In memoriam: Harmon Wray
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
This e-mail was sent by my friend Tim Eberhart in Nashville earlier today:
Harmon Wray died Tuesday, July 24, 2007 from complications of a massive stroke. His ministry with Edgehill UMC, the Tennessee Conference, Vanderbilt University and beyond provided profound inspiration for those who knews and loved Harmon and his partner, Judy Parks.
Visitation will be Friday evening, July 27 at Edgehill UMC, 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. The Memorial Service will be Saturday morning, July 28 at 10 a.m. at Belmont UMC.
May the witness of Harmon's life continue to motivate and inspire us to work for God's justice in a world that does not know the ways that make for peace.
Harmon worked tirelessly to promote the cause of restorative justice and opposition to capital punishment throughout a career in ministry, teaching, and writing. In the process, he attempted to show both the church and the world that God's love is more powerful than the darkness of prison and more powerful than a senseless societal commitment to the death penalty. He was a voice for many voiceless men and women languishing inside our nation's prisons. And he was an agent of reconciliation in trying to help the penal system become more about restoration than retribution.
I got to know Harmon during my time in Nashville, from 1998-2001. It was a formative time in my life, and Harmon was a formative influence. He helped me to understand the sanctity of all human life, because all human life has been redeemed by Jesus Christ. The world is poorer for his loss. I will miss him.
The Tennessean has printed a very good story on Harmon, which can be viewed here.
Harmon Wray died Tuesday, July 24, 2007 from complications of a massive stroke. His ministry with Edgehill UMC, the Tennessee Conference, Vanderbilt University and beyond provided profound inspiration for those who knews and loved Harmon and his partner, Judy Parks.
Visitation will be Friday evening, July 27 at Edgehill UMC, 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. The Memorial Service will be Saturday morning, July 28 at 10 a.m. at Belmont UMC.
May the witness of Harmon's life continue to motivate and inspire us to work for God's justice in a world that does not know the ways that make for peace.
Harmon worked tirelessly to promote the cause of restorative justice and opposition to capital punishment throughout a career in ministry, teaching, and writing. In the process, he attempted to show both the church and the world that God's love is more powerful than the darkness of prison and more powerful than a senseless societal commitment to the death penalty. He was a voice for many voiceless men and women languishing inside our nation's prisons. And he was an agent of reconciliation in trying to help the penal system become more about restoration than retribution.
I got to know Harmon during my time in Nashville, from 1998-2001. It was a formative time in my life, and Harmon was a formative influence. He helped me to understand the sanctity of all human life, because all human life has been redeemed by Jesus Christ. The world is poorer for his loss. I will miss him.
The Tennessean has printed a very good story on Harmon, which can be viewed here.
posted by Andrew C. Thompson at 10:23 PM
1 Comments:
i appreciate your post regarding harmon and his life's work. my husband and i were very fortunate to have had the pleasure of sharing his company, conversation, and a meal just a few short hours before his stroke. this was when i took the image you have posted here. i did not know at the time that it would be the last image taken of him.
Post a Comment
<< Home