>> THE CALL HIM THE BUSH FAMILY
FACTORIES MORE THAN THAT VERY
CONNECTED AND VERY CLOSE TO THE
FAMILY.
I'M TALKING ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
OF SAINT MARTIN'S EPISCOPAL
CHURCH.
A STEERING SPEAKER IN HIS OWN
RIGHT.
REVEREND RUSSELL AND I HAD A
CHANCE TO MEET HIM.
AT A FUNERAL A COUPLE OF YEARS
BACK.
AND TO HEAR HIM IS TO JUST BE
SPELLBOUND AND SITTING BACK AND
APPRECIATING THE SIMPLE BEAUTY
OF A LIFE.
AND IN THIS CASE, A REMARKABLE
LIFE AS WE REMEMBER PRESIDENT
BUSH, THE REVEREND JOINS ME
RIGHT NOW.
>> GOOD MORNING I'M SORRY TO
TALK UNDER THESE CIRCUMSTANCES
BUT GOOD TO HEAR YOUR VOICE.
>> SAME HERE.
TALK ABOUT THE PRESSURE.
YOU HAVE TO FOLLOW A COUPLE OF
YOU WILL ADJUST AND YOU HAVE
DONE THAT 70 KEY TIMES IN
HISTORY.
ONCE AGAIN, AFTER BARBARA BUSH
A LITTLE MORE THAN YOU KNOW, 10
MONTHS AGO OR EIGHT MONTHS AGO
NOW FACING AGAIN, WITH THIS.
WHAT IMAGES COME UP IN YOUR
HEAD, OF COURSE THE FORMER
PRESIDENT WAS OBVIOUSLY, A
FREQUENT MEMBER OF THE CHURCH.
TELL US A LITTLE.
>> YEAH, THE PRESIDENT AND MRS.
BUSH, BOTH WERE FREQUENT, THEY
WERE HERE EVERY WEEK.
AS LONG AS HEALTH OR TRAVEL DID
NOT GET IN THE WAY, THEY WERE
VERY ACTIVE MEMBERS OF THE
CHURCH.
AND BEHIND EVERY INITIATIVE THE
CHURCH PRESSED FORWARD ON.
THEY WERE VERY GOOD FRIENDS TO
THE PEOPLE AT SAINT MARTINS.
MANY PEOPLE DO NOT KNOW BUT
GOING BACK TO PRESIDENT, HE
SERVED IN LEADERSHIP AT THE
CHURCH WAS KNOWN TO SERVE
COFFEE ON SUNDAY MORNING, HE
WASN'T SURE WHEN YOU HAVE THE
CHANCE AND THEN, AS TIME WENT
ON IN HE HAD A SECURITY DETAIL
WITH THEM THAT DID NOT STOP HE
OR MRS. BUSH FROM BEING VERY
WARM TO THE PEOPLE IN THE PEWS.
THEY WERE VERY ACTIVE UP UNTIL
THE VERY END.
BARBARA USED TO PARTICIPATE IN
MAKING -- SHE WAS PART OF THE
ROPE AND HIS LEADERSHIP WAS
ALWAYS EVIDENT AND WE HAD A,
THIS PREDATES ME BECAUSE IT WAS
DURING HIS TENURE AS PRESIDENT
BUT WE HAD TO BRING A FRIEND TO
CHURCH ONE SUNDAY.
AND HIS FRIEND WAS MARGARET
THATCHER.
THAT IS WHO HE BROUGHT TO
CHURCH WITH HIM.
[áCUSTOMá IT IS HARD TO TOP
THAT!
HE HAD HIS OWN LITTLE
WILDERNESS YEARS.
THEY SAY HE DID NOT STAY
MELANCHOLY LONG BUT HE WAS
TRYING TO WRITE HIS LIFE AND
WHAT DO I DO NOW WITH THE REST
OF THAT LIFE?
AND THE CHURCH AND I KNOW THIS
PREDATES YOU TAKING OVER, BUT
WHAT WAS YOUR SENSE OF HIS
FAITH AND WHAT KEPT HIM GOING?
>> SURE, I'VE BEEN HERE ALMOST
12 YEARS.
WE ARE -- WE HAVE BEEN TOGETHER
A LOT AND WE HAVE HAD LONG
DISCUSSIONS.
A MAN OF DEEP FAITH.
AND A SIMPLE FAITH.
I DO NOT MEAN THAT IN A WAY
MANY PEOPLE WOULD INTERPRET
THAT.
IT JUST CAME EASY TO HIM.
ONE THING HE WOULD LIKE TO SAY
WAS WORSHIP WAS ESSENTIAL.
AND WHAT IS A PATIENT IN CHURCH
WAS PART OF THAT.
BUT IT WAS A VERY REAL FAITH
THAT HE HAD AND HE AND BARBARA
WERE CHRISTIANS, VERY ACTIVE
AND COMMITTED CHRISTIANS TO
JESUS CHRIST.
AT THE SAME TIME, HAD A LARGE
CIRCLE AS WE ALL KNOW, OF
PEOPLE WHO WERE FRIENDS ACROSS
THE AISLE BUT FRIENDS ACROSS
FAITH, TRADITIONS.
LOTS OF PEOPLE, YOU HAVE
WONDERFUL ON THIS MORNING
INCLUDING THE DALAI LAMA.
HE WAS FRIENDS HERE IN HOUSTON
WITH THE JEWISH AND MUSLIM
COMMUNITY.
AND WE HOSTED SEVERAL
INTERFAITH SERVICES HERE.
AT.
[INAUDIBLE] UNITY AND PEACE AND
THEY ALWAYS PARTICIPATED IN THE
SERVICE.
YOU KNOW, A VERY FAITHFUL MAN
IN EVERY WAY.
>> I WAS THINK WHEN SOMEONE
LIKE YOU, YOU HAVE TO DELIVER A
EULOGY.
THEY ARE SO MUCH A BURDEN HERE
ESPECIALLY AFTER OTHERS PAY
THEIR RESPECTS AND THEN, YOU
ARE PLAYING CLEANUP.
[LAUGHTER]
I THINK OF THAT IN THE POWERFUL
CLIENTELE AT YOUR CHURCH THAT
EXTENDED TO THE LATE GREAT --
AND OF COURSE BARBARA BUSH AND
SO MANY OTHERS.
AND YET YOU FIND A WAY AS
EVIDENCE IN THEIR LIVES, THEY
WERE JUST GOOD HUMAN BEINGS AT
THE CORE.
I NOTICED THAT WAS, IT TENDED
TO BE THE WAY THAT YOU WENT
ABOUT REMEMBERING THEM.
>> I THINK THAT IS A GOOD
POINT.
IN A MOMENT LIKE THIS, WHEN WE
CALL FOR BARBARA'S SERVICE BACK
IN APRIL, THAT WAS A SERVICE
THAT THE WORLD AUDIENCE SAW.
THAT INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, THAT
WAS A PERIOD IN WHICH 10 DAYS
WE HAD ACTUALLY SIX FUNERALS.
THAT WAS ONE OF SIX AND ASIDE
FROM THE CROWD, ALL OF THE
OTHER SERVICES WERE VERY
SIMILAR.
AND THAT WE READ FROM SCRIPTURE
AND WE SANG HYMNS AND OFFERED
PRAYERS FROM THE EPISCOPAL
CHURCH.
AND THAT IS WHAT MRS. BUSH
WANTED AND WHAT RESIDENT BUSH
WANTED.
SO MY ROLE IS REALLY TO NOT
FOCUS ON ANYTHING OTHER THAN
THE SERVICE ITSELF AND IN MY
ROLE AS A PASTOR AND A PRIEST,
WITH THEIR FAITH AND REALLY
REMEMBERING THIS REMARKABLE
LIFE AND THEIR FAITH IN GOD AND
THE ROLE THAT CERTAINLY,
PRESIDENT BUSH HAD INSPIRING US
ALL TO GREAT UNITY, HUMILITY
AND SERVICE.
WHICH WAS OF COURSE, HIS
WATCHWORD ALL THE TIME.
SERVICE, SERVICE, SERVICE.