In Memoriam
Posted on May 22nd, 2006 by catalyst into the Uncategorized category
A friend of City Business Church and the Morton family died recently. Paul de Parrie a fixture in Portland's Pro-Life Community died Saturday afternoon of a heart attack after giving a speech.
Paul de Parrie was a radical preacher who fervently opposed abortion and the homosexual community. He and my father spent several years protesting abortion clinics throughout Portland, Oregon. The two were arrested several times blocking the doorways to clinics as a means of preventing women from aborting their unborn children.
Mr. de Parrie also spent several Sunday Mornings in front of City Bible Church with huge banners challenging the leadership at CBC to run their church in a more righteous manner.
Politically, I would have to say that I disagree with Mr. de Parrie one-hundred percent. He spent most of his life condemning the homosexual community, along with several other lifestyle sins. However, he was a passionate man, who stood for something and sacrified for that belief. And that is something I can respect.
Also, he was always very nice to my family and once commented that he really liked our blog. He will be missed.
Here are the details for Mr. de Parrie's Viewing and Memorial Service:
Viewing
Date: Monday, May 22nd, 11:00 am to 2:00 noon.
Location: Aftercare Cremation and Burial Service
4764 SE Milwaukie Ave.
Portland, OR 97202
Memorial Service
Date: Tuesday, May 23rd 6:30pm
Location: Trinity Fellowship
2700 SE 67th Ave.
Portland, OR 97206
(Two block south of 67th and Division)
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May 22nd, 2006 at 9:31 am
What a lovely tribute.
I was thinking this morning about the protesters down at Schumaker Furs in downtown Portland. They’re doing a whole lot less than Randy Terry and his fellow Operation Rescue protesters ever did, yet the same crowd that thought Terry and his crew were rightous complain when similar tactics are used on another. Not to compare anal electricution of furry critters with abortion, because they’re obviously VERY different. But I still applaud the dedication and faith of both these groups.
May 22nd, 2006 at 10:15 am
those fur people are crazy. i saw them last time i went downtown… it was a while ago, but i could hear them like far far away. And they had some cool chalk drawings on the cement.
May 22nd, 2006 at 10:37 am
A friend is somebody who will come bail you out when you’re thrown in jail. A true friend is somebody who is sitting in the cell with you saying “Wasn’t that fun?!”
It sounds like your family had a true friend in Mr. de Parrie. I’m sorry for your loss.
May 22nd, 2006 at 12:39 pm
Jail is a truly awesome experience. I highly recommend the maximum security lock-up in Maricopa County Arizona. You’ll walk out of there a changed man.
May 22nd, 2006 at 12:52 pm
The Oregonian published a story about deParrie today:
“…deParrie characterized violence against doctors who perform abortions as “morally justifiable.”
It’s great that he was nice to your family. Too bad he chose not share the same with others.
May 22nd, 2006 at 12:54 pm
Fair Enough.
May 22nd, 2006 at 1:06 pm
I don’t remember much about Paul, but I always admired his passion.
My wife and I got into many arguements driving past his protests on our way to church at CBC.
I do love a good protest.
May 22nd, 2006 at 1:35 pm
sorry for your loss. To me he will always be a terrorist.
May 22nd, 2006 at 3:23 pm
Our loss ? Don’t be fooled Jp and Justin didn’t care for him until he showed up at CBC. Terrorist seams a little strong, but definitely nuts.
By the way the last time I went to CBC was because Paul showed up there. I thought it was the funniest thing ever. I still remember Doug out there yelling the same insults at Paul, as people yelled at us when we were kids picketing in front of Boars Health Clinic.
May 22nd, 2006 at 3:50 pm
But did he throw a dirty diaper?
May 22nd, 2006 at 6:19 pm
I participated in an “Operation Rescue” (ala Randal Terry) years ago. I did spend some time in jail, but only in lieu of paying my fine (because I was determined not to give any money to the evil system).
Not that I would do that again, but I do miss the passion I once had to “put feet on my convictions.” I am, however, relieved that at no point in my life was I “zealous” enough to believe that hurting the doctors who perform abortion was justified or even a good idea. That belief/action always seemed diametrically opposed to the belief that life is sacred, thus the murder of abortion is wrong.
May 25th, 2006 at 9:47 am
I used to attend church with Mr. de Parrie at Community Bible Fellowship in SE Portland, where we had a sharing time in each service where members of the congregation could stand up and share what’s going on in their lives, asking for prayer and whatnot. Paul used to share, and though I can’t remember details these years later, I do recall mentions of prison and asking for prayer for his “cause”. But, as Norm! already mentioned, his views were pretty extreme, and I always imagined the church’s leadership loved him in spite of his political views, which is an excellent example for all of us.
May 25th, 2006 at 3:26 pm
i remember paul, too, from my years at Community Bible Fellowship (did I know you Stephen?). I actually found Paul a bit perplexing. He showed up one Sunday morning in front of CBF with huge posters of aborted babies that the kids had to walk by to get into church. He had not forewarned the church or anything. Though I am not comfortable speaking ill of the dead, Paul was a man whose activism, I wondered, caused more harm than perhaps good.
I will remember to pray for his family today.
May 26th, 2006 at 10:09 am
Pam, I think I recognize your name, but I can’t honestly remember who you are - it’s been at least 5 years since I attended (pre-Trinity merger). My last name is Himes - I went to CBF mostly when I was in high school and a few years after that. Depending on your age, you may have been more familiar with my parents, Mark and Janet, who now attend Hinsen.
May 26th, 2006 at 12:34 pm
i recognize your name. i don’t know your parents, i think. we went to cbf for six years, deapartting right as the Trinity thing merged. i was on youth staff with Clark for the last three. it seems to me i heard clark talk about you, or some other youth staff. i’m not sure. anyways, where are you now?
(you can email me jamnperry@comcast.net)
June 8th, 2006 at 10:28 pm
Pam-
I did not agree with everything my father did however he “did” something, in fact he did a lot. He was a generous man, very kind to everyone he met and was the most passionate, sincere and intense person I have ever met. This was so evident by the attendees of his memorial service. There was a self-proclaimed-liberal-pro-abort-escort, a man with satanic tatoos all over his face and several atheists to count a few of the unexpected “types” at a funeral for a man like him. All of these people mourned over him.
His methods were extreme at times. However, I applaud anyone that holds the church to a higher standard (myself included), we (our nation) have become the most apethetic-me-centered Christians (myself included) in the world and it is apalling.
With that said, I thank you (on the behalf of my family) for your prayers. My father was and is my hero. I will continue to mourn for him until the day I die.
J
June 9th, 2006 at 11:43 am
bless you, daughter of Paul, and the rich memories you have of your father.
June 13th, 2006 at 12:03 pm
Pam,
That was presumtuous of you to say that my dad had not forwarned the church about what he was going to be doing outside the church. My dad made several laborious efforts to forewarn and explain what he was doing outside every church he visited. He always explained that his message was not an attack on the church, it was a prophetic message to “the church of Portland” meaning the people of God in Portland as a whole. He made every attempt possible to warn everyone for the very reason that you are describing ( he did not want to force anyone to expose their children to the pictures he was displaying ) . In the case of CBF perhaps they did not allow to make an announcment to the congregation but I know he told the leaders. If you were not notified that would be their fault, not his.
FYI: I was exposed to abortion pictures from the time I can remember. Maybe if more children were, we would not have so many apathetic, pew-warming pansies in our churches today. Every child in school is exposed to gruesome pictures of the holocaust. Why? So we don’t repeat history.
I don’t want to hear your “rich memories of our father crap” because you know you were among the CBF goers who gossiped about him and had nothing nice to say behind his back. I’ll have you know, there very few TBF goers were at his memorial. There was every kind of sinner and radical there but none of the pharisees showed up.
Pam, next time you make a claim about someone, make sure it’s true… A little lesson I learned from my dad.
June 14th, 2006 at 6:16 am
Paul’s daughter:
Thanks for your comment. Pam is a friend of this blog. And I’m pretty sure she was just trying to be nice.
You lost your father, and I am not going to try to understand how that feels, because I don’t know. But if we could leave this argument alone from here on out, that would be great.
June 14th, 2006 at 8:59 am
OK, can I take that last comment back. I know I’m being harsh, I’m having a delayed reaction to my dad’s death. Everyone else dealt with it in the first two weeks and I’m just beginning to process it. It just really pisses me off when A: people say presumtuous things about people that they don’t know to be true and B: use nice soft christianese phrases to cloak their distain. It’s hypocritical and it makes me sick.
June 14th, 2006 at 9:29 am
You know Catalyst,
If you can’t bitch about something here than where can you?
Carry on Paul’s other daughter, carry on.
June 14th, 2006 at 10:27 am
This thread has me thinking about Galatians 6:2-6 or thereabouts - where we are told to bear one anothers burdens. Up ’til now, I’ve considered burdens to mean ’sin’ and sometimes ‘afflictions’ - but with this thread, I wonder if it also means the type of burdens that weigh heavily on our hearts for the wrongs done in this world.
IF the church were better at bearing one another’s burdens, or for that matter, felt a burden for the sinful nature of this world, would extreme actions like Paul’s be needed? Is it in response to an apathetic / sleeping church that God sends men like Paul to motivate the church to compassion / action? And what does it speak of the church when it summarily dismisses the message because it takes offense at the mode of delivery?
Somehow I find myself thinking of Christ’s words: I played a jig for you and you did not dance; I played a dirge for you and you did not mourn. I’m sure that is a comment on our indifference; but is it also an observation that no one can deliver a message of repentence without offending people?
I’m not pointing any fingers … I’m just observing and musing a little …
June 14th, 2006 at 1:09 pm
When one part of the body suffers, shouldn’t we all. I cannot condone Paul’s every action. But wouldn’t that be like cursing painful back muscles because the spine is out of alignment.
May you have good memories and abundant comfort in your father’s passing
June 15th, 2006 at 6:50 am
Thanks John and AW for the kind and insightful comments.
I feel that I need to jump in and explain why my sister is so upset. Our grief has been anything but private. It seems that many people have an opinion of our dad without ever having met him. It is difficult enough to lose a parent and it is compounded by careless remarks. We don’t bother correcting non-Christians however we do try to set the record straight with our fellow brothers and sisters.
With that said, I didn’t always agree with my dad, his methods, his doctrine etc…However, I respect him for standing up for his beliefs. I respect him for recognizing, in himself, that he was faulted and for going before God daily to seek out his faults. I respect him for treating people with kindness even while pointing out their sin. He had a certain public persona that (indeed) he created however he was quite different as a man. You will have to forgive our anger because what it all really comes down to is that we hurt beyond description-we are and always will be his girls.
Thank-you.
J
June 15th, 2006 at 1:20 pm
My prayers are for your comfort.
I…
Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. Rom 12:15
June 16th, 2006 at 3:33 pm
There are few battlefronts as ugly as the fight for the unborn. To the work-a-day church goer, their greatest battle is often little more than the rush hour commute or an obnoxious co-worker. But to stand up for the unborn invites the fire of the enemy, and even friendly fire from those in close proximity who don’t want the fight.
One of my musician friends, David Benrexi has been involved in the right to life movement for many years. He has recorded a CD called ‘Pink or Blue’ which he gives away in bulk to crisis pregnancy counselling centers - with the intention of meeting young women with a message of love in the time of their crisis, to encourage them to keep their child. It’s a personal, loving, and low-key approach that has yielded positive results. To fund the CD production, David often spoke at churches about the project, and a love offering was taken to pay for producing a quantity of CDs. But in talking to him recently, he’s been met with apathy and the funding, which has alwas been in short supply, is all but dried up.
I haven’t really felt a calling to get involved in the right to life movement, however because David and I are good friends with a similar musical calling, I have helped him. During the fall of 2004 (?) David recorded a new CD at my home studio, on which there is a song called Innocent Lives. After a week of recording, I drove David up to Chicago to a counseling clinic where we met with the counselors and a group of pastors to place his Pink or Blue CD in more clinics. It was eye-opening.
After dropping David off with another friend, I drove the 100 miles home, back here to ‘Cornville’, and stopped at Walmart to pick up a few things. There I was met by one of Karen’s high-school students who asked me “How is Mrs. Helser feeling?” … the student turned sickly green when I said “what are you talking about?” and she said “Mrs. Helser collapsed in class this morning and they took her to the hospital in an ambulance”.
She was 49 at the time, and had had a mini-stroke (TIA). Her recovery has been complete - but it still put the fear of God in us. Spiritual battles of that magnitude are not for the uninitiated or faint of heart.
The whole ’spiritual warfare’ front is not one I have dealt with much in my calling - but I’m here to tell you that there are indeed battle-fronts where you can be hurt or killed IF you aren’t prepared (Ephesians 6) and secure IN CHRIST. Likewise your family and friends, whom the enemy will target to stop you.
That said - I empathize with what you girls surely went through as your dad fought that battle. And I hope for all your sake, that ‘the bigger the battle, the greater the reward’ is true. Blessings to you both!
Jack