MEMORIAL
AND TRIBUTE TO WAYNE HEIN
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It is fitting that I open by quoting these words of Scripture which our Pastor,
brother, and friend Wayne Hein continually quoted. Wayne’s body went
the way of all flesh, because “the sun rose with a scorching wind, and
withered the grass.” I have just quoted a passage from the book of James,
and it is only fitting that I do this, as this was the book of the Bible which
Wayne was studying and teaching to the congregation of San Antonio Bible Church
at the conclusion of his earthly life and ministry.
Wayne “fought the good fight, he finished the course, he kept the faith.”
I am persuaded that “there is laid up for him the crown of righteousness,
which the Lord, the righteous Judge,” will award to him; and not only
to him, “but also to all who have loved His appearing.” And Wayne
certainly looked forward to being with our Lord. Over these last several years
of his struggle with health, he repeatedly said to me, “What’s
the big deal, if I die, I’ll just go on and be with the Lord.”
Of course he knew that his “pretty wife” Brenda was concerned
about being left behind, but he knew that the Lord would take care of her
and his daughter Abigail and grandson Jordan. He has and He will. Those of
us who are close to the situation have already seen and are marveling at the
Lord’s compassion for Wayne’s family.
It is only fitting that Wayne (and Brenda) adopted their daughter Abigail
and their grandson Jordan; that he also provided a home for Brenda’s
three children Jennifer, Jeffrey and Jeremy. Wayne had no biological children
of his own, but that was because he had great compassion for orphans, who
in the Bible are those without fathers. He had no biological children of his
own because he wanted to provide for those who “had no place to lay
their head.” Wayne often talked about how much he wanted to start an
orphanage; and if the Lord hadn’t called him to be a Pastor, I have
no doubt that he would have started one. But the Lord fulfilled both of these
desires of his heart.
My wife Janet and I also like to think of ourselves as his spiritual children.
He has trained us in the Word of the Lord for over 20 years, and we plan to
imitate our spiritual father for the rest of our days. I hope to pass on to
my children, both biological and spiritual, the things that my “Dad”
taught to me. Sometimes we disagreed with or rebelled against “Dad,”
but in the end we knew that he was right. All of our “adolescent rebellion”
has departed, as has our Dad. As the Lord’s death on the Cross put away
the rebellion of mankind, likewise, Wayne at his death put away much of the
petty rebellion of some of those who were close to him.
At first Wayne himself rebelled against his calling to be a Pastor. But when
he finally resolved to fulfill the ministry that God had called him to, he
pursued it with the determination that he showed to the end; in spite of any
opposition; or more significantly, any indifference. Wayne soon faced the
rebellion that is ingrained in the hearts of the human race when he pastored
his first flock in the Rio Grande Valley. He tried to feed them the only food
that is good for the spiritual nourishment of the flock, the Word of God,
but they did not like the taste of it
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Facing his first experience of rejection, he enlisted in the United States
Air Force, and then was commissioned an officer. Wayne really wanted to become
a pilot, but not surprisingly, his health “got in the way”—his
eyesight disqualified him. And so Wayne became a Communications Officer and
was stationed at Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, Texas. While Wayne
was stationed at Sheppard, a devastating tornado came through and leveled
much of the city. Outside communications with the city were cut off, and Wayne
was the first to re-establish communications for the authorities with the
outside world. If I recall it correctly, Wayne’s team re-established
communications in a tent, and then Wayne quickly went inside a building where
the officials had gathered in an emergency forum, and he told them that he
had established communications. I remember Wayne saying that they were surprised
by the fact that communications had been re-established so quickly. |
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More significantly to Wayne, he found a local church in Wichita
Falls where the Pastor shared his love for studying and teaching the Scriptures—Rephidim
Church, which was and still is pastored by Dr. Ron Killingsworth. Wayne and
I were privileged to visit Rephidim together one last time in July of 2004.
That summer Ron spoke privately to me of Wayne’s humility. He said that
the first time he really had an opportunity to speak to Wayne to any extent
was about a few months after Wayne had begun attending. Wayne was painting
a room, possibly the nursery, when it came up that he had graduated from Southwestern
Baptist Theological Seminary and was an ordained pastor. Ron said to me that
he marveled at the humility of the man—he had never said anything about
being a pastor, and probably didn’t intend to.
Ron also related a humorous story about Wayne. He said that he would never
forget the sight of Wayne riding a 30-foot extension ladder down from high
in the church auditorium with paint bucket in hand! I asked Ron incredulously
if he was injured in any way, and he said that Wayne was not.
Wayne attended Rephidim Church for approximately three years when he separated
from the Air Force. Hearing the Word of God being taught verse by verse from
the pulpit rekindled Wayne’s desire to pastor. And so Wayne was again
ordained, by Rephidim Church this time, an ordination which was always more
significant to Wayne than his seminary ordination, and Wayne came to San Antonio,
Texas, the place of his birth, to establish a local church here. Wayne departed
with the blessings of the pastor and congregation of Rephidim, and pleasant
memories of his wonderful fellowship there that he often spoke about. He also
departed with the significant financial support of the congregation, which
enabled him to establish our local church.
It is only fitting that Rephidim wishes to honor the memory of Wayne Hein;
and accordingly Dr. Richard Guess has come as their representative. He has
given to me to present to Brenda Wayne’s ordination picture along with
a poem that I must read to you:
The Vase is broken the Shards are gone,
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It does not surprise me that as Rephidim sent Wayne with financial support
to San Antonio to begin his ministry here, that they would likewise seal his
ministry with a gift of financial support for his widow. And so they have.
It does not surprise me because the Scriptures tell the Church to take care
of both widows and orphans. Wayne took care of the orphans, and now the congregation
of Rephidim has participated in taking care of his widow.
It is fitting that Ricky Guess should be the representative from Rephidim,
as he was a member of our congregation in the 1990s when he attended dental
school here.
Wayne’s sisters Glynice and Dee are here with us today. They’ve
had a very difficult year—with the loss of a mother, our beloved Dorothy,
our “church chef,” who always served us food with the advance
warning that “something just doesn’t taste right about this.”
She was wrong. Then the loss of a father, and now the loss of their brother.
We have to stop meeting like this! I want to assure them that what was most
important to Wayne is most important to me. I have inherited what I regard
as a sacred trust from Wayne—the things that he learned he entrusted
to me, so that I would “be able to teach others also.” I think
that Wayne trusted me. Wayne’s legacy lives on in me—“though
he is dead, he still speaks.” Glynice and Dee, I want you to know that
any family of Wayne’s I consider to be my family. I think you know this.
We’ve seen each other from time to time throughout the years. I’m
not planning on going anywhere. This is true of everyone; if you consider
yourself to be family or friends of Wayne, you will always be my family or
friend.
Wayne called our local church “Catharos Bible Church” at first,
because catharos is the Greek word for “clean” or “pure.”
And it was significant to him that the Word of God that he would teach, the
spiritual nourishment that he would provide, would cleanse the heart and purify
the mind. But after a few telephone inquiries as to whether we were part of
the cult group “the Catharii,” Wayne decided on the simpler “San
Antonio Bible Church.”
For just under 25 years Wayne labored in San Antonio as the pastor of our
local church. And I do mean labored! I would guess that only one or two of
those years was the church able to support him financially so that he did
not have to essentially hold two jobs. He was an instructor at the now defunct
CBM technical school, and then after obtaining his teaching certification,
he became a math teacher at East Central High School. I would like to say
thank you to those of you who have come to pay your respects to Wayne from
East Central High School. And this will probably not surprise you to hear
that continuously throughout Wayne’s 10+ years of service there, he
never ceased to illustrate the rebellion of the human nature with the antics
of some of his students. But he was always grateful for the students who were
eager to learn, and who behaved well in class. There just weren’t enough
of them…
Wayne was truly a prayer warrior, and it was always his custom to begin every
Bible class with prayer requests and updates. We at San Antonio Bible Church
have heard the names of many East Central High School teachers, administrators,
and students, and their specific needs, oftentimes health-related also. Wayne
was truly compassionate toward people, he demonstrated the compassion of Jesus
Christ; he inquired into everyone’s well being, sympathized with their
difficulties, and brought them to the Lord in prayer.
Wayne never had much success in terms of a large congregation, in terms of
quantity. I witnessed the continuous rejection of his message over the years.
I would like to quote from three theologians whom I think wonderfully sum
up the destiny of faithful ministers who aren’t appreciated on earth:
“It shall be said to him, ‘Well done,
thou good and (not successful, but) faithful servant, enter thou into
the joy of thy master…” (David Brown).
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I could go on indefinitely about Wayne’s life, but time doesn’t
permit. Speaking of prayer, it was Wayne’s prayer and greatest desire
for you to know the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. As the Scripture
says, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.”
Wayne "fought the good fight, he finished his course, he kept the faith”;
and now he has rest from his labors in the presence of the Lord. My hope for
you is that you will share in the rest that Wayne had even while he labored
here on earth. And Wayne certainly had rest for his soul. That rest is provided
by the Lord Jesus Christ who said,
“Come to Me all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and YOU SHALL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy, and my load is light.” |
In conclusion, I would like to say on behalf of myself, Wayne’s wife
and immediate and extended family, and the congregation of San Antonio Bible
Church, thanks to Rephidim Church, East Central High School, and all of you
who have come today to pay your respects to Wayne Hein. It has been my privilege
to serve with and for Wayne for twenty years, and I consider this opportunity
to pay tribute to him and his Lord a great honor.
--Rick KolczakBACK |