Tribute to Fred Griffin

Last Thursday, July 9, I attended the memorial service for a great man. Fred Griffin was 95 years old when he passed away on July 5th at Acacia Village in Utica, NY. Rev. Mary Lynn Gras from the First Presbyterian Church did a great job leading the service for this wonderful man. I want to post here the comments that I made at the memorial service in order for you to know the nature of the kind of man that God used to make the Rescue Mission what it is today.

The way that I know Fred is as an encourager and Rescue Mission ambassador. Our tagline, "reaching out... changing lives" is one that Fred understood. He "got it." Fred understood some things:

1. Fred knew that people are needy for love as well as the basic necessities.
2. Fred knew that this love ultimately comes from God.
3. Fred knew that people see God's love in what we do before they will hear what we say.
4. Fred knew that we are His ambassadors, all the time, in word and deed.

Fred also knew what Edmund Burke stated; namely, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

Fred reminded me of Denver Moore in the book I read recently "Same Kind of Different as me" (an exceptional book, by the way!) who humbly summed up his life's mission this way: "Just tell 'em I'm a nobody that's tryin to tell everybody about Somebody who can save anybody."

Another quote that sums up Fred's life is this: "The truth about it is, whether we is rich or poor or somethin in between, this earth aint no final restin place. So in a way, we is all homeless-just workin our way toward home." Ain't that the truth now!

Welcome home Fred, welcome home.