REMEMBERING CARL GUINEY

"Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints." (Psalm 166:15)

Yesterday, I received word that the Rev. Carl Guiney passed away (or "went home to be with the Lord" as we evangelicals like to say) this weekend. I mentioned in my last blog post that David Wilkerson was famous in evangelical and charismatic Christian circles. Outside of the Assemblies of God in southern New England, I suppose few people would know who Carl Guiney was. I want to share a bit about Carl Guiney here.

I remember Carl Guiney almost always having a big smile on his face. He was light complected, somewhat short of stature, mild-mannered, and at least thirteen years older than I am. At the time Carl Guiney graduated from Central Bible College in the mid-1960s, Rhode Island was the only state in which there were NO Assemblies of God churches. Carl Guiney felt a definite call of God to New England and planned to start a church in Rhode Island. He "pioneered" First Assembly of God of Wooksocket, Rhode Island which he pastored for around forty years. Sadly, three years ago, Pastor Guiney was diagnosed with brain cancer and around two years ago, due to his health issues, he stepped down from his pastoral duties at the Woonsocket church. I know this next part may be somewhat confusing to readers who are outside of the Assemblies of God, but we are divided into approximately fifty Districts nationally. Each of the Districts is divided into several Sections. A pastor called a "Sectional Presbyter" is put in charge of the ministers and churches of a particular Section. For many years, Carl Guiney was Presbyter of the Rhode Island Section (which included some Massachusetts churches and ministers). When I took my examination for "License to Preach" in 1981, Carl Guiney was the Presbyter who administered the examination to me and corrected my test. When I was Ordained at District Council in Brookfield, Connecticut in 1985, Carl Guiney was the Presbyter who laid hands on me and prayed, ordaining me into the the full gospel ministry. Thus, I had a definite connection to the Rev. Carl Guiney.

I pastored a very small church in Framingham, Massachusetts for over twenty years. Sometimes, I felt marginalized and dismissed by some of my ministerial colleagues, but that was never true of Carl Guiney. Carl Guiney and his eighty-ish father-in-law Ray Shepherd (also his Associate Pastor) always treated me with dignity as a friend and a colleague. I was honored that they had me as a guest speaker at the Woonsocket church around seven years ago.

Despite the stereotype of Pentecostal and Assemblies of God churches as being full of "holy rollers" swinging from chandeliers, some AG pastors and churches are quite sedate and conservative and that was true of Carl Guiney and the church he pastored. Please don't misunderstand me. Carl was thoroughly Pentecostal, but never wild and crazy. Often he served as a "Parliamentarian" at District Council meetings. He usually drove some sort of mid-sized sedan manufactured by Chrysler Corporation. Carl was a good faithful pastor, and a decent and fine man.

I will miss him.