Roland B. Rosson
October 15, 1925 December 20, 2011

A Witness for Christ

In Acts 1:8 it says:  “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”   Roland took this charge from scripture seriously, and so his ministry took him to the ends of the earth.  His ministry began in St. Joseph, Missouri, moved on to Metlakatla, Skagway, and Ketchikan, Alaska, and then out of the cold and into the desert to help Chandler Presbyterian Church recover from a serious division. That was followed by a pastorate in Lancaster, California, and then he performed a valuable service by serving several interims along the way.  But that is not all.  Along the way, he served a lengthy term on the Permanent Judicial Commission of the Presbyterian Church, and then also served on the Committee on the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church.  Roland was dedicated to our church, its form of government, to teaching the Bible and living faithfully in all that he did.  In his family life and his leadership in the church, he exemplified what it means to be a servant of Christ.

When Roland was asked once about his most satisfying success or reward from ministry, he would not name one.  Instead, he said that he just tried to follow Jesus’ admonition: “If anyone would follow me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily.”  He went on to say: “Denied means it’s not about you and taking the cross means helping others bear their burdens.”

That pretty well summarizes Roland Rosson.  Thanks be to God!