Covenanter Witness Vol. 53 - Rparchives.org

cified."so"servant."counted"Mr. Piper was a man of integrity, personalpiety with a grip on things that makes for uprightness. Among his admirable traits of character thefollowing would be but a partial list : faith in Christas his Lord and Master, humility in all his relationships, zeal in his devotion to the cause of Christ.We would not withhold a tribute of admirationin regard to his loyalty to the church of his earlytraining and choice. Mr. Piper retained his membership in the Covenanter Church until the end of hislife, even though the latter years of his ministrywere spent in the service of the Lord with anotherdenomination.We believe the Master has already said to him,"Well done thou good and faithfulW. 0. FergusonMEMORIAL REMARKS FOR R. W. PIPERToward the close of the career of the ApostlePaul, who sensed that his time of service would soonend, we hear him say: "I have fought a good fight, Ihave finished my course, I have kept the faith." Thisis true of Mr. Piper.When we think over his service to Christ and HisChurch, in our midst, we recall :That he loved to preach. He was "at home" in anypulpit that he occupied. His very deliveryshowedthat he truly enjoyed "breaking the bread of life."He preached in most of the local churches. He also,on many occasions, preached in the local penitentiary. He needed only to be askedand if he could,he would serve !He is to be remembered for his friendliness.Wherever he went, he had a radiant smile, a characteristic handshake and was friendly to all. He wasquick to say "Hello there" as he passed by.He believed in and practiced brotherhood. Regardless of denominational affiliation, each ministerwas "Brother so and to him. He thought of all as"Brethren in Christ."He was a happy Christian. R. W. Piper was nevera complainer. He was quick to hear your troubles andslow to talk about his own. His radiancy of spiritalways was paramount. He had the grace of contentment and always appeared to be happy.He was a courageous Christian. You always knewthat he would take a stand for the right. He waswilling to "Stand up and be even if itmeant hardship.He was a good Pastor. He was especially faithfulto the sick and the shutins. He was a great walker.So much so, wherever he went in town, that some ofus thought of him as a "walking ambassador forChrist."He was a solid preacher. His sermons were allbased in and on the Scriptures. He was true to theWord. He did indeed "Preach Christ and Him CruIt has been said that no man, in his ministry,has failed who has pointed to Christ and the Bible.R. W. Piper did that always. We believe our Lord has!"said to him : "Well done, good and faithful servantSome imbed their footprints in concrete whichsoon hardens like stone. Some place theirs in mudwhich endures for a season. Some put theirs in thesand which keeps the mould until the wind and waveerase them. The impressions that R. W. Piper madein this life are in the hearts of the people he served,they are known to God, and will endure for Eternity !104Rev. Roy M. Shoaf, wrote the above, rathermade these remarks at a memorial service.My dear Mrs. Piper:The following transcript of a Memorial Resolution was read, adopted, copies ordered filed, and onesent to vou:IN MEMORIAMThe Reverend Robert W. Piper, D.D., MinisterThe Church-Industry Group of Moundsville,Marshall County, West Virginia, express profoundsorrow at the sudden loss of Dr. Robert W. Piper.As one of our members, he had helped give thisGroup its unique character an assemblage wheremen of Religion and men of other walks meet toshare view-points and burdens.In fact he himself was an example of translatingChristian teachings into action, and our Communityis better and cleaner because of his long Ministryamong us.We will miss too, his radiant cheerfulness, andhis faithfulness at our meetings.And so the Church-Industry Group has adoptedthis 3rd day of May, 1954 that this expression of oursympathy be made a part of the Minutes, and thata copy be sent, with our personal sympathies, to Mrs.Piper and Family.Respectfully submitted.Samuel C. ShawS. Charles JonesChairman of the Committee SecretaryRESOLUTIONS OF RESPECT."Be it resolved by the Session and Congregationof the First United Presbyterian Church of Moundsville, West Virginia, that"Whereas, Almighty God has seen fit to call toHis eternal home and reward a sincere and faithfulservant, who dedicated his life and used it in its entirety for the building of God's Kingdom here onearth, and a Shepherd to all, Rev. Robert W. Piper onMarch 21, 1954 ended his sojourn on earth andmoved on to higher service with God, and"Whereas, when he came to Moundsville, WestVirginia, ten years ago to serve as pastor of theUnited Presbyterian Church, he was a stranger toall, but through his Christian life, and Christianfaith, which he lived day by day, he became knownnot only to his congregation, but to all citizens as aminister of the Gospel and an esteemed citizen whowas interested in all civic moves which were goodand for the benefit of the people, and"Whereas, he served and shepherded his congregation, preaching the gospel as it is set forth inGod's Word, The Bible, and"Whereas, he served at the bedside of the sick,took the message to those who were in prison,brought comfort to those who mourned, always forgetting self that others might profit in the light ofthe Spirit, and,"Whereas, the greatest honor in memory ofhim, (we who are left behind can bestow) as amemorial to him is to say "He was a great man, aman of God."be it resolved that we the SesNow therefore,sion and Congregation of the First United Presbyterian Church of Moundsville, West Virginia, takethis means of expressing our sorrow at our loss andour sympathy to his bereaved family, and be it fur-THE COVENANTER WITNESS