THERE ARE THOSE WHO SAY THEY WILL PRAY FOR YOU and don’t. There are those who say they will pray for you and do once, then let it flounder. And there are those who say they will pray for you and they do, over and over and over until the answer comes. Those people are true prayer partners, and Maynard Granlund was one true prayer partner. A true encourager, a real Barnabas.
I first met Maynard while I was serving on summer staff at Mount Hermon Christian Conference Center in 1975. He would sometimes open the doors to the kitchen late at night for us so we could “raid” the goodies.
In 1977 I met Maynard again when I was applying for the youth pas-tor’s position here at this church. He was at that time serving on the call committee as the chairman of the Christian Education department if my memory serves me correctly.
As I headed back to school in 1983 Maynard prayed for me, as I be-gan serving in a church in Minnesota he continued to be involved in pray-ing for me, and in 1989, when the Lord called me to begin a new church in Crescent City, California Maynard was one of the key supporters, not only in prayer but also in words and with his pocket book.
When I put out a prayer letter, Maynard would pray. When I came to visit the Mount Hermon area and ran into Maynard he would ask me about the prayer request given months before – a prayer request that I had forgotten about, but of which he did not.
In the summer of 1997 I ran into Maynard and Edith at the National Conference of the Evangelical Free Church of America, and to make a long story short, Maynard was one of the people whom the Lord used to bring me back here to Felton Bible Church.
And Maynard continued to pray. Continued to ask questions, Contin-ued to encourage me, Continued to keep my feet to the fire, Continued to love. He was a true partner in ministry, a true encourager in the stead of Barnabas, a true friend, and I will miss him greatly.
O Lord, please raise up more men of such faith and prayer!