Epitaph

Wow. Came across a history of Incarnation Lutheran Church in Philadelphia, with this paragraph.

"Pastor Jeffrey A. Merkel served 1983-1995 and worked to blur distinction between students and non-students. He attracted members who demographically filled in the gap between "old Incarnation members" and students in their 20s. Pastor Merkel raised the intellectual bar in homiletics and spiritual growth areas, focused on creative and innovative worship, began the Feast Incarnate ministry, led "Into Our Second Century" capital campaign that resulted in installation of the baptismal font and repairs to the building, laid the theological foundation for the immersion font in the Narthex, and promoted the congregation becoming a Reconciling In Christ congregation." http://www.uniluphila.org/Congregation/History.dsp

Notes:
Incarnation was a church in West Philadelphia which sold its building to become a campus/parish church in the late 60's.
Feast Incarnate is a meal and ministry to people with AIDS -- I had no idea it was still happening!
The baptismal font we built was a true joy, I loved getting totally wet baptizing babies by standing in 30 inches of water, holding the baby, and lowering us both in the warm transforming water, surrounded by a family and community committed to that child and its future.
We were the first Lutheran church in Pennsylvania to accept GLBT (Gay Lesbian Bisexual and Transgendered) people -- "Reconciling in Christ" -- sometime in the middle 80's.

Hm. Thanks Fred Wolfe, or Bruce McCullough. My name in lights.

For the sake of a worthy epitaph, guess I should have quit this life around 1996 or so.