Below is the tribute my wife, Adria, gave to Pastor Joanne at her funeral.
"Over the past week, I have begun to realize just how many of us would call Joanne Green-Colon a dear friend, but I also had the tremendous privilege of calling her pastor. Us members of Heart and Soul Community Church got to watch her, on a weekly if not daily basis, do what she loved best. We got to sit at her feet as she taught us about her beloved Jesus and we got to serve Him alongside her. What an incredible honor it has been. What a phenomenal education she gave us."
"When my husband and I showed up on H&S’s doorstep 4.5 years ago, I was broken and hiding. An earnest request of mine to God for guidance had seemingly gone unmet. I had cried out, begged, pleaded… nothing. I didn’t know what to do with the silence. How could I trust God if he wasn’t there when I needed him? I felt trapped. I’d experienced too much to turn away from God, but I felt I couldn’t trust him. I went on like this for over 6 years. Until one morning, we stumbled onto Heart & Soul’s doorstep. From the pulpit, I heard a vaguely similar story. Many of you know that for over 6 years, Joanne suffered from a disease that caused her debilitating pain and sleeplessness. It was eventually diagnosed as chronic Lyme disease. I watched, often from the back row, as she and Pastor Louis shared small glimpses of their struggle. They prayed and hoped for healing. They cried out, pleaded- and for a long, long time, silence. Her sermons during those times were so powerful. Truth about living for God in the midst of suffering was shared with us by someone who was living it out right in our midst. Sunday after Sunday, it was as if she picked you up on her back and carried you with her to the feet of Jesus and interceded there on your behalf. Through her suffering, she did not grow hard or numb. She did not give up, and she never stopped believing that the God of the Bible was who he said he was. She showed us that in the midst of pain and suffering, we could experience God deeply, and live fully. And she did. And as they grappled with this, they completely unknowingly carried me along with them. Through their preaching, little by little, I began to gain clarity. I began to see some of the things God was trying to teach me. I began to have the courage to believe my relationship with God could be restored and healthy again, that He was trustworthy, even when he was silent. They taught me about the God who was with us, whether I could feel it or not. They gave us all hope that no matter what we had suffered in our lives, we could walk in hope and victory. My favorite sermon by pastor Joanne, aside from the one where she gave us all cheesecake, was when she preached on Romans 8:37, which says “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” She explained to us that the Greek word for more there was Hooper-nakao - meaning hyper excessively. She asked us where we were playing the victim, and then told us we are not victims, we are victors. In Christ, we are OVERCOMERS."
"Pastor Joanne and Pastor Louis always loved people well, loved them sacrificially. I never saw them shy away. Our incredibly diverse church works because they love everyone, no matter who you are or where you come from and we all just follow their lead. They opened their home, their wallets, their hearts, and their arms to those in our congregation and the surrounding community. They have loved us as family through our trials and tribulations over and over again."
"As I have spoken with Heart and Soulers over the past week, I have heard story after story of Pastor Joanne’s impact - marriage after marriage that she and Pastor Louis fought and prayed for and guided towards health. Forgiveness and healing that was found, hope that was given, addictions that were broken, life after life transformed by Christ. For some, it was just simple inspiration and courage to be more like her - to make the difference they could make."
"In Pastor Joanne, I found someone who I wanted to be, someone I could follow. I now know just how many women in our church felt the same. She was strong, yet tender, a spiritual giant, yet one of us. She did not lead from above, but from alongside. We never felt that we couldn’t do what she was doing. It was always attainable. It was simply Jesus."
"I have argued and pleaded with God, as I imagine many of us have, over his decision to bring Pastor Joanne home now. There is no way to describe the hole left in our church body. But as a church, we have been well prepared for this. We know how to persevere through hard times. We couldn’t have had a better example. Pastor Joanne, thank you, from the bottom of our hearts for all that you gave to us. You were dearly loved, and we are all better people who love Jesus more because of you. Pastor Louis, Daniel, sweet little Sara, I know many of us in the congregation have longed for a moment alone with you to tell you how much we love you, how deeply and profoundly we are experiencing this loss with you and that we would do anything for you. We are ready and willing to carry you on our backs, for years if that is what it takes, to the feet of Jesus and intercede there on your behalf. We will be there for you. Afterall, you and your family have done nothing less for us."
