Tuesday, January 05, 2010

Keith C. Fullerton

The past 24 hours have found me walking a bit off balance, a touch in some other place. We received news yesterday while running some errands, that a friend, mentor, and co-worker, Keith C. Fullerton, died suddenly Sunday night. He and his wife were out for a walk in the cold small town in Saskatchewan they had just moved to, when he fell to the ground and rose to the rest of eternity. Just like that, one moment here and the next, there.

I am shocked by this great shifting in the cosmos. And if I am honest, I am wondering what God thinks he is doing. All the while people around me come and go as though the world hasn't shifted and is a bit worse off.

I have a half written letter here, that I had begun to write to him. I suppose it goes unseen by him, at least for now.

He and his dear wife had just sold their place out on the BC coast and moved to small town, very rural, Saskatchewan. I understand they did it mostly to help out a family member, and it's much more affordable to live in a small town in Saskatchewan than it is in the mainland in British Columbia.

So they packed up their lives, because of love, and last Wednesday ended up in their new home. They weren't even there a week.

I wanted to tell him well done. That he was a living example to me of the great cost love sometimes asks us to pay, on behalf of others. I wanted to tell him thank you for being such an example, and for showing us dads the way to live, and love. Even in hard seasons.

So Viola is left to unpack, and set up home in a new world. While grieving.

The whole world is out of rhythm, everything is off just a bit.

Maybe remember him and his wife, Vi, and their family.
It's going to be a hard cold week out there.

Lord have mercy…


The announcement can be seen here.


UPDATE:

Thank you for all your thoughtful comments. You honour his memory and his life with your blessings.

The funeral is January 8th at 12 Pacific time, 2 pm local Saskatchewan time. They are going to try to stream it live from the church. If you want to try to participate, here is the link;

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/keith-fullerton-funeral

9 comments:

  1. The entire Fullerton family has impacted me and my family our entire lives in the Covenant Church. I remember growing up with Sean, seeing him every summer at camp and Keith being the speaker at many of those camps. In particular I remember Keith taking the time to contact me when they first moved to Surrey and invite me for lunch. I was so touched because I was young, in my early 20's and had never had a pastor contact me and just want to spend some time with me and ask me to be involved and that he was interested in my thoughts. He and his family are one of the reasons I loved the Covenant Church and thought of it as my church.

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  2. I just read about his passing tonight. I was surprised--as I'm sure everyone was. He was a great man. Prayers are with Vi.

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  3. Hi, Randy, Too bad about Keith. I knew him from away back. My brother went tototoBible School with him here in P. A. I went to Bible School with Viola. She is a twin. One never knows when our time has come,do they?

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  4. Hi, So sad, Keith was a true friend, and co-worker. We worked well together, and had many great discussions. Talked to him on Dec. 30, and he thanked me for "packing the moving truck", that nothing was damaged. He has crossed the finish line.

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  5. I had the privilege of being a part of the Green Timbers Congregation throughout Keith and Vi's pastoral ministry there. Keith and I also worked together in the church office for some time while I was the office secretary.

    Keith was a man of such high personal standards, a hard working person one has never known, a selfless giver, a true minister and evangelist, someone who had a heart for the lost and hurting, who knew how to best support a person suffering from addiction...the list goes on and on.

    I'm thankful that the Green Timbers Congregation had the opportunity to really say farewell to Keith in the weeks leading up to their move to Saskatchewan - many of us took the opportunity to not only say goodbye but also to voice words of appreciation for the ways our lives had been touched by this great man.

    Blessings, love and prayer go to Vi and the entire Fullerton family. We grieve Keith's loss along with you while rejoicing that he has reached his reward.

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  6. we sometimes do not realize the treasures we have in our congregation until they are
    gone. Keith will be missed for his selfless giving....he was always somewhere doing something. we will certainly miss Vi in her work behind the scenes serving and doing what she needed to do. we will certainly keep her in our prayers during this time of adjustment and grieving. May God bless her richly.

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  7. keith fullerton, he was a people lover and a helper in many lives. he impacted people in an instant , i am one of those. i praise God for his life. blessings,

    chuck dirksen

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  8. This is Pastor Keith's final sermon where preached on Dec 20 2009, 2 weeks before his passing away. In this sermon, Keith reminded us that although life may be hard, God is still good and faithful.

    http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=414512925045&ref=mf

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  9. Thank you for all your thoughtful comments. You honour his memory and his life with your blessings.

    The funeral is today at 12 Pacific time, 2 pm local Saskatchewan time. They are going to try to stream it live from the church.

    If you want to try to participate, here is the link;

    http://www.ustream.tv/channel/keith-fullerton-funeral

    ReplyDelete



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