Memorial Service for Violet M.

Brown
Saturday September 18, 2010 at 11:00 am
Evangel Baptist Church, Springfield, New Jersey

Organ prelude Mrs. Peggie Williams

Piano arrangement
"It is Well With My Soul" Mrs. Nan Orchard

Hymn No. 554

“It Is Well With My Soul” v. 1-3 Mrs. Beth Pendleton

Call to Worship Psalm 116:15 Mr. David Drenth

Choir selection "He Hideth My Soul" EBC Choir

Remarks and Acknowledgments Rev. Dean Gavaris

We are here today to honor the life of Violet Brown. To Lee,

Kevin and Marci, Karen, Keith and Marla, to all the grand children
and to the many relatives and loved ones he leaves behind, I offer
you God’s comfort and challenge found in His Word.

Scripture reading

John 11:25-26 25Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the
life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; 26and
whoever lives and believes in me will never die.

(Looking to the immediate family) Do you believe this?"

(Looking to the gathered crowd) Do you believe this?

John 14: 1-3 1 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in
God[a]; trust also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms; if it
were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a
place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come
back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

Prayer – please join me in prayer

Father, we thank you for the opportunity to remember

the life of Violet Brown. We thank you for the assurance
of your love for her, and the assurance that she loved you
and trusted in You for his eternal salvation.

We ask that if there be uncertainty by anyone here as to

where they would be upon their death, that this question
would be settled this very morning.

We thank you for the comfort and truth of the words of your
son, the Lord Jesus, who said, "I am the resurrection and
the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies,
and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die.”

(And then Jesus asked) Do you believe this?" May each one
here believe this in their hearts.

May all that is said and done here this day, give you the
proper Glory. We thank you in Jesus Name, Amen.

Remarks by family and friends

Congregational remembrances Open Microphone

Additional remembrances are found in the notebook in the foyer

that will be given to Lee, and in the booklet that you may take
home with you.
Slides presentation,
accompanied by ‘In the Garden’ Mrs. Peggie Williams

Scripture Reading
I Corinthians 15:50-58 Mr. David Drenth

Words of Comfort and Challenge Rev. Dean Gavaris

‘It is well with her soul’

Vi Brown was a very ‘colorful person’. She gave herself fully to

the work of the Lord, because she knew that her labor in the Lord
was not in vain.

As I thought of the significant word ‘Well’ in the hymn ‘It is Well

With My Soul’. I recalled three aspects of Vi’s life that are
noteworthy:

1. Vi did things well

2. She was not weary in well doing for others
3. Most significantly, it was well with her soul

I. Violet did things well, complete, with energy, consistency,

follow-up, with joy, by the Book (hold up Bible)

a) She loved her family passionately and prayed for them and
sacrificed for them

b) She loved her church, showing it in her actions for more

than 65 years of her life. She taught Sunday school, vacation
bible school, sang in the choir.
 c) She was committed to the purpose of the church –
missions. She introduced this church to the Gateway ministry
and gained dozens of supporters for us. Nine years later,
when my family was looking for a good church, she
encouraged us to attend Evangel.

d) and of course, as many of you know, Violet worked for

nearly 22 years at Gateway Pregnancy Center, seeing
some 3,000 teenagers and leading many to a trusting faith in
Christ. She could divide evangelism, one on one help and
speaking up for others, depending on where she was.

1) I recall once Vi and I were in Washington, DC on the annual

March for Life. It was nearly 5 o’clock in the afternoon and
everyone was ready to re-board the bus, but Vi and I got separated
from the group.

As we walked on this particular street, we noticed a large mansion

type building behind a big fence. I remarked that it looked so
yellow in color. After a while we both realized it was the White
House. Vi probably shared her trademark ‘Oh, my!’ We
eventually found our way back to the bus.

2) Violet had the ability to be focused on the particular task

in front of her.

§ When she spoke to teens, she focused on their needs. She

remembered their names. She wrote their names and their
babies names in a small notepad she carried with her. She
called and wrote to each of the 20-25 girls she ministered to
each month.
 § She led Elaine to Christ in the early 1990’s. Elaine joined
Evangel, married and went on to have four children. They
now live in Florida.

3) Her greatest desire was that these teens trust Christ as

Savior and Lord.

4) She focused on prayer, even when her memory was fading.

She is the only person ever to have volunteered in all three of our
locations – Elizabeth, Irvington and finally in Plainfield.

5) Vi knew her Bible. She brought her Bible into the

counseling room and outlined helpful portions for the teens.

5) When she couldn’t volunteer any longer, she was given

names of teens to pray for. Vi was a pray warrior, often speaking
to me about her family and friends.

6) She focused on evangelism and the purpose of the church.

At her last congregational meeting she was more concerned about
outreach than on lack of workers. She taught me gently that if I call
a meeting, I should have a purpose for it. I’m grateful for that.

Violet no only did things well, she

II. Did not grow weary in well doing.

a. She focused on souls, not on criticizing peoples behavior,

knowing that they needed a change of heart, not just of
actions.

b. She was in it for the long haul. She made a commitment and
stuck to it.
c. She was a forgiving person, whose favorite verse was Ephesians
4:32: ‘And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one
another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.’

III. Finally, Violet knew her own souls condition.

‘It was well with her soul’.

Is this because she was such a kind, sweet, forgiving person?

No, because she knew the kindness of the Lord personally.

She personallyexperienced God’s forgiveness in Christ and wanted

most of all for others to do so as well, no matter how awful their
sin.

She knew about live in the womb and about eternal life. Psalm
139:14 ‘I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and
wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul
knows it very well.’

And now, as the Apostle Peter has said "And God will opens wide
the gates of heaven for her enter into the eternal Kingdom of our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." - 2 Peter 1:11

and her Savior greets her with these words, "Well done good and
faithful servant"? - Matthew 25:21.

It IS well with her soul .. but what about yours.

In I Thessalonians 4:13, the Apostle Paul writes these words: “But

we do not want you to be uninformed (ignorant), brethren, about
those who are sleep, whose physical body has died -- so that you
will not grieve (so you won’t be in heaviness; so you won’t be
excessively sorrowful) as do the rest who have no hope.”
Those who’ve never trusted Christ as Savior and Lord of their
lives have no ‘hope’. Believers in Christ have the joyful and
confident expectation of eternal salvation. Violet had this
confident expectation.

The Apostle Paul here is speaking of “excessive grief, or

inordinate sorrow”.

Grief is not wrong – it reflects our love for the loved one that has
died; often we may weep for ourselves. We weep for own loss.
Yet our grief shouldn’t lead us to despondency because we have
hope. Our hope is in the resurrection.

As someone has said, “Death is an unknown thing; yet there are

some things concerning those especially who die in the Lord that
we need not, and ought not, to be ignorant of.”

Since Christ rose from the dead, He has become, what the Bible
calls “the first fruits of them that slept.” He knows about death
because He died. He knows about resurrection because
He rose from the dead.

In verse 18, Paul says .. So then, comfort one another with

these words:

Console, those who are hurting – admonish them not to despair,

exhort them – encourage them –strengthen them; alleviate the
sorrows of bereavement by reminding believers that their loved
one – Violet – is safely with the Lord.

The greatest comfort though is knowing we have trusted Jesus to

have paid the penalty for our sins. Violet enjoyed this comfort, and
it ‘is well with her soul’ – Do you enjoy this comfort?
Do you know Him personally? Have you trusted Him to forgive
your sins and be the center of your life? Are you certain of your
relationship to Him, as Vi was?

Today can be your day of salvation, and you can know for sure that
‘it is well with your soul.’

Hymn No. 554

“It Is Well With My Soul” v. 4 Mrs. Beth Pendleton

Closing prayer and benediction Rev. Dean Gavaris

1 Corinthians 15:58
Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give
yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is
not in vain. (based on the NIV)

Organ postlude Mrs. Peggie Williams