03/19/2021
Sis. Kathy Kilcollins was a pillar here at the APC for more than 40 years. In all that time, her faith never wavered. You could always count on her being right on the front row, often the first one on her feet to worship.
Her love for God was only rivaled by her love for family. Gib and the kids meant the world to her. Before and after church meetings, she would share weekly updates on the goings on of her kids and grandkids, often with pictures. She was a very proud Ma and Grandma.
EVERY Sunday, she would request prayer for her boys, often with tears. Her greatest desire was to be able to say like the apostle John, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.” (3 John 1:4, KJV)
My first memory of Kathy is her and Gib making pizza freaks for the church youth shortly after I arrived in Mars Hill in 1994. I would be blessed to enjoy her cooking for the next 27 years, and since becoming her pastor, baked goods delivered right to my door!
Being our longest-standing member, you might say Kathy was our church historian. Many milestones and memories were preserved in pictures only thanks to her diligence.
Kathy’s faithfulness to her church went far beyond attendance or tithing. She understood that the work of God was…well, work. And she never shied away from it, but rather threw herself into it. You’d be hard pressed to find a ministry in the church that she wasn’t involved in.
She was a worship leader, and not just at the church house. She would take her guitar and whoever would join her up to the nursing home and sing hymns for the residents, and then visit with them afterwards.
She was our church secretary, which involved a whole host of duties including, but not limited to, taking notes at board meetings and business meetings, making bulletins, and keeping track of everyone’s birthdays and anniversaries, making sure no one got missed during Sunday announcements. Long before Siri, we had Kathy reminding us of necessary preparations for upcoming events.
She was also our ladies ministry leader, and a mother figure to many of those ladies who looked up to her godly example, turning to her for words of wisdom or just a shoulder to cry on. Kathy had genuine compassion, and made herself available to them day or night.
She started and maintained a church page since before I was pastor. Every Sunday morning, you could count on a thoughtful and reflective post, with a reminder to get out to church.
She taught Sunday school back in the day, and there’s no telling how many lives still feel the touch of her influence.
She was involved in organizing a plethora of events, such as meals for visiting ministers, potlucks, funeral luncheons, community Thanksgiving dinners, spring/fall church cleaning, fundraisers, pastor appreciation, etc., etc., etc.
Even if she wasn’t organizing it, she supported every church event and ministry with her time, money, muscle and talent. No matter what was happening, her first question was always, “How can I help?”
Kathy did not seek the limelight, and much of what she did was behind the scenes, from being a confidant to cleaning and decorating the church house to keeping the sanctuary stocked with tissues, to managing mousetraps in the basement.
She rarely showed up at church alone, but would pick up others who lacked transportation.
She had a gift for seeing God’s blessings in the little things, and was on her feet every time the floor was opened for testimonies.
Every time the church was opened for prayer, she was there, usually before anyone else. And what a prayer warrior she was.
Her example set the bar high for others to follow, and her departure has left a great void in our church. I cannot even begin to speculate how many of us it will take to collectively fill the shoes she left behind.
If the greatest among us is the servant of all, like Jesus said (Matt 23:11; Mark 10:44), then Kathy truly was the greatest among us. I expect her heavenly reward would put most of us to shame.
She was so synonymous with our church that trying to imagine the APC without Kathy is like trying to imagine the Psalms without David or the Day of Pentecost without Peter. It is going to take some time for us to figure out who we are without her.
We will miss her intensely: her ministry, her prayers, her love and compassion, her selflessness, her steadfastness, her friendship, her cooking, her wit, her sense of humor (Who can forget “Rusty Chevrolet”?!). Her life has impacted all of us so profoundly. We will never forget Sis. Kathy Kilcollins.
