John Collins, an American United Methodist pastor, a tireless worker for peace, and a dear friend of Italian Protestants as well as of many in the American Waldensian Society, has passed away. This tribute was written by Paolo Naso and appeared first in the Italian Protestant publication Riforma.
At the end of January, the American United Methodist pastor John Collins passed away at the age of 95. During the 1980s, John had been a leading US supporter of the peace witness of Italian Protestants and, in particular, the program for “Documentation and Initiatives” of the Peace Center in Catania on the island of Sicily. In 1982, John had led a delegation from the American peace movement that included, among others, the Rev. Jim Lawson, one of Martin Luther King ‘s closest and most brilliant collaborators.
John’s relationship with Italian Protestants, however, predated the 1980s because, while he was still a young pastor, he had served a congregation in a Bronx neighborhood that was densely populated by Italians, including many who were Methodists who had emigrated from southern Italy.
While John was a student at the Union Theological Seminary in New York, he founded the Student Interracial Ministry, an attempt to integrate black and white Christian communities. The idea of working to integrate churches was quite controversial in an era in which, as Martin Luther King said, 11 am Sunday morning was “the most segregated” hour in American life.
John also participated in several “kneel-ins,” a form of protest that consisted of African Americans and whites kneeling together in churches that otherwise were reserved exclusively for whites. At the time, even the thought of blacks and whites kneeling together contradicted the rules of segregation. Hence, many of those who participated in “kneel-ins,” including John, were detained for “disturbing the peace.”
During his ministry in East Harlem and the Bronx, John dealt with social issues, especially poverty and homelessness, and worked with others on public and low-cost housing initiatives.
During the 1980s, the peace movement took off in the North American and European churches. Faithful to his understanding of Christian discipleship, John joined a group of young people who wanted to do peace work on the island of Sicily. One of the young Protestants with whom John worked was the future Waldensian pastor, Bruno Gabrielli. John also developed close ties with Italian Methodists and, especially, with the Italian Methodist pastors Sergio and Massimo Aquilante. John also developed a close friendship with a future executive director of the American Waldensian Society, Francis Rivers. In 2006, at a special meeting commemorating the 100th anniversary of the founding of the American Waldensian Society, John was recognized for his long commitment and support for the justice and peace work of Protestants in Italy and the Rio de la Plata.
In addition to two daughters, John is survived by his wife Sheila. John was a dear friend for Italian Protestants and, above all, a powerful advocate for justice and peace.
