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..