Published: December 21, 2007 10:07 pm            

Lutheran pastor has no regrets about heeding God's call

The Rev. David N. Finney Jr. spent most of his adult life as a pastor, serving 32 of those years at Trinity Lutheran Church in Johnstown.

Finney, a tall, intelligent man with warm brown eyes and a head of wavy, white hair, could have picked a more lucrative career.

But if he has any regrets about a life lived in service to others, the 82-year-old does not admit it.

“Not one regret – ever,” he said decisively. “I know that within my heart, God called me. I rejoice in my decision. I never had a doubt. I’d do it all over again.”

Finney graduated from high school in Harrisburg, where he was a standout athlete – lettering in basketball, football, baseball and track.

After graduation, with World War II embroiling the country, he joined the Marine Corps. His brother already was serving with the Marines, and the younger Finney wanted to be with him.

“It never happened,” he said.

Finney went to Parris Island, S.C., for basic training during the hot summer months of June, July and August.

The experience is one he still remembers.

“I’d like to forget everything,” he said. “It made me come quickly to adulthood. Within a month’s time, I became a man.”

Finney was highly regarded for his keen eyesight and received advanced training to be able to assist bombers in pinpointing the exact location of their target.

“I could perceive depths to 10,000 feet,” he said.

To this day, Finney enjoys good vision and does not wear glasses.

He spent three years in the Pacific, and although he was not injured in the war, his appendix burst while he was walking in a jungle in Hawaii.

He had emergency surgery but soon was back at battle. His skills were needed in the war effort.

When the war ended, both Finney boys returned home safely.

While he doesn’t enjoy some of the memories, Finney does not hesitate to talk about his experiences.

“As a Lutheran pastor, I’ve been subjected to many trials and tribulations and speak of how I came through a victor,” he said. “I live it, not just speak of it.”

After the war, Finney attended Gettysburg College, graduating in 1950, and taught public school until 1957.

He received his master of education in 1957 from Pitt and a bachelor of divinity degree in 1961 from Gettysburg Seminary.

Finney does not recall the exact moment when he decided to become a minister, but his interest was piqued as a child during his confirmation process.

“I wanted to help mold people,” he said.

After receiving his divinity degree, Finney took over a church in downtown Pittsburgh.

One Sunday, visitors came to the church and, after the service, had a request for the minister.

Would he travel to Johnstown and preach for them there?

After that “trial sermon,” he was asked to become pastor of Trinity Lutheran. Although he wasn’t looking for a new parish, he answered “I’ll come.”

“Sometimes, you just have to go on faith,” he said.

His wife, Betty Lou, quickly agreed to the move, taking her lead from the Old Testament, quoting Ruth who told her mother-in-law, “Whither thou goest, I will go.”

So in 1963, the Finneys found a new home in Johnstown.

It was a perfect fit.

Finney said he found his new parish to be “friendly and loving and everything I wanted them to be.

“I wanted to be a good pastor for them,” he added.

He said one-on-one counseling and visiting the sick in the hospital were the most rewarding parts of his ministry.

“If someone called me at 2 in the morning, I would go to them and be with them hour after hour,” he said. “And I loved it.”

Finney said dedication is perhaps the most important criteria to be a minister.

“When you become a pastor, you become a shepherd,” he said. “You have to understand that your life is never your own anymore.”

Finney was the pastor of the church in 1977 when a devastating and deadly flood hit Johnstown.

The pastor joined parishioners in the daunting task of cleaning and restoring the church which was badly damaged by the muddy water.

When not caring for his church family, Finney and his wife raised four children: David, Betsy, Teddy and Nancy.

The busy pastor also led trips for Holiday Travel for about 10 years. Trips included places like Italy, Norway, Japan, China and the Holy Land.

Finney said he enjoys a good game of golf, singing in the choir and hiking.

Although retired, he still conducts a service at Laurel View Village, the nursing home where his wife resides.

She only recognizes her husband of 55 years some of the time, but that doesn’t stop him from visiting.

“I haven’t missed a day in the years she has been there,” he said.

The elderly pastor also continues to be an active part in the ministry at Trinity Lutheran and recalls his place in its history with much fondness.

“As Jesus walked the streets of Galilee, I walked the streets of Johnstown,” he said.

        

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