Charles "Skip" Bailey Funeral Service (June 7, 2026)

Follow us on Instagram @guilfordparkpresbyterianchurch
Follow us on Facebook @guilfordparkpc
Follow us on TikTok @guilfordparkpreschurch
Website:  www.guilfordpark.org

Transcript

Welcome And Baptism Promises

SPEAKER_04 1:36

Friends, welcome, and on behalf of the people who are Guilford Park Presbyterian Church, we give you thanks for joining us this day as we gather to sing our friend Skip to Heaven. So grace and peace in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, as I said, we gather this day in the sure and certain hope of the resurrection to give thanks to God for the life of Charles Roberts Bailey Jr., but as most of us knew him, Skip, to receive the comfort of the Holy Spirit and to proclaim the good news of eternal life in Jesus Christ. Here at Guilford Park, at the beginning of funerals such as this, we often gather by the font as a remembrance of the waters of our baptism that seal us into the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Therefore, here now the everlasting waters of God's mercies. And here these sentences of Scripture, from Galatians chapter three, verses twenty-seven for as many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourself with Christ. And so in his baptism, Skip was clothed with Christ. In the day of Christ's coming, he shall be clothed with glory. And from Romans chapter 6, verses 3 through 5, when we were baptized in Christ Jesus, we were baptized into his death. Therefore, we were buried with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might have new life. For if we have been united with Christ in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.

Family Roots And Military Childhood

SPEAKER_02 12:42

He was one of nine children, and since his parents both came from large farm families in the same area, he was surrounded by grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins all of his life. And some of my precious cousins are here today. Dad's father, Martin McQueen Bailey, held an elected position as a county surveyor and was also a farmer. He died of a sudden heart attack when my dad was 14 and left my amazing grandmother, Ina Fields Bailey, with nine children, aged 18 years old down to one year old, to care for. After high school, mom attended junior college and was working as a librarian. The death of friends when Pearl Harbor was bombed motivated her to become a Navy WAVE. Her father had served in the Army in World War I in Europe. Mom was recruited into the secret women's codebreaking unit due to her library expertise and was sent to serve in Washington, D.C. Shortly after the war ended. Dad was home on leave to visit his family. They met while returning to D.C. and to Norfolk and were on the same bus. They got married six months later. And then they attended UNC Chapel Hill on the GI Bill. Skip arrived while they were at UNCG at UNC, and so did I. After graduation, we moved to Sacramento, where our little sister Kim was born 22 months after me. When dad was recalled to serve in the Korean conflict, mom, Skipper, Kim, and I moved to the Navy base in San Diego. Our house was right across the street from Imperial Beach and the Pacific Ocean. Now my mother was the go outside and play, and if you survive, be home before dark, sort. Did anybody else have parents like that? It was a different time. Her philosophy had me and Skip, aged two and four years old, wandering Imperial Beach on our own. He held my hand across the road. We dug up sand fiddlers, sold them to fishermen, and spent our earnings on whistles and licorice whips at the little green shack there on the ocean. We kept our guardian angels very busy. After Korea, Dad stayed in the Navy and took flight instructor took a flight instructor post in South Texas. Skip, Kim, and I experienced horned toads, scorpions, tarantulas, rattlesnakes, and longhorn steer. We played cops and robbers and we hid from the steers in the scrub brush of the adjoining King Ranch. Dad left active duty in 1957 and we moved to Greensboro right here. We grew up in this church. One of Dad's sisters lived in Jamestown, and his brother and family lived in High Point. And dear friends from their UNC Chapel Hill years lived here. So Skip was 10 and I was eight. Dad was in sales but remained in the Navy as a weekend warrior for 11 more years. He and mom remained active in supporting veterans, organizations, and causes the rest of their lives. We walked to joyn our elementary school and then went to ACOT Junior High, and we graduated from Walter Hines Page Senior High. Skip enjoyed sports and was on the wrestling and football teams in high school. He was an all-American boy, and he had friends from those days that he cherished, and several of them are right here. I tell you this because I want you to know that we were a military family. Yet Skip surprised us when he told us he had enlisted in the Marine Corps instead of heading off to college. It was a terrible time to do that. Skipper's two tours in Vietnam lasted from June 1965 until June 1969.

Vietnam Letter And Lasting Wounds

SPEAKER_02 18:20

Now for the juring Vietnam skip. I found a poignant letter that he wrote to mom February 16, 1966, two days before he was deployed to Vietnam. As I was sorting through his papers last week. He told her he loved her and dad and he missed them. He said he didn't want to get all sloppy, and neither do I, but he missed her and dad and his beautiful sisters, and he was sorry he didn't know how to tell us he loved us. He wrote that he missed all of his buddies, and he mentioned our neighbors, DeBusque and Cook, and he missed the harmless ribbing of Dean, Carrie, Eddie, and Rob. He wrote that he was worried about our friends Kenneth, Webb, and Milliken. He said he missed talking with his friend Ruth as they attempted to find ways to solve all of the world's problems. He was proud of being a Marine, but was concerned about what was to come. He was 18 years old. As you know, the U.S. was involved in major direct combat operations between 1965 and 73. By the time it ended, 58,000 US trip troops were killed, 200,000 South Vietnamese Vietnamese troops were killed, 1 million North Vietnamese, and 2 million Vietnamese civilians. So this is during Vietnam still. I read a psychiatric assessment done in June 2016 that detailed many of the horrible experiences Skip had as a Marine infantryman in Vietnam. He held many of his friends as he died. When his knee was shot to pieces, the only reason he was not killed was because two of his buddies died falling on top of him. It was terrifying. I read that most of the members of his Marine unit were wiped out at Quezon while he was recovering on a hospital ship. The guilt he felt because he was not there to help them never faded. He said that in 2016. I won't go into the other horrors that he experienced, but I have to say, when I look at my grandchildren, the oldest of them are 21, 18, 15, and I imagine them being sacrificed in a reckless political war. I am filled with fear and with anger. Let's move on to after Vietnam.

Coming Home And Building A Life

SPEAKER_02 21:09

Skip left a great deal of himself behind in Vietnam. But when he returned home, he persevered. He went to college, he graduated from UMCG in 1973 with a B.S. in English. While he was there, he worked part-time on the grounds and learned so much about plants, and he loved plants. He was a runner and a boxer and participated in martial arts. He was an artist and he painted some terrifying reflections of his nightmares. Thank you, Jessica, for taking those. And he also painted autumn scenes and oceans on the walls of his home. He collected handmade log furniture and other interesting art. Skip hitchhiked across America twice and spent several months walking. Across France, Spain, and Italy. He walked the Appalachian Trail and his goal was to climb every mountain in North America. He was making really good progress until exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam and the family DNA caused his heart to begin acting up in 2002. When the Ken Burns documentary on Vietnam came out, Skip watched every episode and he told me he felt that he and all of his buddies who had died and those who had survived after going through hell had been betrayed by the government. They thought Vietnam would be a just war like World War I and II, but that wasn't the way it went. In spite of ongoing health and PTSD issues, Skip was kind and generous. He loved God and his parents and every member of his family and all of his friends. I'm so glad you're here. Because he loved you. He loved his pets who have been placed and his plants, and he loved being with his friends. He sat on his porch every morning and evening and read and underlined his Bible and devotional books and folded down the corners of pages he wanted to read again. He was a rascal, but he loved God. Skip was a Tar Heels, Carolina Panthers, and Greensboro Grasshoppers fan. He loved eating at the Coliseum Cafe and Oak Crest and Herbie's. He took buddies to the VA, helped as a volunteer, the Triad Health Project, and served meals at urban ministries.

Heart Failure And Final Goodbye

SPEAKER_02 23:47

Last summer, Skip's congestive heart failure picked up speed. I took him for diagnostic tests in September. I went with him to cardiology appointments. We scheduled the aortic valve replacement on May 12th as a last-ditch effort to extend his life. Skip called me from the hospital on May 5th. He had asked his friend Buddy to take him to the ER, and Buddy stayed there with him for hours until I could get there. I'm so grateful. I was there with Skip late into that night until he was admitted to the hospital. They kept him until his surgery, May 12th. He tried to be positive and recover, but he was losing ground every day. On May 19th, he told me the doctor came to tell him he was too weak, his heart was too weak to recover. And he accepted that. He told me he did not want to leave us, but said he was just too miserable to stay and he wanted to go on to heaven. I was not ready for him to go. It was a heartbreaking honor to see him through the hours of that transition. Our niece Jessica and Lucas, her husband, are medically trained Army veterans. Jessica has been on hospital cardiac surgical teams as a technician for many years, and Lucas served in a medical unit in Afghanistan. He's a fireman, and they live in Asheville. They have both literally been through hell and high water on several levels. I will never be able to express how much it meant to me to have them with me in Skip during the many hours of his transition from this life to the everlasting one he believed in. So I'm almost finished. Just a little bit more about Skip. Did

Rocks As Love And Remembrance

SPEAKER_02 25:49

you know he enjoyed telling jokes? And a few of them were even appropriate for children's ears. Brookie told me one last night that she remembered. Did you know he loved rocks? He loved big ones and small ones. He loved them in rings. He loved arrowheads like the ones we found at Grandma Bailey's farm. And he loved crystals. He loved fairy stones and fossils, polished rocks and rough ones and rocks of all sizes and rocks of all colors. He has been giving me rocks as gifts for as many birthdays and holidays as I can remember. I love rocks too. And our little sister was a devoted rockologist. Skip had sacks, tins, bags, and boxes of rocks in his home. He had rocks in his pockets and on his desk and windowsills. They were stacked about his fireplaces and stacked below the window of his kitchen sink. It didn't help my manicure, but I washed and dried a bunch of his rocks for you. Please be sure to take a rock or two from the reception table as a gift from Skip and think of him with love as you hold it. Thank you.

SPEAKER_04 27:13

Thank you, Sissy. Now I'd like to invite Skip's friend Rob uh to come up and give another room a remembrance.

A Friend’s Tribute To Skip

SPEAKER_00 27:36

And uh I might repeat some of the things Sissy talked about, but uh I'm Rob Moore. Skip and I became friends uh at ACOC Junior High. Uh and there's a couple of other friends here, Carrie Metz and Mickey Dean, who knew Skip from the fifth grade when uh the Bailey clan moved from Texas here. Uh our group of friends have remained uh close through the years. Mickey and Carrie and Bob Nordbrook were a part of that group and many others that I see out there. Uh Skip and Mick and Carrie played football together at Page. Skip wasn't quite as big as Carrie and Mick, but he was just as tough. We nicknamed him Bull, Strong Like Bull. There were many crazy times together during those years at the uh at the Bailey household, uh including beach trips, parties, basketball games, football at Lawndale Pool, and many other activities that made us amazed that we survived. In the years after high school, as Sissy was saying, Skip joined the Marines, and I was drafted into the Army on his second trip to Vietnam. Uh I followed him about six months later. When we each returned home, and we were able, we were really grateful to be able to return and resume our friendship. In many discussions that we had about Vietnam, I realized that even though we were both in the infantry, he went through quite a bit more than what I did. Despite some really awful experiences that Sissy was talking about, Skip remained much the same person as he was. And there were many things about his life that he loved. And I want to honor him by talking about a few of those things. It's a fairly long list, and some of the same things that Sissy's talking about. And I'm sure all of you can add more stories we can talk about at the uh at the reception. Above all, Skip loved his family. His parents, Mrs. B and Daddy B. That's what we, that's what all of Skip's friends called them, and his two sisters, Kim and Sissy, and his many devoted nieces and nephews, and their children. During junior high school and high school, many of us felt that we were a part of the Bailey family. We hung out there and just had a marvelous time growing up during junior high school and high school years. Sissy, he truly loved you. He was grateful that you were his sister and took care of him and all of his appointments and everything that you had to do. Skip said, I mean, as Sissy said, he loved the Lord, his faith and this church, Guilford Park Presbyterian. Skip prayed every morning and every evening. And when we were at lunch, he said his prayers before we started to eat. He dearly loved his friends. He was fiercely loyal, generous to a fault, and would always do whatever he could to help people. He provided loans, a place to stay if a person needed it, and transportation to whoever was in need. And I'm sure several of you used his transportation services. He loved cats and dogs and was the owner of many, particularly cats over the years. Skip Sissy grew up as we did with a lot of cats in the Bailey household, and Skip had a lot of cats before he started loving dogs, also. He was able to say goodbye to his beloved golden retriever scout the day or the night before he passed away in the hospital. He loved the Tar Hills. He was a loyal friend no matter what kind of season they were having. He loved to travel and especially in the outdoors. As Sissy said, he hitchhiked all over the U.S. and Europe in his young adult life. He would often go to the beach and the mountains, and he took many backpacking and hiking trips out west. A few with me to Limble Gorge and to Rocky Mountain National Park, where we climbed Long's Peak, a 14,000-foot peak, and that was quite an accomplishment, but we loved it. And one trip in particular, where we hiked the Grand Canyon from the south rim to the north rim and back. He loved playing sports and watching sports. He was a good athlete in his day. We played so many basketball games over the years, high school, college, and after college. Mickey, I don't know how many basketball games we played, but there were many, many. I think on the first soccer team UNCG had. He loved his country. He loved the Marine Corps, and he was very proud of his service. He loved working for the Postal Service and loved being a mail carrier. In 34 years, he hardly missed a day of work. He loved his beer. He loved walking across the street to the Westerwood Tavern quite a few years and Lawdale Drive In, or referred to as LDI nowadays, and quite a few other bars around town. As Sissy said, he loved the Coliseum Cafe and the Oak Crest Family Restaurant. We met often with other friends at one of those two places for lunch once a month or so for years. And we all know he loved women. Couple of years ago, while we were eating lunch, he said, if I pass away, I want you to tell everybody how much I loved women. So I am. He loved women. I know you all have your own stories and memories of what Skip loved. For me, he was a true original. He was the most unique and authentic person I have ever known. He wasn't influenced by what other people thought about, how he should live, or what he should do. He lived life on his own terms and made a difference in the world. He was a very kind and good-hearted person, and in many ways was a great example and role model for all of us. Finally, Skip loved all of you. And when it was time for him to leave, he was ready, and he moved on with dignity and grace. Rest in peace, my friend. You are a part of who we are, and you will stay in our hearts forever. Love you, brother.

SPEAKER_04 37:02

Thank you, Rob. And lastly, uh Skip's niece. Excuse

A Niece’s Stories And One Joke

SPEAKER_04 37:09

me. Your name. Remind me. Okay, sorry. My apologies.

SPEAKER_01 37:20

Hey, y'all. I am Jenny Lechesky. I am Sissy's daughter, and I am one of Skip's nieces. His other niece Jessica is here. His nephew, my brother Benji, is here, and we are so happy that you all are here. I have been thinking a lot about how to describe my Uncle Skip. And the truth is, you guys know this, you really can't sum him up in one neatly packaged paragraph. He was the definition of a character in the very best, most unforgettable sense of the word. One of the stories I grew up hearing was from my second birthday and Christmas. My Uncle Skip gave me a stuffed panda bear. Somehow I named it Francely Pearl, and it became my favorite growing up that I still actually have to this day. And in true Skip fashion, he wrapped everything except the legs. And what two-year-old would see a half of a teddy bear hanging out of a gift and not go for that one first. Maybe he ran out of wrapping paper. Maybe he thought the panda needed a little allure and flair. We will never know. But that story has lived on because it captures him perfectly. A little mischievous, quirky, and often doing things in a way that made everyone laugh and shake their heads at the same time. As we have all mentioned, he loved a good joke. Sometimes mildly inappropriate, sometimes wildly inappropriate, always delivered with that big grin and the twinkle in his eye that told you he knew exactly what he was doing. Over the years, there were plenty of times I thought, oh mercy, where is this punchline headed? And are my little kids gonna repeat this? And if so, well I'll be getting a call from the principal's office on Monday. But even so, you couldn't help but laugh because it was so on brand for Skip, and his humor always came from a place of joy. And then there were the Christmas gifts, y'all. Our whole family looked forward to seeing what he would come up with each year. We have been gifted so many treasures: knuckle rings, dragon jewelry, re-gifted shoes with surprises in them, something sparkly, fancy rocks, knives, craft projects, unicorn blankets, always something uniquely creative and definitely unexpected. You never knew what direction his inspiration would take, and that became one of our favorite things we would all look forward to. The anticipation of the laughter, and there was always such generosity behind Skip's gift. We've already decided to keep that spirit alive this year in his honor by doing a Skip-themed gift exchange. He showed up for us too. He came to all of our family get-togethers. He was there when we needed him. He went to my brother's gigs, he danced, he cheered, he talked to everyone, and the man never met a stranger. Even after all you've heard that he went through, he still managed to live with this big, open-hearted energy that made people feel welcome. And he was kind. We're gonna miss that smile and the twinkle and the way he could turn an ordinary moment into something memorable. Sometimes sweet, sometimes surprising, sometimes a little questionable, but always unmistakably him. And the stories he left us, those stay and will always be a reminder to live life to its fullest with a little more curiosity, generosity, and heart. So, y'all, it would not be a proper get-together without a skip joke. Yes, ma'am. So I'm gonna tell you one that he has shared with my daughter, who's 15 now, but she knows it by heart. And honestly, after I am the I found his joke book, which I could not bring into church. Seriously. And I think I honestly, I think I know Brooke, I think he said this to Brooke so many times because it was one of the few clean ones that he actually knew. So I can't do a skip impression as good as my brother can, but do y'all want to hear a joke? What did the janitor say when he jumped out of the closet? Supplies. So, anyway, all of my family and I want to thank you so much for coming out today to celebrate the truly unique life of my uncle Skip. Thanks, guys.

SPEAKER_04 42:23

Thank you, Sissy and Ramab and Jenny.

Balm In Gilead And Psalm 23

SPEAKER_04 42:31

Friends, let us continue to receive the promises of Scripture with verses from the 14th chapter of John's Gospel, verses 1 through 6. Jesus said, Do not let your hearts be trembled. Believe in Gamud, believe also in many. And my Famad's Hammus there were many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I may go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I may am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going. Thomas said to him, Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way? And Jesus said to Thomas, I am the way, and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

unknown 43:29

Amen.

SPEAKER_04 43:33

So a few numbers before Skip transition from this life into the next, I had the privilege of standing in his hospital room at Cone with Sissy and his niece Jessica and her husband Lucas. And he really couldn't say much, and indeed there wasn't much that needed sending in that room. And so, rather than speak, we send. I pulled up my phone, I pulled up the lyrics to an old African American. American spiritual that Skip knew and that many of you here perhaps I'm sure know by heart if you want to sing it with me you can.

SPEAKER_03 44:08

It goes there is a ball in Gilead to make the wounded whole there is a ball in Gilead to heal the sin sick soul. I thought y'all might know it.

SPEAKER_04 44:33

I've carried that moment with me in the days since the privilege of singing those particular words with that uh particular character. Because if there is anyone who understood something about wounds and about the long road toward being made whole, it was Skip. You have heard today from those who knew him and loved him far longer than I, so I will only say this much. As you now know, Skip came home from Vietnam with two purple hearts and many other medals. The medals our nation pins on those who have been wounded in the line of duty. And like so many who served in that horrible war, Skip carried wounds that we could see and wounds that we could not. Wounds that for many years perhaps not even himself could bring himself to speak of. The world has a way of decorating our wounds, pinning ribbons on our pain, but there is a healing that no metal can give. The gospel makes a bold promise, bolder than any citation ever could. It promises to make the wounded whole. So that spiritual we sang by Skip's bedside that day a few weeks ago was born out of a question. A question from a prophet in the Bible named Jeremiah, who cried out from the depths of his despair. In Jeremiah, he says, Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician here? And for generations the faithful answered Jeremiah's anguished question with that very hymn, a defiant and hope-filled yes. The very people who first sang that song, enslaved and suffering, were well acquainted with grief, and they dared to declare the answer to that question. Yes, yes, there is a balm. Yes, there is a physician. Christ is the balm of Gilead, and the Spirit is that great physician, and there is healing enough in heaven to make every wounded soul whole. No earthly remedy can compare, not medicine, nor metals, nor even the relentless march of time. Only the love of God can do that, poured out like oil over a weary and beloved person, not like Skip. And here's what moves me the most about Skip. Long before that bomb was ever poured over him, he spent his life being a balm for others, as we have heard today. He provided food to his neighbors living with HIV and AIDS through the Triad Health Project in the years when many people would never want to touch folks with that disease. He opened the doors of his own home to people who had nowhere else to go, not as a charity project, but because I think that he knew in his body and in his own memory what it felt like to be vulnerable, to be in need, to depend on the grace and compassion of others. Skip lived his life with open hands. He understood that the grace given to him was a grace that meant to be passed along. Which brings me to Psalm 23 that we read together and a phrase that I find myself returning to again and again. If you've been to a funeral here with me over the past four years, you've heard this. We're used to hearing in that sixth verse of Psalm 23, surely in goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. But many scholars will tell you that that word follow is far too gentle a word for what the Hebrew actually says. The verb there is the very same verb in the Old Testament that describes one army pursuing another across a battlefield. It does not mean to trail politely behind. It means to chase or to hunt down or to pursue. Now, Skip understood pursuit. You don't walk in the jungles of Vietnam and not get what that means. So hear the good news of the gospel this day for a man like Skip, and indeed for all of us. All the days of his life, something was on Skip's trail. Not the enemy, not even death, but the goodness and the mercy of God and relentless pursuit, refusing to ever lose him. From the waters of his baptism to his birth in Durham, and then way across in the beach in California, and then eventually here to Greensboro, to this congregation in 1959, through a foxhole and through years that he struggled to speak of, through 34 years serving the post office, and a lifetime of quiet, stubborn generosity, God's goodness and mercy hunted Skip Bailey down. And friends, they caught him. They have caught him still. Goodness and mercy ran him down at the last. And what they have been driving him toward all along was home. Do not let your hearts be troubled, Jesus said. In my father's house there are many dwelling places, and I go to prepare a place for you. Skip knew about dwelling places. He spent his life making room in his own, at the table, on the couch, in the spare room for anyone who needed shelter. And so it is a particular and wonderful grace to proclaim today that the one who taught Skip to open his doors has now opened a door for Skip. The man who prepared a place for the stranger has now a place prepared for him. Amen indeed. And it is fitting that we send him home from here in this very room, in this sanctuary that was his home. Skip's family walked through these doors in 1959 when the mortar had barely yet dried in this sanctuary when he was a boy of about twelve. So this is not merely a place where we happen to be holding his funeral. This is the very house of God where long before long ago the waters of baptism marked Skip as Christ's own forever. We began our worship today at that font giving thanks for those waters, our own, but especially for Skip's, because everything that we dare to proclaim today flows from those waters. The same love that claimed Skip in the waters of his baptism is the love that hunted him down all his days, and a love that has now at last made the wounded whole. So we do not gather in despair as Jeremiah did. We gather to answer his ancient question one final time, with the very words that Skip himself must have sung multiple times in this very room, and that we sing together.

SPEAKER_03 51:34

There is a ball in Gilead to make the wounded whole.

Creed Prayers Hymn And Benediction

SPEAKER_04 52:15

Please join me. I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried. He descended into hell. The third day he rose again from the dead, he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen. As you remain standing as you're able, let us pray. O God, before whom generations rise and pass away. We praise you for all your servants who, having lived this life in faith, now live eternally with you. Especially we thank you for your servant Skip, whose baptism is now complete in death. We praise you for the gift of his life, for all in him that was good and kind and faithful, and for the grace you gave him, that kindled in him the love of your dear name and enabled him to serve you faithfully. We thank you that for Skip death is passed and pain ended, and that he has now entered the joy you have prepared through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Now please sing with me number thirty-nine in that pu purple pew hymnal, the hymn, Great is Thy Faithfulness. Acknowledge, we humbly pray, a sheep of your own fold, a lamb of your own flock, a sinner of your own redeeming. Receive him into the arms of your mercy, into the blessed rest of everlasting peace, and into the glorious company of the saints in light. Amen. Friends, the God of peace who brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ to make you complete in everything good, so that you may do God's will, working among us that which is pleasing in God's sight through Jesus Christ, to whom be all glory forever and ever. In the name of God, the Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer, may all of us, God's beloved children, say. Amen.