Remembering George Fletcher

Dear Friends,

I received a nice email from a fellow Presbyterian pastor with a tribute to Rev George Fletcher who served New Wappetaw as pastor and retired after Hurricane Hugo. I followed George here and remember going to the Presbyterian Home in Summerville with our choir to sing and visit with George. I think this tribute aptly describes George and wanted you to read it.

Because this is on social media I have removed the name of the writer who is also sending a memorial gift in honor of George. The letter follows:

Dear Dr. Fitze,

May I share a few memories of Rev. Fletcher? George was my pastor in Jackson, Kentucky where I moved as a new college graduate to teach high school. I had been a member of a Methodist Church in Indianapolis where I grew up, but was drawn by George’s preaching and by the fellowship of that small Kentucky congregation: Guerrant Memorial Presbyterian Church.

George became not only my pastor, but mentor and friend, introducing me to birds and wildflowers and scenic vistas in the mountains. He used to dye Easter eggs with natural dyes, and introduced me to the practice of sunrise services and the existence of Easter carols. He invited me to start a children’s choir. 

Next I spent a few years away in Iran, became interested in learning more about Christianity, and entered seminary for one year in Lexington, KY when I returned. Then I returned to Jackson for 3 more years. George recommended me for a grant from the PCUS that had been received for studying “the root causes of hunger in Appalachia.” I produced a paper on the subject, but it was George who guided me to the mountain folks with whom I talked and encouraged me in my work. 

I came under care of Transylvania Presbytery and left Jackson to do a year of social work and then entered Louisville Presbyterian Seminary full time. I served Presbyterian USA churches for 30 years — in Indiana, Florida, Missouri, and Louisiana. I retired in Baton Rouge 2013.

George Fletcher was so formative in my life. He always lifted up the imperative of mission in the church. He listened to my struggles as a new classroom teacher, deepened my love and appreciation for the world of God’s creation, for plants and birds and music, officiated at the baptism of my newborn son, and three years later listened to me in a painful time of the disintegration of my marriage. He offered me encouragement over the years and was truly a teaching elder.

I visited George once in McClellanville, sang in a Sunday service at New Wappetaw P.C. at his invitation, talked with him on the phone after a devastating flood, and visited him in the retirement home where he had the word “curmudgeon” taped to his door. I remember that he spoke of the wonder of camellias in the area. 

I don’t know if you knew George. I hope that there are some on the Session or in the congregation or the Presbytery who remember him, so feel free to share any of this with them. The attached photo is of George in his garden in Jackson, Kentucky. 

With gratitude,

from a friend of George Fletcher, who was a former minister at NWPC in McClellanville.

 

I help you are all having a great summer.

 

Blessings,

Mike