phrases. He used to say, "Live life for adventure, not security. Security is a myth." And yes, dear mentor. I'm still trying to keep the turds out of my pocket. Another word of advise from LeRoy, "I can teach you a lot about being a pastor, but I can't teach you to love your people." I thank you and Evelyn for being there for me and for providing me one of the greatest learning experiences of my life. Your memory will never fade and I thank God for you. Shaun McFarland, Vicar at Trinity Lutheran Church (1995-96)
