This past weekend we received word that Reverend Roger Powell had gone home to be with the Lord. To those of you who are reading this, his name may not even be vaguely familiar but for my family he was an example of how Christ intends for us to live as one of his children. He was an example of God’s love in action. For us, his death was unexpected and yet we have so much peace because we know how he lived before his family, in front of us and thousands of others whose lives God used him to influence in his lifetime. He was genuine. He was transparent. He was real!
The year was 1986 and my husband had received orders to be reassigned to Hawaii. Before going to Hawaii, we had contacted the Church of God state office there so that we could get plugged into a church family immediately. The first Sunday right after our arrival we were picked up by Pastor Roger Powell of the Newtown Church of God in Aiea. When we got into his car the presence of the Lord was so strong that I began to cry, and I knew immediately that we were being taken to the right place at the right time. The Newtown Church of God under the pastorate of Roger Powell became family and a training center for us for the next four years. It was there that we learned how to pray and how to study the word of God and witnessed miracles, signs, and wonders. Pastor Powell was a man of great faith and tenacity. He was a man of courage. He was our pastor and remained our pastor up to the day he transitioned.
This coming weekend they will have his home going service and because of the pandemic there will be restrictions that must be adhered to that are necessary and will be honored. But it will not diminish the legacy that the man of God leaves behind. What comes to my mind is a song, “May the Work I’ve Done Speak for Me.” My family is part of his legacy. Mike and I will miss those phone calls that would still periodically come to us from him. We will miss hearing those seasoned words of wisdom. I especially will miss running my book ideas past him. You see he wrote the foreword for my first published bible study book and I will be eternally grateful to him for that. He believed in me. He told me that I could do it and I did!
Yes, Pastor Powell leaves behind a legacy that will be long remembered. In fact, when it was our turn to pastor, we often looked at the example that he had set before us. We were determined that he would be proud of us. Pastor Powell, thank you for letting your light shine before us. Thank you for the example of what it means to be a God led, husband, father, grandfather, pastor, preacher, and friend. We will see you again. Thanks for the memories!
