John C. CLENANCE Sr

THIS IS TAKEN FROM A CHURCH LETTER WRITTEN ABOUT JOHN CLENANCE.


Bethany Presbyterian Church, 420 East 137th Street, New York, NY

In Grateful Memory of John Clenance, Sr.

John Clenance, Sr. was born September 9, 1897 in Saint Elizabeth's Parish, Jamaica, British West Indies and died in the Frances Delafield Hospital, March 18, 1952. He attended the Mount Hermon Presbyterian Church in Jamaica. He went to Cuba where he met his wife and in 1924 came to the United States where his four children, Dorothy, Evelyn, Lillian, and John, Jr. were born.

He became a member of the Bethany fellowship on April 1, 1945 where his many sterling qualities were immediately recognized and honored by his election as Trustee, May 15, 1946, and as Elder, January 14, 1948. He was reelected to both offices which he held at his death. Seven of the eight years as a member of Bethany were, therefore, spent in official Christian service. Such a life as his testifies to the effectiveness of the missionary program in helping to bring to flower and fruit a rare personality with a warm and deep spiritual sensitivity, unimpeachable honesty, integrety, and sacrificial devotion to the cause of Christ. John confirmed the axiomatic truth of Emerson that "What you are speaks so loud I cannot hear what you say." Results meant more to John than mere words. Talking came after the deed.

John's service was almost coterminous with that of the present ministry and it has been a real privilege to witness the contagious power of the Holy Spirit both within and without the Church. All who knew him had only good to say of him despite his emphatic protestations of worthiness.

When John came to Bethany its buildings were in a deplorable state due to the ravages of a hurricane in 1944 which demolished the steeple thereby rendering the Sanctuary unsafe for use. John desired that his daughter, Dorothy, be married in the Sanctuary and he and his family labored for many weeks to restore it to habitable condition. Many members were inspired by the devotion which would brook no obstacles and just as loyally undertook a building and repair program involving $8,000.00 in cash outlay and the donation of $5,000.00 worth of volunteer labor. All through this period of toil and sweat John suffered from recurring loss of speech which steadily grew more pronounced until his larynx had to be removed. However, John labored on cheerfully and untiringly for over a year having proven himself most proficient in "abdominal speech."

Such a life was really a miracle of grace and the membership of Bethany has been richly blest in that John "being dead yet speaketh" the language of the heart, which, like television, penetrates the darkness to make visible the memory pictures of the soul.

Our fervent prayers go out to the bereaved households in the fond hope that both they and we may, like their loved one, walk triumphantly in the footsteps on the Master.