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Cover Article
“God Removes His Workers, And His Work Goes On - Ronnie Cook"
At Moses’ death, Joshua stepped up upon the call of God to
lead the Israelites into the promised land. Solomon mounted the throne of Israel
when his father, King David, went to "dwell in the house of the Lord forever."
Elijah didn’t die, but he did vacate the prophetic ministry when he was
translated to heaven. As he departed, his mantle fell on Elisha, who became
God’s major spokesman for a time. We see the Biblical pattern of succession, and
each time God had prepared a successor for the departing leader.
 The
history of this ministry includes several stories of workers whom God has called
home. The first such major occurrence was when the founder and director, Rev.
Jim Lindley, passed away in 1983. Since then there have been others, and we come
in this writing to share the sad news of the recent death of Ronnie Cook. Many
of you will remember the soft, somewhat "raspy" voice that answered your calls
to the Mission in the evenings. That was Brother Ronnie.
Ronnie first entered the Mission in September, 1989. Steve
Papa filled out his intake card and introduced Ronnie to a place and a group of
people that would be used of God to shape his life for the next two decades. As
God would have it, He shaped Ronnie to become part of that ministry and serve in
a significant way. Ronnie lived close by and stayed in touch over the next
several years, visiting the Mission occasionally, sometimes even spending a few
nights with us. In 1996, he settled in to God’s calling and became our evening
desk man. Eventually the title "evening chaplain" became his.
The Word of God became a great love for Ronnie. He read and
studied it tirelessly for the rest of his life. Ronnie could be seen just about
any time reading his Bible there at the front desk. He took classes at the
Peninsula’s Boice Bible School, as well as correspondence classes through Emmaus
Bible School, near Chicago. He asked me more Bible questions than any other
single person over the last two decades. He would often ask where I was
preaching, and then he would see if he could accompany me (if my travel route
came near the Mission).
Like many young black men, Ronnie suffered with hypertension.
We worked for years with his doctors to get his blood pressure under control,
but we were too late to save his kidneys. In 2003, Ronnie suffered renal failure
and went on dialysis that November. Three days a week for the rest of his life,
a machine did what his body could not do, filtering his blood in hemo-dialysis.
The workers at the unit were very good to Ronnie, and he always spoke kindly of
their care. John and Pat also assisted for years, placing the many pills he took
each week in daily dispenser-boxes. No doubt, that care also helped extend his
healthful life.
 When
Ronnie returned from dialysis late in the morning of Thursday, June 25, he just
did not look good. He had progressively weakened and worsened physically each
day that week. I placed a call to his doctor’s office, and she was off that day.
My doctor is in the same office, so I asked if perhaps he could work Ronnie in,
and we went over at 3:30. The doctor’s exam concluded that Ronnie had double
pneumonia, and that he needed to be in the hospital, so I took him straight over
to Riverside for admission. That would be Ronnie’s last stay in the hospital. As
Rev. Lindley had done in September, 1983, Ronnie made his exit to heaven from
500 J. Clyde Morris Blvd., in Newport News. It happened about 2:30 A.M., on
Sunday, June 28.
We have said "farewell" to staff members, board members,
faithful supporters, pastors of supporting churches, and others more times than
I have any record or memory of. There were Rev. Lindley, Dominic Rossi, Tom
Daniels, Steve Papa, Harry Watkins, Mike Kooker, and now Ronnie Cook. We’ve lost
Paul McCarty, John Minter, Jim Ewell, Brooks Bloxom, and Harry New. The
"good-byes" are difficult, but the pain is lessened by our faith and confident
hope in Christ Jesus. How wonderful it will be to reach that heavenly shore,
greet our old friends, and enter the land of no more parting. If you are
trusting Jesus, I will see you there!
Superintendent's
Corner
My Cup Runneth Over!
On a recent Thursday, my cell phone rang, and the caller-ID
showed a number I did not recognize. How thrilling it was to answer the call and
find a young friend on the other end of the line. I wrote about “David” for the
July newsletter, the young man who returned home with his parents to South
Carolina. It was David calling me, and the news was everything I would hope for
in such a situation.
David indicated that he was working a steady job, saving
money to go to culinary school, getting along well with his parents, and
regularly attending church! What a joy to hear these good things going on in his
life, especially when just a few months ago, his life was pretty much upside
down, without any apparent direction for the future.
The day after David’s call, Donte phoned from Baltimore. He
had met the Lord at the Mission just about a year ago (summer, 2008), having
come into our shelter from a fractured relationship. Here for 95 days he learned
from God’s Word, enjoyed fellowship with brothers in Christ, and saw others
growing through their own struggles. After leaving the Mission, he found his way
back home, and in his own words, is “doing okay and going to church.” He added,
“I just called to pay my respects and see how things are at the Mission.”
Donte’s encouraging message just added to my already full
“cup of blessings,” so that I could truly say with the Psalmist, “my cup runneth
over.”
A Note From Alan
Ronnie Cook
 If
you have read the cover and center article of this newsletter you are already
aware of the passing away of one of our Rescue Mission family members, Ronnie
Cook. Ronnie served faithfully at our front desk for many years checking in
hundreds (possibly thousands) of men. In many cases his was the first face they
saw, and he gave the first impression of the Rescue Mission. Ronnie was calm and
soft-spoken. I imagine he had a calming effect on many anxious men who came
through our front door – men who never expected to end up in a homeless shelter
and didn’t know what to expect when they arrived.
Our Monday morning staff meeting was the first time the staff was gathered
together after Ronnie had gone home to be with the Lord. Our staff is made up of
men who know the truths of God’s Word. They know beyond the shadow of a doubt
that their co-worker and friend is in heaven. They are thankful that he no
longer has to contend with his failing kidneys, his high blood pressure, or the
frailness of his frame. They know they will see him again, but for them, a
family member has died. The empty spot in that small office where we meet weekly
reminds us that he is no longer with us – and we all miss him.
Chapel that morning had a somber tone, as you might expect. By the time chapel
began most of the men in the room had learned of Ronnie’s death. We took a look
that morning at the conversion of Saul on the road to Damascus from Acts 9. Saul
went from one of the strongest opposers of Christ to perhaps the most devoted
follower of Christ in history. Something changed Saul. He met Jesus!!!
As we reflected on Ronnie’s life in that chapel service, we could talk about who
Ronnie used to be. However, the Ronnie that we all knew was not the same as used
to be. Something changed in Ronnie!! Ronnie had met Jesus, and he was never the
same!!!
We will miss Ronnie, but we are thankful that God can use even the death of one
of our staff members to cause others to examine their own lives. Ronnie’s death
struck close to home for many residing here at PRM. We pray that God will use
this event and the memory of Ronnie’s life to bring others to Him.
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