Dear Brethren, It is never easy to say goodbye to a loved one, no matter how well you know that the day will come. Such is the case with our dear brother in Christ, Mr. Richard Ames, who was for many years our elder statesman in the Living Church of God. Whenever he spoke up on the Council of Elders or in an Executive Luncheon, the rest of us listened—as more than one minister has observed. Even though I was his boss in these later years, I looked up to Mr. Ames with deference as my superior in many ways. He was not a “yes man” and always spoke his mind, but when the baton was passed to me by Dr. Meredith, there was no greater positive influence in that transition. He always showed me the greatest respect and was a great source of encouragement.
As a grandfather figure, Mr. Ames exhorted the ministry and the Church to always look to Headquarters and to the Presiding Evangelist, whoever might be in that position. And it was never a matter of flattery—it was his sincere desire to help us all understand that Christ is the true Head of the Church. He understood how God’s government works, and he knew how important it is for all of us to understand this.
Mr. Ames was known for his pithy admonitions. He continually admonished us, in preparing sermons and articles or in discussing various issues, “Don’t overlook the obvious.” The obvious was most often what the Church had already written on the subject. And that is good advice not for the ministry only, but for all members. It would do us all well to prove what we believe by reading and studying what Christ has made available through His Church, rather than researching new doctrines and writing papers to send to Headquarters. Mr. Ames understood that the Church is the pillar and ground—the bulwark—of the truth (1 Timothy 3:15).
Mr. Ames also understood “that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation [origin], for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:20–21). He often referred to this important point in Hebrews about how God works: The ministry, as with the priesthood in the Old Testament, is not something we choose for ourselves. “And no man takes this honor to himself, but he who is called by God, just as Aaron was” (Hebrews 5:4). Yes, it is God who chooses and appoints those who are to be our teachers (Titus 1:5).
A Man Well Loved
Many have sent tributes from around the world, appreciating how Mr. Ames influenced their lives. How often we hear that someone remembered him from the World Tomorrow telecast during the days of Worldwide—and came back to the Truth upon happening to hear that familiar voice proclaiming the plain truth of Scripture on a Tomorrow’s World telecast. His desire to be known as one who turned “many to righteousness” was fulfilled (Daniel 12:3), and it will continue to be fulfilled through his telecasts, articles, and booklets.
Let me share a few tributes with you, first from several members of the Council of Elders. Mr. Rod McNair wrote the following:
When I think about memories of Mr. Ames, two things have always stood out to me. One was that he always made an effort to participate in Church activities. There were times when I know he had other responsibilities to take care of and deadlines to meet, but he always put a high priority on showing up at local activities. And expressing enthusiasm for them! It was encouraging to see he valued giving support to whatever was going on in the local Church congregation. Somewhat related, he always had time to talk to young people and was interested in what they had to say. You could tell that he had a curious mind and wanted to know what was going in their lives. And he had a good memory, following up with people at a later date concerning what he knew was going on in the life of a young person (or anyone, for that matter) he was talking to. Having a keen interest to participate in what was going on in the Church and wanting to know about others made an impact on me, and it’s something I’ll always remember and appreciate about Mr. Ames.
Mr. Wallace Smith, who worked closely with Mr. Ames in the Editorial Department, remembers:
The power of Mr. Ames’ speaking, his passion for Christ’s message, and the intensity of his devotion to solid, biblical doctrine has long been inspiring to me. But so, too, was his compassionate nature and the way he truly seemed to personally care about the lives of others. Once at a Feast, more than 20 years ago, my mother-in-law had asked him and Mrs. Ames if they wanted to come over to our condo for dinner with our family. She was disappointed when she heard they had other plans, but she understood. Then, later, he sought her out and let her know that he and his wife would have a few moments before heading to the airport in the morning and would love to stop by for breakfast. That he remembered her and made it a personal priority to try and have that meal meant a lot to me back then. Getting to work so closely with him since being added to the telecast in 2006 has only endeared him to me further, and the profound impact of his example, instruction, and loving encouragement on my life is something for which I will forever be grateful.
Mr. Rand Millich sent this message: “We were hoping for a different outcome, but trusted God’s decision. He ran his race faithfully, as did many others through the years. We will miss his strength and encouragement.”
Mr. Dan Hall wrote, “We are saddened by the loss. We have been immensely encouraged by both the Ames’ during various ups and downs in the ministry. Mr. Ames will be dearly missed.”
And tributes have also come in from around the world. From the far-off South Pacific, Mr. Jerry Sam, Sr., our minister in Vanuatu, wrote, “Every one of us in Vanuatu are sad to hear of the loss of one of our great leaders in the Living Church of God…. We hope to meet him again soon at the last trump.”
Mr. Elly Osumba, an elder in Africa, took the opportunity “on behalf of Kendu Bay, Kenya to send our heartfelt condolences to the Richard Ames family for his death during this final age when courage is required to speak and preach the truth to this ungodly world as he used to do. I believe that when the Trumpet shall be sounded our brother will be risen to be crowned to reign with Christ’s soon coming Kingdom.”
Closer to home, Mr. Glen Harrison wrote the following to me:
Truly we are saddened by the death of Mr. Ames, and I know it is also your great loss of a dear friend and close colleague, and someone you could always count on. I remember Mr. Ames from WCG back in the 1970s, and not many men could have a track record like he did. He and Mrs. Ames came down for a TWP years ago, and spent several days with us, and Pat and I cherished their visit. We, the living, must carry on, but I do look forward to our reunion at that last trumpet blast.
A Race Well Run
Mr. Ames thought the best of others, and he tried to bring out the best in them. I remember well how he corrected me in my use of the word “becuz.” I still struggle with that word from time to time, and I jokingly say—and there is truth in this—that I need to concentrate so much on saying “because” instead of “becuz” that I forget the rest of the sentence.
Anyone who was corrected by Mr. Ames realized that he used the Spokesman Club approach of first pointing out something positive, then addressing what could be an improvement, and finally sharing something encouraging. His correction came out of love, and he did not expect anything more of others than he expected of himself. Many remember how he mentioned that he would ask his wife Kathryn, in the days leading up to Passover, for one area in which he could improve. He humorously followed that with, Just one—not two, three, and four!
The Church has lost a tremendous resource of knowledge and skill in writing and speaking. Others will need to step up and fill the void. Nevertheless, we do not despair. As Christ said, “God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones” (Luke 3:8). We will miss Mr. Ames immensely, but as he so well understood, Christ is the Head of His Church, and He will provide.
The loss of Mr. Ames will provide opportunities for others to “step up to the plate.” That is the way of human existence—one generation passes and another grows up to take its place. No one is irreplaceable, but no one is a clone of another. Each has his own God-given talents—and Mr. Ames was certainly one of a kind. His next waking moment will be at the sound of the seventh trumpet. He ran his race well. We must do the same.