On Monday August 3rd we received word that our beloved Pastor Bob Carroll had gone home to be with Jesus.  The news brought with it a deep sense of loss mingled with relief that our Father had released him from the immense suffering he experienced during the past two plus years.  Pastor Bob and Sister Joan Carroll had been our pastors in Petaluma for several years before they retired in the spring of 1998 and moved to Tennessee.  Individually and as a couple they profoundly influenced our lives and have remained close friends over the years.  But, as is the case with people who walk in humility and love, we are not the only ones who felt that way.  In fact, everyone who attended Petaluma Valley Baptist Church as well as all who knew them would probably say the same thing.

It was sobering and comforting to be reminded of the humble, wonderful, sincere, brilliant and loving man our pastor was as we listened to one after another of his parishioners and friends share their memories.  Pastor Neil Church, Pastor Bob’s long time friend and associate, did a superb job of summing it all up in the eulogy (see below). 

Ron was extremely honored to be asked by Sister Joan to share the Word at the home-going service, and used the opportunity to describe Pastor Bob from his perspective.  Excerpts from the message:

“Before giving honor to Pastor Bob, I have to express my thoughts about Sister Joan.  Without her being who she is, Pastor Bob would not have been who he was.  Sister Joan supported Pastor Bob fully and her strength and sweet southern hospitality enhanced their ability to shepherd their flock.  On behalf of all the members of Petaluma Valley Baptist Church, I want to express our appreciation to you, Sister Joan, for your sacrifice and for sharing your husband with us.”

“I also want to say to Wes and Susan, that as ‘children’ of a pastor, you have a special leadership anointing on your lives.  The LORD bless you as you serve Him in whatever area He has called you.  And, thank you also for the sacrifices you made growing up in the home of a pastor.”

“I want to share with you some facts about Barnabas that I personally witnessed in the life and character of Pastor Bob Carroll.”

• Barnabas means Son of Encouragement.   He was given this nickname by the Disciples.

“If it hadn’t been for Pastor Bob I do not believe I would be in full time ministry today.  Pastor Bob was my Barnabas.  He believed in me when few others did.”

• Full of the Holy Spirit and faith - Acts 11:22-24

“Pastor Bob was one of the most anointed preachers I have sat under.  His messages were short but always cut to heart.”

• A Levite; called out to serve - Acts 4:36

“He was a successful businessman who left his career to answer the call to full time ministry; serving as a pastor for over 30 years”

• A giver -  Acts 4:37

“Pastor Bob gave to a fault, if that’s possible.  He not only gave financially to anyone in need, but also gave sacrificially of himself.”

• A leader; sent by the Church of Jerusalem to the Church at Antioch.  Acts 11:22

“Pastor Bob Pastor Bob was a leader.  Many years ago, he and Pastor Mel Graham started the pastor prayer in Petaluma.  The day before Pastor Bob went home to be with Jesus, the fruit of this labor was revealed in an astounding way.  On August 2nd, ten churches in Petaluma closed their doors and had a joint service at the fairgrounds with 1200 to 1500 in attendance.”

• Trustworthy.  Acts 11:30 

“He could be trusted with the most important things; we trusted him with the most personal parts of our lives.”

• A Teacher Acts 13:1

“Not only were his messages worth listening to and applying, but his life was a sermon to be learned.  He could say just like Paul: ‘follow me as I follow Christ.’”

• A Seeker.  When the disciples were afraid of Paul, Barnabas brought him to the disciples and exhorted them to accept Paul’s conversion. Acts 9:26-29

“Pastor Bob sought out and loved those who others often overlooked or pulled away from.  Many ‘down and out’ individuals throughout Petaluma knew ‘Pastor Bob’ and would tell that they knew they could count on him not to give them money when they asked, but to take them for coffee or a meal and listen to them.”

• A Finisher. He stayed with Jon Marc until the work with him was accomplished Acts 15:36-39. 

“Pastor Bob gave me opportunity to preach at the Mission and in his pulpit at a time when I’d given up on myself.  And, I am certain I am not the only one he sought out and gave opportunity.”

Eulogy by Pastor Neil Church

The best way I could describe the life of Bob Carroll is “He walked with God.”  I have never in my life met a person who portrayed the image of Christ like Bob did.  In sitting down to write out this eulogy, I realized how impossible the task was.  How could I begin to share of the impact Bob made in my life, in the life of our church and in our community?  But a word from Tom Marcum, the man who took over the reins from Bob at our church, helped to clarify the task:  “You can’t summarize a man’s life with a few pages of a eulogy; what you say this day about Bob won’t enhance or diminish what has already been accomplished by this living.”  The following is an attempt, then, to give you a glimpse into Bob Carroll’s life and the impact he had on others.

I was privileged to serve with Bob at Petaluma Valley Baptist Church for almost 20 years.  Bob came to the church in 1977 from Texas when I was a part-time music & youth leader at the church and a seminary student at Golden Gate.

The sermon he first preached at our church, in view of a call to come there, was from what I believe was his life passage:  “Come unto me, all you that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly of heart: and you shall find rest unto your souls, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

One of the first things Bob said to me was that he wanted me to stay in Petaluma after graduation and serve with him.  What started out as a two-year commitment on my part ended up to be 20!

And those 20 years serving under Bob’s leadership was a journey of learning from a pastor’s pastor.  It didn’t take long to see that Bob was different:  I never met a pastor who visited others as much as he did.  And as time went on his list of people to visit grew.  He especially loved to visit our home-bound members and those in convalescent centers.

When I went with him occasionally I was amazed at how little he would say in conversation.  He just let them talk (some probably hadn’t anyone to talk to for days) and he would listen.  He wouldn’t stay long, but he would be back the next week to see them again.  And in the convalescent centers he always made new friends and would put them on his weekly list.

With all his time visiting you wouldn’t think he had nay time to prepare a sermon – and he didn’t!  But somehow every Sunday morning (and night) for many years, he not only managed a sermon, but would bless the congregation with a gem, straight from the heart, appropriate to the moment.  I wish I had copies of even a few of those messages – those who heard him can relate how special they were.  I never tired of hearing him speak.

And if he spoke 30 minutes it would be long for him – 15 to 20 was typical.  But he said more in that time than most say in an hour.  He was from the old school: sometimes he would change his topic as he walked up to the pulpit!  Sometimes he wouldn’t preach at all, but simply say, “I think we’ve already heard a sermon this morning; let’s pray.”

Bob gave me freedom to plan the worship and education programs.  That was his way – he wanted those on staff to feel they were trusted and he simply encouraged us in our work.  I often felt like Bob was Sheriff Andy Taylor and I was Barney.  It just seemed like Bob was always getting me out of scrapes, being a rookie associate.  And like Andy, Bob knew the right way to handle the situation.

All these things were important to me, but what stands out in my mind was Bob’s character.  Bob Carroll influenced my life more than any other person I’ve known.  He personified Christ in his walk.  The following are just a few examples I’ve recalled over the past days:

When Bob was being called as pastor to our church in 1977, at least one man wasn’t happy.  Archie Martin, a member of the search team initially, had wanted someone else.  When we took a secret congregational vote, one person voted against Bob and we all suspected Archie.  And when Bob came Archie let him know he wasn’t happy about it.  Within weeks Bob began befriending Archie.  It wasn’t long before Archie was traveling with Bob on visits.  After Archie took on a pastorate of his own, his greatest encourager was Bob.  In those years that followed Bob had no greater friend than Archie. 

Bob was the most generous man I’ve ever know.  He and Joan would give sacrificially to the church, both in their tithes and in special projects.  In fact Bob finally had to turn the family finances over to Joan, for fear he would be giving their house away!  If someone had a need, he’d try to help them.  Bob would send a birthday card to every church member and put a dollar in the envelope.  When he didn’t have it, he’d hit the secretary or me up for a buck!

Bob was also the most compassionate man I’ve every known.  He befriended everyone and never looked down on another person.  Whether it was giving a ride to a down-and-out person who hadn’t bathed in a week (or two) or officiating at a funeral for someone who had no family or acquaintances (he was asked often by the mortuary), Bob’s heart was overflowing for others.

I lost count of the number of people Bob and Joan opened their home to, some folks who had no place to go.  They might be there for months!  There were a few he sent my way, too.  He always asked me first, with no expectation, but who was going to say no to a humble guy like Bob?

And speaking of that, I never met a man more humble than he was.  Before he came to the church, Bill Ryan, our director of missions who recommended him to us, said, “Don’t let Bob’s easy-going nature fool you; he may come across as a simple, ‘down home’ kind of person, but he is one intelligent guy.”  And he was one of the most brilliant and sage men I’ve ever gotten to know.  But Bob, in humility, never would act in a superior way to another person. He purposely kept his messages simple, so everyone would understand what he was saying.  He came within a whisker of finishing a doctoral program twice, but stopped short – he didn’t care about the title, he simply wanted to be a better pastor by attending the classes!  To everyone he wanted to be known as Pastor Bob or Brother Bob or simply Bob.

Bob was a man of great patience.  When we set out to relocate the church to a new property, I believe Bob saw it as a long process.  And it was.  Many thought it would only be a two-year process.  It turned out to be 7 years, with a lot of hurdles along the way.  The church campus today in Petaluma is a testament to Bob’s patience, maturity and faithfulness in prayer.

I wish I would have taken time over the years to document all the ways Bob touched lives, exemplified the spirit of Christ, gave a great word to God’s people and so forth.  But I’d like to end by sharing some “teachable moments” and anecdotes.

I once traveled with Bob to provide music at a funeral for one of our seniors Ralph McGlothlen.  Bob had promised him he would conduct the service, but problem was it took place in LA.  Bob didn’t see the need to fly there, so we got in his car at 4:00am, drove 6 or 7 hours, had lunch, conducted the 45 minute service, got in the car, and drove back.  I think Bob might have said 50 words the whole trip.  I ran out of things to say the first hour, so it was one quiet trip.

Bob was a friend to everyone who met him.  In our town he became good friends with the local rabbi a Catholic priest down the street, pastors from the Lutheran church to the Free Will Baptist Church and everyone in between.  He even joined the Rotary Club and they loved him there.

Bob would tell the story of how one time an oil company with whom he had a credit card had made a mistake on his monthly bill.  He was pretty irritated and was writing them a sarcastic letter and telling them he was not going to do business with them any more.  Then the Lord convicted him, telling him that not only should he not write the letter, but that he should continue to do business with them.  With brutal honesty Bob would share his faults, always in a way that helped the rest of us see the glaring errors in our own lives.

Bob Carroll wasn’t perfect.  One time I was going with him as he made visits and we stopped by their house.  Joan was in the family room, stretched out on a recliner.  He walked into the kitchen, but Joan didn’t get up. It seems she had been golfing and had been hit in the head by a golf ball, compliments of her errant partner Orma Seavey.  Bob asked how she was; Joan said, “I was hit in the head by a golf ball.”  Bob, not really listening, said, “That’s good.”  And then we left.  He heard more about that later.

Occasionally Joan would go on a trip, leaving Bob with meals to warm up – Bob wasn’t much of a cook.  When it came time for a meal, he would just eat everything over the sink to save on washing dishes.  He explained that one Sunday morning in a sermon, saying it was like that Bible verse: “One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one fork, one knife, one spoon..”.  Anyway, he laughed and I laughed and everyone else sat stone-faced.  I guess they didn’t get it, but I thought it was pretty funny.  Still do.

And then there was the time where he commented, from the pulpit on a Sunday morning, how nice it was to see all the “naked ladies” in front of the church.  He was talking about the flowers by that name on the communion table, but it certainly got people’s attention.

Or the time he was preaching and by mistake (I think) said, “Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his wife for his friends.”

Actually Bob had trouble telling a joke, because he would get to laughing before the punch-line and couldn’t get it out.  You’d be laughing so hard with him, that it didn’t matter that he couldn’t finish the joke!

To sum it up I can see two great character qualities in Bob’s life:  The first is in John 15:9-11, which, paraphrased say, “Love one another that your joy may be full.” Bob exuded a joyful heart in all he did.

The second quality is mercy, what I perceived to be Bob’s dominant spiritual gift.  He wept with those who wept and rejoiced with those who rejoiced.

Somebody once said:

“Some people walk into a room and they make every body else feel larger.  Some walk in and make everybody else feel smaller.  The first type breathe life into the room because they make everybody else the center of their attention.  The latter suck the life out of the room because they make themselves the center of attention.”

Bob made others feel valuable, because he knew their worth in God’s sight.