The Illuminator of the Stars Takes His Place Among Them!
On April 22, 2003 The Reverend Dr. Edward Chinn passed away at 11:20 P.M. and, to quote him, "moved to the next stage of this journey we call life." We at All Saints' Torresdale are blessed to have had this true man of God to lead, mentor, teach, and serve us for 43 years.
Everyone will have their own personal remembrances of him, but I think a common theme we can all agree upon is the love that he had for All Saints' Torresdale. And when I speak of All Saints' I refer to the many people who have passed through our doors during Dr. Chinn's tenure.
It is impossible to contemplate the number of lives he has touched through his ministry; especially when we consider that our Dr. Chinn was "surfing" the worldwide web when the majority of people were still wading in the kiddy pool. The result of his creative use of this new medium was his ability to now reach hundreds of people, every week, around the world with his many articles and sermons. The extent of his outreach ministry was evident by the number of e-mails and their countries of origin received after his passing.
His talent with the spoken word is something that we all treasure. He had an ability to grab your attention, (sometimes with a joke, ending with the congregation and him laughing), hold it while he said what he had to say and then quickly review it so you were able to tie everything together. I must admit I sometimes felt cheated because his sermons were so interesting but he had only a limited time frame in which to work. In fact I thought he would have excelled as a teacher at a college where he would have more time to expose people to his knowledge and insights. But he explained that he loved to be where the real work of the church was done, at the local parish, which for him was All Saints'. How can you argue with that?
Many of us will try to find ways to preserve those wonderful teachings. There are countless audiotapes, videos, and written records that are available to us to listen to, watch or read, but they do not do justice to the work that this man has done. I think the best way to honor him is by continuing the work that he so dearly loved. He has set the bar high, but was a great teacher so I am confident that we are all well prepared to accept this responsibility, which is the care and nurturing of the All Saints' Family.
Friends, the original "Star Follower", The Reverend Dr. Edward Chinn has indeed taken his rightful place among the stars. Therefore as we look skyward to the stars, we can all gain comfort and guidance knowing he is looking over us.
Hats off to you Dr. Chinn and thank you for your wonderful work, and be confident we are ready to roll up our sleeves and continue in your stead.
CHEERS AND DEEP PEACE TO YOU MY FRIEND!
Russ Binkley, Rector's Warden All Saints' Church
