Celebrating Rev. EvaMarie Campbell

Editor’s Note: Next month, we will celebrate the 35th anniversary of Rev. EvaMarie Campbell’s service at Boston Avenue. Ahead of the celebration, we will be offering some reflections from members of our congregation on the impact Rev. Campbell has had on them. We hope you will mark your calendars for Sunday, September 13, following the conclusion of the 11 a.m. worship service for a lunch and celebration. Do you have reminiscences to share? Email caitlindryke@bostonavenue.org.

By Mike & Laura Daniel

Reverend EvaMarie Campbell has had an impact on us and our family in almost every phase of our married lives. Looking back on when she first arrived at Boston Avenue, before our children were born, Reverend Campbell went by Evie at the time. She was so young and jubilant. One of our first encounters with her was during our then Sunday School class of “younger” married couples where Evie led a lesson on prayer, spirituality, and body movement (much like interpretive dance). To see these married couples, some who had children or were expecting, swaying and moving to music during Sunday School was quite the sight.

Like many members at Boston Avenue, we really got to know Reverend Campbell when she oversaw the children’s department. She really poured herself into her work and provided so many learning opportunities for the children. She made the effort to interact with each child and to engage them in Church activities outside of Sunday School like VBS and Night Owl Camp.

When EvaMarie would ask us to help with some activity at the Church or teach Sunday School, like so many Boston Avenue members, we simply could not say “no.” Not because we felt pressured or obliged, but because we and the other parents knew how devoted she had been to our children; she put in so much time and effort into the children’s program that members naturally felt moved to help her in any way we could. Mike specifically recalls how Reverend Campbell organized and worked with members of several adult Sunday School Classes and others, including Myers, in refurbishing, repainting, and decorating the children’s area on the second floor of the Church. As those church members will recall, it was quite an undertaking, and Reverend Campbell and Myers were right there working side by side with them and, oftentimes, by themselves.

We also recall what a wonderful job Reverend Campbell did in getting our two boys ready to move on to the youth department. Probably most significant for both was their confirmation year and receiving their third-grade Bibles, which both our boys cherish to this day. In fact, when our eldest, then college-age, son was a lay reader during services one Sunday, Reverend Campbell noted happily that he read from his third-grade Bible.

As Reverend Campbell’s roles at the church began to shift over time, so did her interaction with us and other members of Boston Avenue, be it adult classes and activities or assisting in weddings and funerals. When Laura’s mother died, Laura was left with the sole responsibility of arranging the funeral. While Laura’s mother was a long-time member of Boston Avenue, she had been homebound for several years. Further, our attendance at Boston Avenue was admittedly rather sporadic at the time. Because of this, Laura was unsure who to ask to officiate the funeral and how understanding they would be, having never met her mother. Laura asked Reverend Campbell, who, naturally, showed her nothing but grace and listened intently as Laura recounted her mother’s life. On the day of the funeral, Reverend Campbell provided the most personal graveside service with stories and special memories, and was even able to navigate complex dynamics with extended family and made all in attendance feel welcomed and significant. Reverend Campbell even asked certain Boston Avenue staff members to play, sing, and record a song that was special to Laura’s mother and then replayed at the service. That funeral service, and the amount of effort that went into it, reconfirmed just how much Reverend Campbell cared for our family and reminded us of why we chose Boston Avenue as our church home.