Richard—Rick to family, friends and congregation—will always be remembered as a giant of a man, not only because of his physical stature, but because of his steadfast love, devotion and dedication to his Lord and Savior, to the proclaiming of His Word and his God-given desire to see people’s lives changed by the true gospel. 

In 1 Thessalonians 4:13, the apostle Paul tells the church that while we grieve, the church does not grieve in the same manner as those who have no hope.  The Session of Scherer Memorial Presbyterian Church in America, along with the entire congregation, comes together in deep sorrow, and yet great joy and hope, to give praise and adoration to the Lord God Almighty for the life and faithful, diligent ministry of our brother and shepherd, Teaching Elder Richard James Lindsay, Jr. whom our Sovereign Lord called home at the age of 60 on April 7, 2015.

Richard—Rick to family, friends and congregation—will always be remembered as a giant of a man, not only because of his physical stature, but because of his steadfast love, devotion and dedication to his Lord and Savior, to the proclaiming of His Word and his God-given desire to see people’s lives changed by the true gospel.

Rick grew up in a godly home in the upstate of South Carolina.  He knew of God, but by his own testimony was not known by God until his years at his beloved Clemson University, where he studied Forestry.  It was there that God opened Rick’s eyes, and began calling him into the ministry.  After his graduation from Clemson University in 1976, Rick spent time working for a timber company, walking through the woods evaluating timber fields, a job he would later say prepared him for the ministry.  The woods were where Rick loved to be, even as a younger boy and into high school, camping and hunting with friends after school.  Even more than that, Rick loved being able to teach and mentor people. He would enjoy taking them hunting and teaching them how to hunt, or his favorite, how to call turkeys.

God called Rick to the ministry, and in 1977 he began attending Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi, where he met his wonderful wife, Julie.  This began a wonderful ministry of husband and wife, a beautiful picture of the gospel that Rick and Julie lived out every day of their lives, displaying it to their children, Eric and Rachel, and the world around them.

Rick graduated Reformed Theological Seminary in 1981 and was ordained into the Presbyterian Church US.  Rick’s Presbyterian roots ran deep, and he was proud of his Scottish heritage and its connection to the Reformation and the Reformed church.  Rick’s first call to the pastorate was in 1981 to the pulpit of Edgefield Presbyterian Church in Edgefield, SC, where he served until 1988, when he was called as the solo pastor at Scherer Memorial PCA.

Rick’s service and impact in the Presbyterian Church in America at all levels was powerful.  From mentoring and shepherding Ruling Elders and Deacons, to serving the highest court of the PCA, the General Assembly, Rick’s knowledge of procedure and theology made a powerful combination and earned him a very high level of respect among his peers.  You could not attend a General Assembly with Rick without him stopping or being stopped every 10 feet to talk to someone he knew.

Rick had a deep love of missions, and that love has poured out into his ministry at Scherer Memorial.  His love of missions, his love of the gospel, and his powerful preaching created a deep love and culture of missions at Scherer.  Rick enjoyed going on missions trips, and served our Lord in Jamaica and in several relief efforts after hurricane Katrina in the gulf.

What Rick enjoyed and desired most was standing before God’s people on Sunday morning, behind the pulpit, expounding God’s Holy Word to God’s people.  Preaching God’s Word and seeing the fruits of the Holy Spirit drove Rick so much that when his illness began to take its toll on his body, he yearned more and more to get back behind the pulpit.

Rick loved his family, both his church family and his immediate family; Julie, his children Eric and Rachel and later their spouses Eric and his wife Jen, Rachel and her husband D.J. Rick deeply loved spending time with his grandchildren: Eric and Jen’s daughter, Piper; and Rachel and D.J.’s daughter, Ava.  They enjoyed spending time in the mountains, where he would use his gifts taking photographs of God’s creation, and just enjoying the cool mountain air.  Rick’s favorite thing to do was to go through Cade’s Cove and enjoy the beauty of the mountains and the wildlife in the valley—the deer, the turkeys, and the bears.  He also loved hiking to the top of Mount Leconte in the Great Smoky Mountains, enjoying the eagle’s eye view of God’s creation.

Rick served his Lord and Savior faithfully to the very end, being a witness to God’s faithfulness and love to all around him.  Rick was a teacher through and through, and even continued to teach throughout his illness, both in Sunday school and from the pulpit, even when he knew that if he preached, he would be too weak to do anything else the rest of the day. More importantly, Rick taught us by example in his everyday life, demonstrating that no matter your circumstances here on earth, God’s people are to be faithful to Him, and are to proclaim His goodness and love until He calls His people home.  Rick did that, and did it well.

We grieve with Julie, Eric and Rachel, and the rest of his family; but we grieve not only with hope, as Paul teaches (and as Rick taught us), but with absolute assurance that our shepherd, brother, and friend, Rick Lindsay, was ushered into the presence of the very Lord he proclaimed daily, and finally heard the words he so dearly wanted to hear: “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”  For this, we give glory to God in the highest, with all our praise and adoration.

Soli Deo Gloria,

The Session
Scherer Memorial Presbyterian Church in America
Lake Wylie, South Carolina