Reginald Bailey Funeral
1. Prelude – Anointed Gates Praise Band
2. Processional
a. Family members march into the sanctuary
3. Welcome – Larry A. Pozza
a. I would like to welcome you this morning to the memorial service of Reginald Dwayne Bailey affectionately known as Pastor Reggie.
b. The goal last night was to praise God for our beloved brother Reggie. I have found in the course of my lifetime that there are three things that we need in a time of grief – we need to keep praising the Lord, we need perspective and we need people.
i. It is my goal to help bring some perspective on the life and work of Reggie, on our own mortality and the hope that enables us to carry on.
c. Pastor Reggie was a dear friend and colleague. I was supposedly his pastor and mentor. In many ways, he was mine. He opened a whole new world to me.
i. It started in a class that his dear wife Renee took that I was teaching. In September 1998 there began a friendship that merged within my spirit with the Baileys. It developed into the souls of two congregations co-mingling in the work of Christ.
ii. I will be forever grateful that the Lord brought Reggie and Renee into my life. There is a collective sorrow among us in the loss that we bear yet we rejoice that the Lord has brought Reggie into his presence.
iii. This is a sacred moment. It is sacred because we honor the life of a wonderful man of God. It is also sacred because we come face to face with the temporary nature of life here on earth. All of us need to recognize this sacredness and honor his memory by reflecting on his life and the existence of eternal life after his departure.
iv. No service could ever possibly do justice to the entire life of love and service of Pastor Reggie. Every person who interacted with him carries with him or her memories, or an imprint of what he was like. For me Reggie was always smiling, full of energy and often seemed like a circus performer trying to keep all the balls in the air.
v. He did too many things and too many acts of loving service to encapsulate all of it in one memorial service. We will try to hit some of the highlights.
vi. We have gathered to say farewell but also to draw comfort from the word of God. As the Psalmist says in 116:15 – “precious in the sight of the Lord are the death of his saints”. We also want to hear from God in this hour.
vii. One of Reggie’s favorite Scripture passages was the 91st Psalm.
We are gathered here this morning to find shelter in the shadow of the Almighty.
Over the last several weeks as we sensed that Reggie’s body was shutting down in his battle with cancer, a phrase kept running though my mind: I am now ready”. (2 Timothy 4:6). The words of the Apostle Paul, recorded from his prison cell, could have been spoken by Reggie:
“For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing”.
In these words, spoken at the doorstep of eternity, the apostle Paul says “I am now ready”. He wasn’t always ready and wasn’t born ready. He became ready”. So did Reggie. Only God can help us get past our fear of death to embrace the assurance of eternal life.
As we watched Reggie’s battle with the horrendous illness, we are glad that while illness can claim our body, it cannot touch the soul.
We gather in the hope of Jesus this morning knowing that “to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord” The Lord brings his own to his breast and it is there that the Christian is blest with no more pain, no more sorrow and no more sin.
Reggie has been set free this morning from those things that we will still battle in our remaining time on earth.
4. Opening Prayer
5. Snapshot
a. Reginald D. Bailey, senior pastor of Anointed Gates Church in Cleveland passed away on Saturday May 12, 2007 after a lengthy battle with cancer.
b. He was born to Frances Bailey on October 30, 1958 in Chattanooga, Tennessee where he spent his early years. His love for the church began at the age of 8 with a tamborine in his hand. He moved to New York in 1968.
i. Reggie was educated in the New York school system including New York Military Academy, Cornwall on the Hudson.
ii. He graduated from Lynnbrook Academy in Long Island, New York.
He was a member of the swim team and showed great equestrian skills, receiving awards in the steeplechase.
iii. Reggie received his bachelor’s degree from Cleveland State University in 1981 where he, also, was on the swim team. He started a masters program prior to his calling to the ministry.
c. Reggie held a variety of positions over his lifetime. He was an entrepreneur.
i. He started his own DJ business. He was a music producer, worked in graphic arts and produced the first commercial for Standard Oil.
ii. He directed and produced children’s programs for WVIZ, working with the renowed Betty Coop.
iii. He held the position of manager, northeast division with the Sun Messenger Newspapers prior to expanding his entrepreneurship into the homeless ministry in 1995.
There is nothing that touched the heart of Reggie more than the homeless in the city.
Perhaps that is why there is another Psalm that was the passion in his soul.
6. Opening Scripture
Psalm 41
Reggie and Renee took the love for the least of these to a whole new level. They started a family home to minister to the needs of individuals in 1997.
He established R & R Enterprises that took homes in foreclosure and in need of repair to renovate the properties not just to make a living but also to provide affordable housing to needy people.
One such person is a member of my congregation. Reggie came to the aid of lady who was going through a divorce and without sufficient means to own her own place. Reggie and his team came to the aid of this individual, finding a house in the community, refurbishing the property and selling with very little commission.
That is the way Reggie was. He took great pride in ministering such organizations as Harvest Ministries and the sub ministry of Anointed Gates called Grace and Mercy.
Reggie has ministered to thousands of people over the years providing clothing and meals and spiritual direction.
As Erieside Church became partners with Anointed Gates, we had the privilege of providing many of the clothes that were used at the Thanksgiving and Summer Outreach.
Reggie used his ingenuity to seek sponsorship for these events through many of the local vendors.
Reggie had a greater love than his outreach. It was his family. He was always concerned about their welfare, wisdom and direction of life.
The family of Reggie began with marriage to the beautiful Renee Carpenter on September 10, 1988.
Their family grew with the birth of two lovely daughters, Kristian and Chelsea. He took great pride in talking about his family.
He wanted them to have the very best. This desire brought the Bailey family to Willoughby, OH several years ago. I had the privilege of having them live seven homes down the street from us.
To the immediate family and to the extended family we extend our deepest sympathies. In addition to the Bailey ladies, Reggie is survived by his mother Frances, his devoted in-laws, Mr. and Mrs. Richard Carpenter and numerous relatives and friends.
Of course we cannot forget that knit within his heart are all the folks at Anointed Gates. You were his passion. Anointed Gates began on October 3, 1999 in the Shore Cultural Center in Euclid.
Through several years of perseverance and passion, Reggie found the piece of property that we at this morning.
The Anointed Gates campus was purchased in November 2004 and a dedication service was held on March 18, 2005.
Reggie and I would have monthly mentoring sessions to think about the ministry and the vision God was planting in his heart for this place.
This vision still lives on today. You are the legacy of Reggie’s love and passion.
I would like to have the Anointed Gates Praise Team come and share with us at this time.
7. Hymn/Songs – Praise Band
8. The Family Remembers
Reggie was deeply connected to the community. His passion for the streets of this neighborhood are reflected in the relationships he developed.
Special speakers
Open floor testimonies
9. Conversion
Reggie came to know Christ as his personal Savior at an early age. He dedicated his life to Christ in 1991, felt the calling of God on his life and entered into the ministry in 1999.
God kept opening circles of influence for Reggie and Renee. As a way of sharing the Word of God with a wider audience, a radio ministry at WJMO began in 2002.
10. Song/Special Music
11. Sermon Scripture – 2 Timothy 4:1-8
12. Sermon – Viewing Life in Three Lenses
a. That is Reggie’s story. He became ready to depart. The energy and passion of Reggie was encased in the tomb of a terminal illness in the last few months. In the times I had to visit with him, he was not very vocal. He acknowledged my presence but was too weak to express himself. How unlike Reggie. He was always vocal and expressive. Since the illness, he could not speak. He was alert enough to recognize people when they entered the room. In recent weeks, his ability to stay focused began to close in on him.
b. In those moments, he was ready to cross the threshold into the arms of Jesus. Rewind with me a few months. Imagine if Reggie could sing his swan song to us.
c. As I think of Reggie’s life, I think of the past, the present and the future. All of our lives are focused in these three tenses.
i. The past – I am unworthy (1 Timothy 1:12-16)
I think of the many things that Reggie went through over the course of his life. He had his challenges along the way. I remember at the outreach, he would give testimony to the mistakes he had made along the way. They are the same mistakes that we all make when we are not walking with the one who made us.
One night in the past everything changed. Reggie came to know Christ as his personal Lord and Savior. The power of God came into his life and he was a changed man, just like the Apostle Paul.
God began a marvelous journey that night. It would be a journey that would change his whole life. He became a new creation in Christ and started to grow. He left behind the past and started into the present. Every moment of every day was a chance for him to love people and serve the Lord.
What did Reggie do with this gift of eternal life and renewed hope? He inscribed in the pages of yesterday a litany of loving acts.
All of us have a certain number of pages in the book of our lives. As each day closes another page turns. What we have done on the pages of the book of our lives is then closed. We cannot go back to yesterday. We can only move on to tomorrow. The present is full of promise. It is full of potential and the presence of God. Do we sense his presence with us each day? Do we sense that each day is a precious investment of our lives? Eventually the past will take us to today.
The past was filled with an amazing accomplishment. What did Reggie do in the past:
a. He gave freely as he had received.
b. He preached the Word in season and out of season, just like the Apostle Paul.
c. He faithfully carried out his duties as a pastor.
i. He was a visionary. He knew what needed to happen next. Whether it was the purchase of a van, land or a playground, he knew what needed to happen next.
ii. He kept persevering
iii. He took the job of being a shepherd seriously:
he had the business sense of a CEO
the vision of an entrepreneur
the communication skills of an orator
the insight of a counselor
the mechanical touch of a repairman
the energy level of an athlete
the diplomacy of an ambassador
the fortitude to stand strong in the face of criticism
the voice of a prophet calling people to come to Christ while there is still time
the priority to keep God and his family first
He loved life. I will always remember when we had a joint-baptism service together he baptized himself under the water and danced in the aisle.
Even in his illness, he retained his sense of humor.
When the nurses were bugging him with questions, Reggie where are you. He jabbed back – the Ghetto. What is funny is that he was in Parma at the time.
He often said “I wish somebody’s soul would catch on fire. Me too Reggie.
ii. The present - I am now ready
1. From Paul’s prison cell again, we learn not just about his past – what he had been through – but also about the present – what he was going through. In verse 6, Paul said, “I am now ready to be offered and the time of my departure is at hand” (2 Timothy 4:6).
a. In the last time I visited him in the hospital, he was thirsty. He asked for a drink of water. I went over to the nurse and asked if he could have a drink. She came and told him that he could only have his mouth swabbed with a wet sponge for fear of choking. She then said, as soon as you go home, you can have as much water as you want.
b. He looked over to me and threw his hands in
the air as if you say “can’t I get a drink of water”.
c. He is now drinking fully in the presence of the one who said “if anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him (John 7:37).
d. He is not only drinking in the presence of Jesus now, but his cup overflows to us showing us how to live and how to die.
e. His picture is now hung in the gallery of those who are in the Hall of Fame of Faith.
2. For a tentmaker, Paul’s words were picturesque. No doubt a craftsman who had frequently sewn tents for the Roman army, Paul used a military term of the trade: “the time of my departure (the breaking of camp) is at hand”. Paul sensed that the Commander in Chief was about to give orders “break camp”. This body in which he lived, this human address, this shell of a tent was about to become empty, quiet, still and lifeless.
3. The one who had lived in that tent – the historical Apostle Paul, the one who laughed and loved and cried and played – was about to travel. The outer Paul, the part people saw – the skin, the hair, the eyes, was about to be lovingly packed away and buried. The true Paul – the soul or spirit – was about to take its final assignment. This assignment was to come home.
4. After soldiers have served their superior, they are given leave. They are able to go home. Reggie went home to be with the Lord. He lived by the motto – to live is Christ and to die is gain. Last week God said, “pack it up Reggie and come home. Join me in a land where there is no sorrow, tears, darkness or death (Revelation 21:4; 22:5).
iii. The Future – I am now crowned with fullness and righteousness
1. The past, the present and the future. What had Jesus been through? What was he going through? And what did he have to look forward to? In verse 8 Paul lifted his eyes to the horizon: there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness. Amazingly, Paul the one who called himself the chief of sinners, looked forward to a crown, not a metal crown, but an aurora of righteousness. He looked forward to wearing of a robe of rightness – not of his own doing – but made available through the person of Christ.
2. Christ, the king of Righteousness, had donated a deposit of righteousness into Paul’s account on the cross: the potential for full forgiveness through faith. According to verse 8 of 2 Timothy 4, Christ would soon donate in final measure the full investment of His righteousness on the day of His appearing.
3. It is a life worth dying for. In the text Paul sets before us the idea that it is possible to live life in this present world in such a manner that it will result in a life worth dying for. Most of us are familiar with the phrase “a life worth living”. We know that phrase, we hear it, and perhaps use it frequently. We are not familiar with the phrase “a life worth dying for”. In the home going of our dear friend Reggie, I want to suggest to you that a life lived well results in a future worth dying for. REGGIE SERVED HIS LORD WITH ALL OF HIS LIFE. JESUS PROMISED TO GIVE HIM ETERNAL LIFE. NOT THAT IS WORTH DYING FOR.
4. A LIFE WORTH DYING FOR IS A TRANSITION FROM THIS WORLD TO THE NEXT. It is not the trip itself that is important but the destination. There is the presence of the Lord and there is life that we have not yet tasted. Face to face in all of His glory, the Lord will say to all of us who love him, “well done, good and faithful servant”.
Conclusion
1. There is no one but the Lord Jesus that can take care of the past, the present and the future. He can forgive the past, give purpose to the present and guarantee eternal life for the future.
2. REGGIE still speaks today but not in words. He speaks through the memory pages of his life that we can review again and again. Reflect on them often.
3. Is your name written in the book of life? Are you ready to meet the Lord? Will your life be a memory page for others to reflect upon?
a. As we reflect upon Reggie’s life we can see he had a dramatic conversion, he became a dedicated servant, a devoted prayer warrior, a devout friend, a home grown missionary and a beloved father, friend and mentor.
4. When you get to heaven and look for Reggie, look for Lord Jesus first – Reggie will be the one that is bowed in worship with his crown of righteousness at his feet.
13. Solo/Special Music
14. Prayers of Thanksgiving
15. The Lord’s Prayer
Graveside Service
Reginald Bailey
May 22, 2007, Lakeview Cemetery
Introduction
A. Thank you for coming to this committal service for Reggie Bailey. The passing of our loved ones and friends is always a great loss and a sad occasion. But for those who know the Lord, there is a loss that still has hope. There is a peace in our souls because our loved one is in the presence of the One who has loved and saved them. Our loss, therefore, which is their gain, can also be for us a cause of rejoicing and thankfulness in the midst of our sorrow because God has conquered death through His Son, Jesus Christ, and because of what death means to those who have placed their trust in Jesus Christ.
B. We gather here to claim memories that are forever sacred as a gift of God. We are supported by a faith stronger than death, sustained by the hope that life extends eternally beyond this place. Within that confidence, we gather here to commit all that is mortal of Reginald Bailey to this resting place, surrounded by the handiwork of God in nature, yet aware that we have a resting place not made with hands but by God Eternal in the heavens.
It is not by choice that we gather in this chapel hallowed by the sacred memory of its inhabitants. The monuments are only symbols of the affection of surviving friends. The absence of the souls of these inhabitants is but a monument to a loving and life-giving God. As we offer the body of our beloved sister we are reminded that there is life immortal that shall indeed survive the grave. We now commit this one to the arms of a God who gives life that never ends.
II. Scripture Reading
John 14:1-7, 1 Thessalonians 4:12-18
III. Sermon
The writer Annie Dillard tells the story of a moth she once observed circling the flame of a candle. The moth loved the light so much that it circled closer and closer until it actually caught fire. It fell onto the top of the candle and burned to death, flaming brightly as it died.
There are certain people we encounter in the church who are like this moth. They love Jesus Christ, the Light of the World. They love this light so much that they spend their lives circling it. When they die, they become part of this light, and even in death they share this light with others.
Reggie Bailey was one of these people. He loved the Lord, and served him faithfully. As a devoted church leader, Reggie gave of himself without reservation. He demanded nothing of the church except that it be a place where he could love and serve Christ. He circled the light, and now, even in death, he shares the light with others. There was so much about his life that will continue to inspire those of us who had the privilege of knowing him. He was a man who followed the commandment of Jesus to "let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:16).
Reggie will be remembered, with thanksgiving, in many ways. We will mention many of these items this afternoon. For now I remind you that he was a man who cared deeply about people: his family, his friends, his neighbors, his fellow church members. We should thank God for the special qualities that he had, qualities that touched our lives in so many ways.
IV. Committal of the Body
For as much as it pleased Almighty God to take to himself the soul of Reginald Bailey, we offer the body to this place prepared for it, that ashes may return to ashes, dust to dust and the imperishable spirit may forever be with the Lord.
V. Prayer
Our Heavenly Father, at a time when we are acutely aware of the death of a loved one, we thank You for Your living presence with us. Your unfailing companionship with us gives us comfort for today and courage for tomorrow.
In Your Son, Jesus Christ, You have revealed Yourself as a God of grace and glory. Through His life we have been blessed. Through His death we have been redeemed. Through His resurrection, we have been filled with vibrant hope.
In our sorrow, help us to look to the risen Christ. Help us to truly believe that what You did for Him You will also do for us. You raised Him the dead to give Him eternal life. Remind us that You have promised eternal life to a11 who believe in You through faith in Your Son. On this difficult day, lead each of us to a deeper level of resurrection faith.
We pray especially for the grieving family. May they feel your comforting presence with them and know your perfect peace within them. May they experience the reality of your sustaining strength. May they realize our love for them and be encouraged through our prayers for them each day.
This we pray in Jesus name. Amen.
