I thought typing out another obituary or two, though not of young ministers, might be a handy way of avoiding my sermon. This is from the 1904 UGC Trustees annual report.
Rev. James H. Park, of Gratis, Georgia, [a locale west of Athens — SW/BitB] died at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Julia Thurman, at Flintstone, Georgia, November 26, 1903, aged seventy-four.
Mr. Park’s early ministry was among the Missionary Baptists, but for the last forty-three years of his life he was unselfishly active in the ministry of the Universalist Church. Dr. Shinn, who knew him intimately, says of him: “He preached because he loved to, not for money. I doubt he every received a salary that would amount to $300 a year, yet he preached in Georgia, Alabama, and South Carolina, going long distances, answering every call. He was one of the most unselfish men I knew. Many a time he went without the comforts of life to help others. He was content to live in a humble way, if only he could be an instrument in building up the faith he loved. His heart was all aglow with this faith, and he wanted others to have its beautiful consolations. When he spoke of his Father’s love for sinful man, his eyes would suffuse with tears. He was a warm, emotional preacher, consequently loved by all. He might have been called the Love Minister of the South.”
