It was a great sadness for us all to hear of the death of Sue
Vidits. Sue was a member of St
Paul’s during the time of her husband George’s assistantship with us and she
was a great enrichment to our congregational life. She was a sensitive listener and possessed a sharp intuition
when it came to responding to people in need, gifts which she brought to her
work as a nurse. She was also
great fun, conversation with her
was regularly sprinkled with laughter.
Sue had a long struggle with cancer, the challenge of which was always
clear to her as a result of her work with cancer patients, but her courage will
never be forgotten by those of us who had any contact with her during this
time. This of course was a direct
result of her faith which was deeply personal and had at its centre trust in
the God who is present and powerful in every circumstance.
It was an inspiration to see this reflected in the Thanksgiving Service
at St Andrew’s Kirk, Helensburgh where George is now minister. The Very Reverend Dr Ivan Patterson, a
personal friend of the Vidits‘, spoke of Sue’s lively personality and the
impact she had on all of us. But
he emphasised the most important thing about Sue and that was the perspective
she had on life which spoke of God’s great purpose of renewal for the whole universe. As a believer, Sue now knows the
reality of this and enjoys not only rest and peace but the vigour and vitality
of renewed body, mind and spirit.
Those who knew Sue will remember her great enthusiasm for sport of all
kinds and so it was no surprise that the text written on the Funeral Order of
Service was from 1 Corinthians 9: 25:
‘Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not
last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever’.
Paul says later in the same letter that if it is only for this life we
have hope in Christ then we deserve more pity than anyone but ‘Christ has
indeed been raised from the dead, the guarantee that all those who sleep in
death will also be raised.’ (1
Corinthians 15: 20).
I am grateful for Sue and all those I have known who have cherished this
hope to the end.
