quote: OVIEDO, Fla. - A Presbyterian minister collapsed and died in mid-sentence of a sermon after saying "And when I go to heaven ...," his colleague said Monday.
The Rev. Jack Arnold, 69, was nearing the end of his sermon Sunday at Covenant Presbyterian Church in this Orlando suburb when he grabbed the podium before falling to the floor, said the Rev. Michael S. Beates, associate pastor at Covenant Presbyterian.
Before collapsing, Arnold quoted the 18th century Bible scholar, John Wesley, who said, "Until my work on this earth is done, I am immortal. But when my work for Christ is done ... I go to be with Jesus," Beates said in a telephone interview.
Several members of the congregation with medical backgrounds tried to revive the minister and paramedics were called, but Arnold appeared to die instantly, Beates said.
Arnold had been the senior minister at the church until the late 1990s when he began traveling to Africa and the Middle East to teach pastors. The cause of death was believed to be cardiac arrest. He had bypass surgery five years earlier.
Beates also recounted Arnold's death in an e-mail he sent to members of the Central Florida Presbytery.
"We were stunned," Beates said. "It was traumatic, but how wonderful it was he died in his own church among the people he loved the most."
I don't know this guy, but I admire his flair for theatrics.
edit: The floor is now open for jokes and bad puns.
[ January 11, 2005, 10:36 AM: Message edited by: Brian J. Hill ]
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
O_O
I won't post my downer thought.
Posted by Choobak (Member # 7083) on :
As terry Pratchett write, sometime, the Death has the comic sens.
I imagine him back to the pastor, and stay about the good time to achieve his work...
Posted by dkw (Member # 3264) on :
Hmm. That may be the first time I’ve ever seen John Wesley referred to only as a Bible scholar. Not that he didn’t study the Bible, but that’s hardly what he’s most known for.
Posted by BelladonnaOrchid (Member # 188) on :
Wow...I think that's all I can really say about this right now.
Wow.
Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
JW did do a few other things in his lifetime, didn't he?
Posted by Brian J. Hill (Member # 5346) on :
quote: Hmm. That may be the first time I’ve ever seen John Wesley referred to only as a Bible scholar. Not that he didn’t study the Bible, but that’s hardly what he’s most known for.
Yeah, I kinda thought the same. It's kinda like calling Isaac Newton a "guy who did math and stuff."
Posted by Amka (Member # 690) on :
Thats how I wanna go. Maybe not there exactly, but contemplating those things and helping others. That is pretty cool, actually.
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
Notice the article said John Wesely "Bible Scholar" we know that the preacher was quoting him but we don't know how he described Wesley before the quote (or it is possible he planned to afterwards)
AJ
Posted by Ryuko (Member # 5125) on :
Ummm... Is it bad that that amuses me? I mean, it's a great way to go.
Posted by dkw (Member # 3264) on :
Oh, I totally assumed it was the reporter's description, not the associate pastor's.
Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
Are you kidding me? Dying in the midst of my church, with my friends and fellow worshippers around me, having my last words and actions be ones that glorify God? What a privilege to die like that!
The only reason I wouldn't wish for that to happen to me, is I imagine it was quite a shock and quite upsetting for the people present. Then again, is there any way to die that isn't upsetting to the people that love you, in some way?
Posted by Trisha the Severe Hottie (Member # 6000) on :
Thanks for posting that. Even if subsequent comments have got me thinking about death.