FOR THOSE UNABLE TO BE WITH US THIS IS THE BASIS OF THE FUNERAL SERVICE FOR MALCOLM MARTINDALE.

Order of Service.

Conducted by The Rev Andie Camper Minister of Westgate Unitarian Chapel Lewes

Introit

Welcoming words and introduction

Welcome! “I light a candle, see its flame burns brightly, may its light remind us of the light that we have shared with Malcolm in life as we meet today”!

We meet today with sorrow in our hearts, We meet also in thankfulness. We come with grief because one we love is no more among us. We come also in gratitude,in praise, in tribute to the life of Malcolm Martindale.

We come in sorrow, confronting the fact that life ends, the only certainty to follow birth and a journey of life is that at some point a life will end here on earth.

In Malcolms journey of life and love he touched our hearts in so many individual ways that we gather today to collectively say good bye to his life and love among us.

The love of a human heart is the most beautiful and real of all that we can know in life. It is the richest of gifts that we have to love and to be loved, and when someone has lived their love continues, for we all carry that love on our respective journeys, it is a very part of all human life to live and to love.

Whoever Malcolm was to you, brother,  friend, or neighbor his love brings us here today as his family. Malcolm considered us all his family and loved us all.

Let us give thanks and pay tribute to him in this time together...Let it be so...

We stand to sing a hymn, one that reflects the theme of Gods purpose in Nature something Malcolm believed in. Something that he also worked tirelessly to show ..a melody of love..

Hymn

God speaks to us in bird and song,
In winds that drift the clouds along,
Above the din and toil of wrong,
A melody of love.

God speaks to us in far and near,
In peace of home and friends most dear,
From the dim past and present clear,
A melody of love.

God speaks to us in darkest night,
By quiet ways through mornings bright,
When shadows fall with evening light,
A melody of love.

O Voice divine, speak Thou to me,
Beyond the earth, beyond the sea,
First let me hear, then sing to Thee,
A melody of love.

An open time for tributes to Malcolm.

A led Meditation followed by a period of Silence

Let us join in a time of meditative thoughts and prayers, let us first reflect on what people have said.

Concentrate on the light still burning reflecting the light that Malcolm brought to us all and to many others in his life.

Those who were cheered by his personality, his unique way of greeting when we met, give thanks for those times. Treasure them, the memories will continue in our lives enriched.

Think also of those who he worked often tirelessly to help, Like the victims of torture he spent much of his life trying to raise funds for. His enthusiasm encourages us to do more for others.

Malcolm tried his best to reflect his belief in compassion for humanity, his belief was found in a Universal need for humanity to show love and compassion. Here he found what some may term God, witnessed in the beauty of the world and the very best of humanity reflecting that beauty. He so often said God Bless, and yes whatever God is we were blessed in Malcolm.

Looking deep within ourselves and in the company of others here, let us allow ourselves to find the strength we need to move on treasuring what we have each gained from our journey of life and the encounters we have had, with Malcolm.

Hold onto the memories, do not try to forget them but let them become treasured items, in your minds eye pick them up and hold them in silence... they are your gift from Malcolm.

Choir, Swing Low Sweet Chariot...

“The road not taken” by Robert Frost read by Eileen Weild

Short Address

Malcie, as he was affectionately known by his family, or Mad Malcolm as he sometimes liked to be known as by his friends is going to be missed. Especially by my postman and probably your postman and in fact postmen around the world, they will heave a sigh of relief to not have to try and decipher his addresses. I know Rottingdean sorting office will be less profitable now letters addressed to me without a stamp do not need paying for. I suspect a lot of post offices will not be able to charge now.

In turn many of us will miss Malcolm s correspondence that took as much working out as the times crossword puzzle.

Malcie or Mad Malcolm is irreplaceable but that does not mean we did not love him.

Clive his brother was 4yrs older than Malcolm and as a child remembers his brother being very different to himself, a country lad who was often scrumping apples and knocking on peoples doors and running away, along with tree climbing and the countless other things most country lads did like helping with the harvest and later going to things like Rock and Roll clubs..None of this involved Malcie who was not allowed to go along with his big brother. Clive's most treasured memory of Malcie was seeing him return from hospital in a taxi and saying to his mother, “bless his little head”, something that was remembered by the family, his mother and his sister Marlene. Malcie as a child was of a more studious nature, he was also plainly not good with his hands so unlike Clive did not help his father who was a carpenter and joiner. Malcie was very different to Clive his older brother who left home at 15, not returning until much later in life and then getting to know Malcie as an adult not a child. As a child Malcie was I believe in a church choir, and he loved to hear choirs, often going to Chichester Cathedral later in life to hear the boys choir. He especially loved Welsh choirs, and enjoyed choral music most of all.

As an adult Clive and his sister along with all his family were very fond of Malcie, who had grown up to be a very independent character. Whenever Clive met him Malcie always started conversations with a joke or two, something most of us will recall. Malcie or mad Malcolm had an acute sense of humor known I suspect to us all. Clive and his sister Marlene much enjoyed his company, and were fond of his unique personality. Clive remembers giving Malcie advise on matters and Malcie saying, “yes I WILL do that Clive” then not doing it. Others family members remember Malcie saying in no uncertain terms their advice was not needed and saying to them “Ill do what I WANT to do”.

I suspect most of us can identify with the family on their memories of our Mad Malcolm, although to Malcolm his friends were as equally his family.

Malcolm was known to us all his family and his heart towards each one of us was generous and he loved to give, often beyond his means and you could not out give Malcolm. I gave him a 3 piece suite a year or so ago. I said I don't want anything for it just glad to give it to you, but Malcolm insisted on giving me money. One or two charities benefited when his cheques did not bounce..”Bless his little head “ might fit with that as well.

Charities as we know were Malcolm's life, he was forever raising money for things something he believed in doing and devoted much of his life to. His compassion and love for humanity brought out the very best in his unique personality. His charities were in particular “The medical foundation for victims of torture”now known as “Freedom from Torture”. But he also supported countless others including the Samaritans, Amnesty and I have to say in the list Westgate Unitarian Chapel Lewes that we shared a longing to see keep going. Mad Malcolm had parties, on his birthday for charity, he held afternoon teas in his garden with his former partner Wallace, and continued to invite people to things all for charity. He often had a stall selling bric a brack and collected on church entrances for his charities. He organized street collections as well, sold Christmas cards all for charity.

Those of us who knew and loved him saw past his exterior that was not always very tidy, we knew him and respected him although others mistook him. Once in his haphazard way of collecting he emptied one of his charity tins into his pocket and seen by someone who did not know him the police were called. There was no dishonesty here, just our “Mad Malcolm” and fortunately enough people who knew him were around to vouch for him.

Malcolm had a way of doing things and thinking about things that was unique and equally lovable.

He was a very lovable guy, he is going to be missed at Westgate and Ralph and Esther are sad to not be here today as are other members of our congregation. We will always remember his being with us, his habit of bringing us fairtrade bananas and giving them to people after the service! Also his willingness to support our partner congregation in the Philippians in their work to help the many poor children go to school, for which we raised funds last Christmas.

A lot of people are going to miss Malcie, his brother sister and all the other members of his natural family.. He often as I have mentioned said God bless, and we were indeed blessed in his life.

We were all family to Malcolm and he was someone we all loved and our next hymn was one of Malcolms favourites, with its welsh tune, something he loved. But more importantly its sentiment which sums up his life’s best pattern he tried so hard to bear witness to.

Words of good bye to Malcolm..

Will people please stand!

We would fashion from our grief and sadness a song of praise to the goodness of life, that our love for Malcolm may be witnessed, renewed and strengthened in our love for others..

Hymn

For the healing of the nations,
Lord, we pray with one accord:
For a just and equal sharing
of the things that earth affords.
To a life of love in action
Help us rise and pledge our word.

Help us rise and pledge our word.

Lead us ever into freedom,
from despair your world release,
that, redeemed from war and hatred,
all may come and go in peace.
Show us how through care and goodness
fear will die and hope increase.

Fear will die and hope increase.

All that kills abundant living,
let it from the earth depart:
Pride of status, race or schooling,
dogmas keeping us apart.

May our common quest for justice

Be our brief life's hallowed art,

Be our brief life's hallowed art.

Closing words.

SO may we be part of the worlds light and not its darkness, its faith and not its fear, its love and not its hate, so we may know in new and deeper ways that we are members of one another.

Let the horizon of our minds include the great family here on earth with us; those who have gone before and left us the heritage of their memory shaped by their work; and those whose lives will be shaped by what we do or leave undone!

Amen..