A Service of Celebration and Thanksgiving For the Life of

Jacquelyn Michelle Tooley  January 31, 1953  – May 26, 2015

(Click Here to Watch the Service Video)

Memorial Donations in Memory of Michelle will Benefit Special Peace and Justice Projects in her name. To make a Donation Click Here.

 
June 16, 2015                                                                  Rev. Kent Gilbert, Union Church
11:00 a.m.  Union Church                                      Rev. Rachel Small Stokes, Union Church
Gabriel Evans, Organist                Rev. Cindy Weber, Jeff Street Baptist Community at Liberty
Gathering Music
Ringing of the Peace Bell              
Prelude Hymn #99   Abide with Me  Eventide
Verse 1: Gina Chamberlain, Soloist Verses 2-5: Congregation
Welcome 
* Call to Worship     
One:     From east and west and middle east, we come,
All:      In mourning and in celebration of a life fully and faithfully lived.
One:     From north and south and midwest, we come,
All:      In recognition of our grief and in expression of our hope.
One:     From ages old and ages young and ages somewhere-in-between, we come,
All:      Telling and hearing of the ways that God has transformed us all through this one life,
One:     From beginning to end, we come,
All:      Fully encompassed in the loving arms of God.
One:     Come, let us worship the God who gave us Michelle Tooley.
All:      How can we keep from singing?
*Opening Hymn #476        My Life Flows On                 Endless Song
Reading When Death Comes Jessica Holly Written by Mary Oliver
Reflection                  Kent Gilbert
Song       Resucitó      John Wright Rios  Composed Kiko Arguello
Please join in singing the refrain when invited:
Resucitó, resucitó, resucitó, alleluia, Alleluia, aleluia, alleluia, resucitó.            
Reading Isaiah 58:1-12          Sarah Kincaid
Reflection        Dr. Rick Axtell   Professor of Religion, and Centre College Chaplain
*  Hymn #575    O For A World                    Azmon
Reading  I Meant to Do My Work Today    Phyllis Gabbard    Written by Carrie Newcomer
Reflection                          Dr. Meta Mendel-Reyes    Associate Professor of Peace & Social Justice Studies, Berea College
Special Music   Pini de Roma, Movement II     “Pines Near a Catacomb”         Micah Wilkinson
 Trumpet Soloist   Composed by Ottorino Respighi
Reading  Romans 12:1-21     Oliver Bugariski andSana Khan Jadoon
Reflection                  Gyudé Moore   Minister of Public Works, Republic of Liberia
*  Hymn #581    Lead Us from Death to Life  World Peace Prayer
Reading  Deuteronomy 30:19-20  Cindy Weber
Homily             Cindy Weber
Song       “Alleluia! The Great Storm Is Over” John Wright Rios  Written by Bob Franke
Solo:   The thunder and lightning gave voice to the night, The little lame child cried aloud in her fright, Hush little baby, a story I’ll tell, Of a love that has conquered the powers of hell.
Chorus: Alleluia, the great storm is over, Lift up your wings and fly! Alleluia, the great storm is over, Lift up your wings and fly!
All:      Sweetness in the air and justice on the wind Laughter in the house where the mourners have been The deaf shall have music, the blind have new eyes The standards of death taken down by surprise.   Chorus
All:      Release for the captives, an end to the wars New streams in the desert, new hope for the poor, The little lame children will dance as they sing,   And play with the bears and the lions in spring.  Chorus
Solo:  Hush little baby, let go of your fear, The lord loves his own and your mother is here, The child fell asleep as the lantern did burn, The mother sang on ’til her bridegroom’s return.  Chorus
©1982 by Telephone Pole Music Pub. Co. (BMI). All Rights Reserved. Used with permission.
Reading  The Journey  Betty Hibler Written by David Whyte
Prayers of Commendation
Litany of Legacy
Closing Hymn #528 Sois la Semilla       Id y Edsenad
Verse 1  in Spanish, then Verses 1, 2 & 3 in English
 Benediction           
May God give you grace never to sell yourself short, grace to risk something big for something good, grace to remember that the world is now too dangerous for anything but truth and too small for anything but love.  —William Sloan Coffin
* Processional   Siyahamba    Siyahamba
Siyahamb’ ekukhanyen’ kwenkos’, Siyahamb’ ekukhanyen’ kwenkos’!
We are marching in the light of God, We are marching in the light of God!
Caminamos en la luz de Dios, Caminamos en la luz de Dios!
_______________________
* Those who are able are invited to stand
 

Following the service all who wish are invited to share a meal and fellowship downstairs in the Community Room. Let us sing as we walk, and worship as we work!

Feet Prayer, Michelle Tooley, Lent 2008

Bless, O Lord, these feet. Red, wrinkled feet of a baby pushing out the womb, Tough, brown feet of a mother in Darfur carrying water to the camp, Wiry, strong feet of a Kenyan running on a path, Blistered, sun-scorched feet of a migrant in the desert, Delicate, painted feet of a debutante. Desolate, restless feet of a Black man in prison, Lean, ambitious feet of a Wall Street broker, Rough, worn feet of a farmworker in the fields, Tender, warm feet of a child asleep on your lap, Young, desperate feet of youth riding the Death Train, Dogged, determined feet of the Migrant Christ,
These feet, O God, that move us, carry us, lift us, draw us ever nearer to a place, Miseries and delights of daily life, Pain and persistence, Struggles and sorrows. O Migrant Christ, gather us, cleanse us, encompass us, protect us, Restore us to memory, Memory that we are one, your human creation, Separated by geography, but never by superiority or merit. May we never tread on the back of another, Nor exclude by intention or benefit by privilege, Instead, this holy season, May we stand in solidarity with the suffering ones, May we walk the way of the Migrant Christ.

Jacquelyn Michelle Tooley  January 31, 1953 – May 26, 2015

Jacquelyn Michelle Tooley, 62, died on May 26, 2015 at home in Berea, Kentucky, surrounded by friends, after a two-year struggle with melanoma. She pursued her passion for promoting peace and social justice through teaching and activism until her death.
Michelle was born in Lufkin, Texas, on January 31, 1953. She earned a bachelor’s of science degree in Spanish and English Education from Northwestern State University of Louisiana in 1975, a Master of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1982, and a doctorate in Christian Social Ethics from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1995. Michelle completed additional graduate work at the Kroc Institute for Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame and at the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding at Eastern Mennonite University. She taught in the Religion Department at Belmont University in Nashville, TN from 1995 to 2003 and at Berea College in Berea, KY from 2003 to 2015, where she was the Eli Lilly Chair of Religion, Associate Professor of Religion, and Chair of the Peace and Social Justice Studies Program.
Michelle’s teaching, scholarship, and personal life demonstrated particular commitments to exploring the connectedness of local actions and global issues, to providing opportunities for others to explore those connections with her, and to empowering others to take on leadership and advocacy roles that they may never have imagined possible. Michelle educated students and the wider community about peace-building, migration, and human rights, by incorporating service-learning and collaborations with social change organizations into her courses and research. Her scholarly publications, including a book titled Voices of the Voiceless:  Women, Justice, and Human Rights in Guatemala, focus on Christian ethics and the intersections of belief and social action, particularly the experiences of marginalized people.
Much of Michelle’s work had a global focus and reach. She was a dedicated board member of Bread for the World and Witness for Peace. She led study-abroad classes to Central America and Africa, served on the admissions committee for international applicants to Berea College, and led Berea College delegations to the Model African Union in Washington, DC. She welcomed students of all nationalities into her home and her family, maintaining mentoring and nurturing relationships well beyond their graduations. Many consider her a second mother.
On campus and in the community, Michelle’s exuberant personality and warm smile extended to everyone she met. She had the unique ability to connect with people from all backgrounds, ages, and nationalities. Her home was always open and she loved to host a party. She was an avid traveler and hiker and a favorite Aunt to many children. Wherever she lived, Michelle was an active member of a peace and justice-oriented Christian church community. Michelle’s life came from one source – a deep love for God and for others.
Michelle is survived by three brothers and a sister and their families, and a multitude of current and former students, colleagues and friends. ​
Michelle requested memorial gifts be made to one or more of these organizations that she cherished:
… Bread for the World, bread.org
… Witness for Peace, witnessforpeace.org;
… Jeff Street Baptist Community at Liberty in Louisville, KY; jeffstreetbaptist.blogspot.com/2009/11/contact-us.html;
… Union Church (Mission and Service Board),  CPO 2105, Berea, KY,  union-church.org/donate

Cover art block print by Ann Butwell,

Union Church Collection