TRIBUTE FROM DR. PETER JOSEPH

Any pastor who has been in the sunshine and radiance of Pastor Dr. Hugh A. Roach knows that he never failed to empty himself for the benefit of the next generation.  He was one who refused to bemoan the hard work required to care for stubborn and hurting pastors. He made peace with the fact that the work of ministry exacted much from a laborer in the Master’s vineyard. He gave of his soaring gifts and useful ministry skills to those of us who had God given sense to receive from this man sent from God. A PASTOR’S PASTOR!

Many a time, he must have felt overspent and undersupplied. Yet, he would lift our spirits and vistas with eloquent exposition and piercing application. I can hear him now, as the Word radiate from the pulpit like blazing light in a hedonistic and sin infested world. His Gospel preaching was a sterling example to us. Under the sound of his voice, addicts gave up on their indulgence, depressed people came out from under their imposing fog, and the church grew in spiritual health. He was no crummy preacher; but a preacher sent from God, with a Word found in the pages of the Bible. A PASTOR’S PASTOR!

Notwithstanding the centrality of Gospel proclamation, ministry task for Dr. Roach was also personal ministry. While he was a public beacon of the Gospel, one cannot ignore the significance of his personal ministry. His visits demonstrated the heart of man who cared for pastors and God’s people. His personal labor adequately composed credentials that proved his calling by God. His impressiveness in the halls of earthly Government never eclipsed his love for Gospel Ministry. His affectionate desire for those under his care allowed him to often stand by us and not above us at times of necessary course corrections. A PASTOR’S PASTOR!

His academic accomplishments and his seamless rise to the top of the Seventh-day Adventist organization and system of Education drew us in. When he ascended, we experienced a lift as well. He was always there to provide meaningful counsel and solid encouragement for us to be the best we could be. A PASTOR’S PASTOR!

Pastor Dr. Hugh A. Roach was a servant of Jesus Christ. He was freed by Jesus to imitate the pattern of Christ’s Ministry. Like Jesus, he took on the risk and the toil of people’s problems. The Pastor’s Pastor left us with eyes strained and hands used up in serving people in trouble. I will endeavor to share what I learned in the sunshine of the presence of a great man of God. Yes, a great man passed this way.  A PASTOR’S PASTOR! SEE YOU IN THE MORNING!