By the time the celebration of life for Rev. Dr. Sammie Earl Jones began on Saturday, February 28, every pew, every aisle, and every corner of the church he pastored for 43 years held someone who had come to say thank you. Thank you for the sermons. Thank you for the counsel. Thank you for the leadership. Thank you for the love. And as the choir lifted its voices and the congregation settled into the familiar cadence of a homegoing, one sentiment rose above the rest: This is exactly how he would have wanted it.
People had come from California to New York to honor him. They came because he baptized them, married them, buried their loved ones, counseled them through heartbreak, or simply believed in them when they didn’t believe in themselves.
Rev. Jones died on February 9 at the age of 76, leaving behind a legacy that stretched far beyond the walls of Mt. Zion. But on this morning, the warmth he carried through life settled over the sanctuary. The service held both the weight of loss and the joy of a life lived with purpose…