The "Great Religious Leaders Of Our Time" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Just picked up the morning paper and saw the rather large color photograph of Bishop Nathan Baxter sitting next to Archbishop Desmond Tutu at Tutu's house in Johannesburg, South Africa.  It was only a few days ago that Tutu died at the age of 90.  I have read many articles over the years about the Archbishop who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for his role in ending apartheid in South Africa.  As I began to read the latest newspaper article, something out of the corner of my eye struck me!  There it was, in bold letters...the name Joan Kern, FOR LNP - LANCASTERONLINE.  Joan had written the article I was reading.  

Joan Fellenbaum Kern...one of my HS classmates

She used to write for the Lancaster Newspaper on a daily basis, but evidently decided that it was time to work less, so she now writes fewer articles than she used to.  I have known Joan since we were both teenagers in high school sharing many of the same classes when her name was Joan Fellenbaum.  We both went to Manheim Township High School in nearby Neffsville and were in the Academic curriculum with her being a member of the Leaders Club, "Hi-Lite" Newspaper, Press Club, Tri-Hi-Y, Intramurals and Track while I participated in...well, not too much except getting into trouble when I listed quite a few clubs that I had never been part of in high school and someone discovered it.  The newspaper story that Joan had written told about Bishop Nathan Baxter meeting the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu in the mid-1980s at St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville, Virginia when Baxter was a chaplain and professor of religious studies at the Episcopal college.  Tutu, who recently died on December 26 in Cape Town, South Africa at the age of 90, became the leading advocate for peaceful reconciliation under Black majority rule.  Baxter and Tutu were close friends and stayed in touch, speaking as recently as this past fall.  Rev. Baxter was named Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Central Pennsylvania in 2006 and Archbishop Tutu spoke at his Consecration service.  I got to know Rev. Baxter since he was the rector of St. James Episcopal in downtown Lancaster, Pennsylvania for a few years where I am a member.  

Rev. Baxter on left, Archbishop Tutu on right

Rev. Baxter also taught at the Lancaster Theological Seminary for a time.  He had graduated from the seminary in the 1970s.  Rev. Baxter first met Archbishop Tutu when Bishop John Walker of Washington, D.C. invited the Archbishop to speak about the anti-apartheid struggle in Africa.  The Archbishop shared with his audience why his approach was different from the militant approach.  Tutu was a mesmerizing speaker and got quite a bit of attention.  Rev. Baxter told the story about he and his wife, Mary Ellen being invited to supper with Archbishop Tutu and two wealthy white businessmen from South Africa who had been proponents of apartheid.  Tutu talked with his guests about the wisdom of today's children.  Baxter asked Tutu how Black South Africans dealt with so many insults to their dignity during apartheid.  Tutu said that humor gave them hope and that racism is so ridiculous that at times it's funny.  He gave an example telling that there used to be a big billboard along the highway with a picture of a very dark, threatening, grizzled Black man.  The caption under it read "Would you want your daughter to marry this man?  Tutu said that when he would pass the billboard he would say, "let us see your daughter first," and everyone would laugh.  Tutu had great spirit, but also suffered great pain.  He kept a heart of hope for humanity, and he had the ability to love his enemies.  He will surely be missed.  In 2002, Rev. Baxter was invited to preach at the Episcopal Cathedral in Cape Town, South Africa.  During Baxter's stay, Rev Tutu invited Baxter and this wife to visit with his family at their home in Johannesburg.  I can still remember Rev. Baxter during his stay at St. James in downtown Lancaster.  I stopped a few times while taking photographs around the church to say "Hi!", but for some strange reason never got a photo of Rev. Baxter that I can share with you.  At least I still have the memories to share with you.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.