REMEMBERING


JOHN STONER A lifelong member reflects on the legacy of FPCA’s longest-serving pastor BY JANET NEY


John Stoner began his ministry at First Presbyterian in 1958; that ministry lasted 30 years. His was the longest pastorate in our church’s 187-year history. He had a rich life of service to the church and to the community, where he served on a number of local boards. In retirement, as pastor emeritus, he and his wife, Mary, continued to be a part of the life of the church.


During his active years of ministry, I admired John as an awesome presence in the pulpit, to be sure, but I didn’t get to know him personally until his retirement years. After he retired from the staff of First Presbyterian, John continued to attend meetings of Lehigh Presbytery; it was there that I enjoyed a closer relationship with him. I found that on most matters, John and I agreed and our voting records were similar. On one occasion, however, I voted the “wrong way.” John commented on my departure from consistency. I was embarrassed to disappoint him, but ...


I also spent some pleasant evenings in John’s company playing bridge with the church group. He was an avid competitor with a disciplined mind for the game. He was not reticent in his criticism of a mistake in play— just like at a Presbytery meeting.


Perhaps most of all, I remember John’s presence in the pulpit. He was a great preacher. It always seemed to me that he approached a sermon text as if it was a mathematical problem. He had studied mathematics in college and applied his logical mind to the scripture at hand. Beginning almost casually, he chewed at the “problem” until he came to a satisfactory solution. I looked forward to an “aha” moment with every sermon.


Later, I learned that his approach to preaching was a reflection of John’s own struggle with his beliefs and his reaction to what he saw in the world. John was in the Army during World War II and was wounded at the Battle of the Bulge. Te evil of Nazism left a lasting impression on his thinking.


John Stoner (with his wife, Mary) served First Presbyterian Church of Allentown for 30 years.


I remember that he took a mission trip to Ecuador that disturbed him because of the poverty that he saw. At the same time, he was deeply moved by the generosity of the people he met. Tat experience reinforced his long-held devotion to social justice. He longed for the church to do more to combat hunger, injustice, poverty, and war.


My most significant memory of John was his frequent reference to Romans 8:38-39: “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”


Speaking calmly but with earnest conviction, John imparted an assurance of God’s love for us all that was at the heart of his belief and his life. In my mind, I can still hear him say these words. In fact, even when others speak them, I hear John’s voice.


John showed us that while we struggle with doubt and uncertainty, his legacy is his conviction that God’s love is enduring, encompassing, and able to overcome any challenges.


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