Dear friends, Cynthia, and Eric—
My friend Tom left a deep impression on me because of his attitude. He typically set
his mind to being a servant, and he made sure his service exceeded expectations. I try to imitate this as often as I can, and I usually find myself lacking compared to the example set by Tom.
Three happy memories exemplify Tom to me.
In late 2005 the Autumn Ridge Church campus on Salem Road was completed. There was a sense that those of us on the design team were now presenting the facility to the staff and to the congregation for use in service of others. As I stood at the podium addressing the congregation at those services, I spoke of presenting the keys of the building to a representative who would now shepherd the facility on behalf of the congregation. It was Tom Regnier who I mentioned in this role.
Soon after Autumn Ridge was occupied it became clear that no amount of planned storage in the new facility would be adequate. Tom immediately swung into action and studied options, resulting in the design and construction of an excellent storage building placed on the east edge of the church property, connected by a service road. This project was executed thoughtfully, with foresight, and with huge cost savings to the
congregation. I think Tom was always justifiably proud of his fancy barn.
In 2007 we started the Autumn Ridge Church Arts Series so that the congregation could invite two national Christian artists each year to share their craft in the performing arts center of Autumn Ridge. Tom instantly became a valued partner in this ministry, attending to hundreds of details required to assemble the volunteer team and prepare the facility for the events. We worked together to create a protocol for each concert, and Tom was exceedingly faithful in seeing to his responsibilities in service of the guest artists and the audience. I will always remember how, usually sometime during the artists' pre-show sound check in the auditorium, I would find Tom quietly standing next to me, proudly. When the music stopped, he would inevitably say
"Can you believe they're really here??"
It never got old to hear him say that with such genuine enthusiasm. Tom and I also enjoyed a little ceremony that we enacted after each show, where a framed concert poster was carefully hung by Tom on a backstage wall celebrating the Arts Series.
I will really miss Tom. I miss him already.
I anticipate that day, maybe not so long from now, when I will see Tom again. He'll be standing with his attention focused to the front. I'll slip quietly next to him and I'll hear him say
"Can you believe we're really here??"
Joyfully dedicated to the memory of Tom Regnier
12.14.10
