n e w c h u r c h l i f e : j u ly / au g u s t 2 0 1 7
When she had to give up driving several years ago she was regularly
seen careening around town in a golf cart with two little white terriers riding
shotgun. She was sometimes oblivious to traffic and always on a mission to
spread the truth and sound the alarm that our beliefs and culture were drifting
into a ditch.
Readers of New Church Life over the years maybe did not get the full effect
of her unflappable character but saw in her letters the heart and zeal she wore
on her sleeve. Some of those letters were just too political to publish, but most
were just Chary Cole – full of conviction that sprang from sincere love and
concern.
In a letter in the March/April 2014 issue, for instance – The Duties of
Citizenship – she said with characteristic fervor and candor:
“The New Church will not grow and thrive unless we recognize evil. We
should pay close attention to what candidates say and stand for, how they vote
and what they do. We also need to know which candidates are true to God, the
Ten Commandments, Christian morals and law.
“The New Church has a duty to stand for what is right and good – even
in politics. Good government is essential to the happiness and the welfare of
the people.”
But much as she advocated speaking out, she also believed in listening,
and added: “Some people think politics is dirty and that we should not talk
about it in public. But politics is how we choose our leaders. We learn the truth
by talking together and listening to others. We need to talk about politics and
listen to both sides.”
In another letter in January/February 2015 – The Gift of Our Freedom –
she said some things in the Writings are hard to understand but was dismayed
that “we avoid these things in fear of hurting beliefs. I think if we talk about
these things and try to figure them out, we learn and understand them better.”
Finally she had to give up her home, give up the golf cart, and move into
a personal care facility nearby. But that did not diminish her mission – or her
letters.
In her last letter, in the January/February issue this year, she told of going
to the Cathedral to get literature to hand out to new friends in her new home
and how delighted she was with the pamphlets she picked up.
“These are like precious gems – so clear, so easy to understand and
beautiful. They could inspire young and old in the Church and also help people
unfamiliar with the Writings.”
That was Chary to the end: a woman on a mission for God and country – a
character and a treasure.
(BMH)
354