Remembering Pastor Chuck
On All Saints’ Day, Bishop Anne joined the people of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in Neenah for worship. In addition to remembering the saints of St. Mark’s, a part of that worship service included a memorial service for Pastor Chuck Fluegel, who died earlier this year. Pastor Chuck was a force for global ministry in our synod and beyond. He pointed us to tangible ways of loving our neighbors.
Father Joe Mattern, founder and spiritual director of the Catholic Workers House in Omro and good friend of Pastor Chuck's shared music playing "We Shall Overcome" and Finlandia at Pastor Chuck's request on oboe and flute. He also shared a gift of Holy Honey from the Catholic worker house, a bottle each given to Bishop Anne and Pastor Niveen. He said: "You know Dorothy Day? That's us." You can listen to Bishop Anne’s sermon and watch the memorial service here.
At the time of his death, Bishop Anne shared the following reflection on Pastor Chuck’s life and ministry.
On Saturday, May 4th, Pastor Chuck died and was raised to new life in Christ. Pastor Chuck lived and served a global church through Lutheran World Relief and the Lutheran World Federation. He served as a missionary in Madagascar, Bangladesh, South Africa, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. He also had a heart for transition ministry having served in 18 interim calls over 47 years of ministry, many within our own synod. Although Pastor Chuck retired in 2014, many got to know Pastor Chuck through his work on the ELCA Malaria campaign, through his work on behalf of ELCA World Hunger, and through his knowledge of and care for the people of parts of the world that are not often featured in US news.
Bishop Anne shares, "Pastor Chuck's ministry brought us to prayer, action and advocacy for people all across the globe. Thanks be to God for his life and witness, even as we remember in our prayers all those who miss and mourn for Pastor Chuck."
One way to remember and honor the legacy of Pastor Chuck would be to pray with and for the wider church and world. The Ecumenical Prayer Cycle takes those who pray through every region of the world over the course of a year. Praying for each place on earth and its people at least once a year, we affirm our solidarity with Christians all over the world, brothers and sisters living in diverse situations, experiencing diverse problems and sharing diverse gifts.
Rest eternal grant, O Lord.
Light perpetual shine.
Treasured colleague to Pastor Chuck, Pastor Bob Hanson, prepared these words to share:
It is a blessing to be here to celebrate the life and ministry of my good friend Chuck.
More than a few times I have wanted to pick up the phone and see how he is doing, but also to hear the state of the world and the church.
Recently I have been able to go through many old files uploaded from an old computer we had. I know there are many messages in there that came from chuck, I always had a chuck file on my computer and phone. It was necessary!
My lasting memories of our many phone calls, lunches at the nearest Panera or Culvers will never be erased. He had been there, he had organized it, he had done it. What a gift this human being was to all of us.
We shared this piece from Walter Brueggemann
In the midst of these autocracies, south and north in ancient Israel, there came to voice from time to time uncredentialled poets without pedigree or authorization who uttered words from outside the regimes. The tradition calls them “prophets.” In terms of social reality, they appear to have been random utterers of startling poetry that was not contained in the familiar categories or approved reason of the royal leaders and their priests. Their speech was highly stylized, but it nonetheless manages to be in profound touch with actual lived circumstance. These poets (prophets) interpreted their lived context as if YHWH, the God of the old covenantal traditions, were an actual active agent in historical affairs.
That’s what you did Chuck! I know Chuck you would never stop random uttering for justice, peace, love of all humanity, the church and all peoples!
God Bless your memory, thank you for being my friend, comfort for your dear family which I know you loved and cared for deeply.
Can I call you sometime, or better yet give me call. Oh well that the old poet me, but who knows brother, are you not the guy I subbed for one month, a few years back, when your back hurt you had trouble walking and you took off to the Congo for a month alone, to help the church deal with some of their issues with woman’s health? You had the posters already printed. You came back with a spirit of mission like I have never seen. I wish I had saved more of those emails from you during those days I served those three churches. Happy Landings brother, you are missed, and we have been blessed.
Quote from: Brueggemann, Walter. Interrupting Silence: , God's Command to Speak Out (p. 24). Presbyterian Publishing Corporation. Kindle Edition.
