Correcting an Oversight

I have been remiss in failing to acknowledge the passing of Bishop Ellis Finger. He died at age 91 on May 25. Bishop Finger was the president of Millsaps College when, at the age of only 48, he was elected to the episcopacy in 1964. His first assignment was to lead the Nashville Area, comprised of the Tennessee and Memphis Annual Conferences. It was a time when giants walked the earth.
None of that mattered to me. When Bishop Finger came to Memphis, whether traveling alone or with Mrs. Finger, he stayed with my grandparents. Granddaddy was pastor of St. Luke's-then the largest Methodist church in Tennessee-when Bishop Finger came to us. Granddaddy was the leader of our Annual Conference, heading our delegation to General Conference four times, and standing for election as bishop at four Jurisdictional Conferences. He had chaired the Southeastern Jurisdiction Board of Christian Education at a time when we were still serious about Christian Education. A couple of years into his time with us, Bishop Finger appointed Granddaddy Superintendent of the Memphis-Shelby District. He had all of the Methodist (and later United Methodist) Churches outside of Parkway. Granddaddy held the political power in the cabinet; Bishop Finger ruled over the cabinet.
I didn't know he was a bishop. I didn't know what a bishop was. I just knew that when Mr. Ellis came to Memphis, and Grandmother and Granddaddy's house, he would get down in the floor with my brother and me, and play with us. Whether it was cars or blocks or little green plastic army men, he played with us. That made him a pretty neat guy in our book.
As I grew up, I learned that some of the people in our Conference had resented Bishop Finger. He was a strong Christian leader. He stood for social justice at a time when a lot of (white) people didn't want to hear it. He stood forcefully for what he believed in at a time when a lot of alleged leaders were ducking. That's why he and my grandfather were close. They were cut from the same cloth.
My last encounter with Bishop Finger came during Ernest Newman's tenure in the big chair. Newman invited the retired Bishop Finger to be our Annual Conference Preacher. His visit fell during the last Annual Conference that my grandfather was to attend. Granddaddy died the next winter. The old friends visited for several minutes before the service. It was a joyous reunion. After a time, we helped my grandfather to the seating area, and Bishop Finger moved into place on the platform. When we had moved through the service to time for the sermon, Bishop Finger moved to the pulpit, opened his Bible and laid out his manuscript, picked it back up, inserted it back into his Bible and closed it. "I need to say something before I begin the sermon," he told the room. "Jim Fisher is here tonight. When I was elected Bishop in 1964, I thought I knew everything I could ever need to know. After all, the Jurisdiction had just been wise enough to elect me. I came to the Memphis Conference, and discovered very quickly that I had no idea what I was doing. But that was alright. Because when I came to the Memphis Conference, I found Jim Fisher. Every new bishop needs a Jim Fisher. Because of his presence and friendship, I was able to learn the task and do the job. Jim, I am grateful for your leadership and friendship to this moment." With that, Bishop Finger reopened his Bible and took up his sermon. We all sat around my grandfather with tears of gratitude rolling down our faces.
I am thankful for the life of a great servant of the church, but even more, for a good and gracious man who never forgot one who helped him become the leader of the church that he was.