*An ICA Tribute to John Singleton* In the face of great loss, no words convey the sadness we feel for those who loved John Singleton. Yet we dare to say Death is neither a curse nor a blessing, an end or a beginning, but only that it is a wondrous, frightening and redemptive reality. It is a step into the Unknown Unknown. It is sacred, and it is good. Even though Death is universal, it is also unique---because every life is unrepeatable. It arrives in its own time and is always shocking, even when it is anticipated. It can be painful or peaceful, timely or not, tragic or strangely welcome, or all of the above at once. We don’t choose the manner or the moment and can only respond by acknowledging its finality and trusting what was, is and will be. We go on. Whether you celebrate death as a Home Going or as a finality that prevents you from being with your loved one physically, acknowledging death is important. We accompany you in your grief. We pray for you in your journey. We hope for your experience of being accompanied by the Divine Spirit. May it sustain you in your sorrow. Our hearts are with you. We are grateful for what we learned and how our lives were enriched because of the unique life of John Singleton. We offer here our appreciation for the contributions he made to the life and work of the Ecumenical Institute/ICA. As a representative of the Institute of Cultural Affairs I would like to hold up and celebrate the unique contribution of John Singleton’s to the work of the Institute: John participated in the Institute work in the Local Church Experiment with a cluster of Denver churches and particularly at Montview Boulevard Presbyterian Church. The focus was on lay leadership to bring intentionality to the church’s role as mission to the world. John also worked with the Institute in Africa designing a community-based program to combat HIV/AIDS first in Ghana in 2002. This was during a time that Africa was the epicenter of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. John was part of a team to visit hospitals and clinics and document the Ghanaian health system response to HIV/AIDS. Later John would go to Uganda to help launch the Institute's Community based HIV/AIDS program to empower and enable communities to challenge HIV/AIDS. The Institute would like to celebrate John’s life and his unique contribution to caring for this planet and being part of the People of Care. Death is an experience that each and every living creature will finally experience. However, we also understand that every single life is unique and unrepeatable, and, therefore, today we come to acknowledge a very unique death. There has been no death like the death of John Singleton and no life such as the unique and unrepeatable life of John Singleton. What he did and what he was will never be repeated again. John Singleton died February 3, 2020 -- Richard H. T. Alton One Earth Film Fest ( OEFF) Green Community Connections Interfaith Green Network T: 773.344.7172 richard.alton@gmail.com **Save the Date! One Earth Film Festival 2021, March * http:www.oneearthfilmfestival.org Make Plain the Vision, Habakkuh 2:2 Won't you be my neighbor?