Last night I watched the video of the memorial service for Bill Hurley, the member of the NTM Executive Board who died on Aug. 12 of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, after having disappeared from his home about a month prior, with no explanation.
The service was held at the Reston Bible Church, and can be viewed here:
http://blog.restonbible.org/2015/08/bil ... ivestream/I felt like I got to know Bill Hurley, as described by people who knew him longest and best. Everyone spoke at length about what a great person he was. A person of strong moral fiber and great integrity. A person with a deep love for missionaries and their families, as he had headed up the mission board of his church for over three decades. This church supports more than 200 missionaries, so their commitment to world-wide evangelism is clear.
I cried along with Bill's three grief-stricken children who stood on the stage and reminisced about their father, who showed them so much love, and attended all the important events of their lives. Bill's fourth child was not on the stage, as she had just given birth earlier that day to a grandson Bill will not be around to hold. The family is utterly devastated by the loss of this 61-year-old husband, father and grandfather who was such a huge presence in their lives.
Bill served as a police officer for 27 years. The people who knew and loved him remember him as a man of principals and ethics. For him, black was black and white was white. There was no fuzzy gray in between. He always gave a ticket to every person he stopped for speeding. Even if they had an excuse, he wouldn't buy it. Every crime deserved its penalty.
Bill was also remembered for his compassionate heart, especially in regard to the missionaries he knew. A church staff member described how Bill would get choked up, reading letters from missionaries overseas who were going through tough times. Their concerns and needs moved his heart, and he would do everything he could to help them.
No one seems to have any comprehension of why this man who cared so deeply for his family, his community, and his church would disappear, and then eventually take his own life. It sounds like the actions of the last month of his life were completely out of character for him, and utterly baffling to those who knew and loved him.
Bill Hurley served on the Executive Board of New Tribes Mission, one of the largest evangelical mission organizations in the world. No one mentioned this in his memorial service. No one at all.
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