PHOTO: The Right Rev. William Swing and the Rev. Canon Charles P. Gibbs at the URI head office in San Francisco
With self-effacing humor Charles Gibbs laughs about his singing voice. We, his friends, go along and beg him not to sing Happy Birthday or the National Anthem. In reality, Charles lives his life surrounded by a plenitude of musical CDs of all sorts, and these get embedded in his soul. On most occasions of life you can find Charles quoting an appropriate lyric because he speaks a musical language.
Long ago Charles listened to the cacophony of religious clamor and predictable violence, and he heard the faint hopeful strains of harmonies. So he offered himself to do an audacious thing...equivalent to learning to be a gifted conductor while recruiting potential musicians and then sit with them while they learned to play and he learned to lead. The difference being that he would orchestrate people of all of the competing faith traditions to create the life-giving sound of peace in a troubled world.
At the beginning Charles had no recognizable credentials. Rector of a small parish in San Francisco's fog belt, no experience in running a large organization, lacking as a fund-raiser, limited overseas travel, and was not an interfaith leader at any level. Perfect!
But Charles does have three virtues of immeasurable worth. A big heart...he is a lover of souls, and he comes by that innately. If it takes a lake of sympathy to make a symphony, he is Lake Charles. When you see him coming at you wearing some silly sweater and lumbering forward on those gigantic shoes with a joyful grin and outstretched arms, you realize why URI works. Patience...Charles builds maddening sufficient time into all equations so that everyone has a chance to weigh all of the options before coming to a wise decision. Willingness to grow...URI took a step and grew. Charles took a step and grew. Multiply that by 17 years and you understand why URI is where it is today.
This hymn describes Charles best:
My life goes on in endless song;
Above earth's lamentations,
I hear the real, though far-off hymn
That hails a new creation;
Through all the tumult and the strife,
I hear the music ringing;
It sounds an echo in my soul
How can I keep from singing?
Don't tell me Charles Gibbs can't sing. That man's got pipes! Thank you Charles for everything. I'll bet your voice pleases God.
Love and gratitude,
+Bill
