Houston pastor’s upcoming book offers prayers for pandemic
‘There is hope even in a dark time like this’
Greg Funderburk sees a parallel between navigating the uncertain waters of the coronavirus pandemic and picking up the pieces after the Great Storm of 1900.
The Braes Heights resident has spent nearly two decades submerged in research and writing on the hurricane that devastated Galveston. The resulting historical fiction narrative — “The Mourning Wave” — was published in September.
In both the pandemic and the natural disaster, Funderburk focuses on themes of facing the grief, uncertainty and anxiety that come in the aftermath of a tragedy.
Searching for hope in the midst of calamity is amessage that resonates in much of Funderburk’s work these days. In addition to being an author, Funderburk serves as minister of pastoral care at South Main Baptist Church.
“This is a difficult situation, but it’s not that different from being in the Depression or a war or another pandemic,” said Funderburk, who left behind a career as a lawyer to become a minister. “We live in a storm-driven world. There are always storms. The church has to respond and not just hunker down.”
Born in Houston, Funderburk attended the University of Texas School of Law and later practiced law in Houston with Funderburk & Funderburk, a firm established by his father and uncle.
“From the very beginning, I felt comfortable asking questions, learning the ropes,” Funderburk recalled. “I ended up doing that for 21 years. In the meantime, I got married and had kids.”
He and his wife, Kelly, have two sons — Hank, 22, and Charlie, 17.
Funderburk was active at his church and made regular hospital visits but never thought of the endeavor asmore than a volunteer activity. Until the position of pastoral care minister opened, and pastor SteveWells joked that Funderburk should apply.
“Maybe I should think about this?” he wondered. “I felt like the firm was in very good hands. I also felt like I wanted to branch out and do something else eventually.”
Funderburk assumed that his next steps would likely be legally focused, perhaps offering legal services to a nonprofit. But the more he thought about working at the church, the more it made sense.
The transition was easier than he expected.
“It was almost like you’re looking down a street and all the lights suddenly turn green, green, green,” Funderburk recalled.
He became minister for pastoral care in 2012 andwas ordained in 2013.
“Every step was reinforced,” Funderburk said. “It was the right thing to do. Sometimes people were shocked when I told them, but I felt like it was the right decision.”
And in many ways, his law career prepared him for the new role.
“It seemed like a logical extension of what I was doing,” he said. “I haven’t found the jobs that incredibly different.”
He still helps people through stressful and challenging times — but in different ways. Before he helped clients in court. Now he is often bedside in the hospital, offering comfort or bereavement care. He leads memorial services, counseling and prayer sessions.
“You’re there with people and trying to walk with them in difficult situations,” he said. “You certainly have a different tool kit, but I still advise them.”
Longtime South Main member Ann Sullivan recalls hearing Funderburk preach for the first time.
“I was blown away,” she said.
“There are people in this world who make a good first impression and then don’t live up to it. Greg is just the opposite. He continues to get better and better at everything he does.”
Funderburk found his new role rewarding — and continued working on the book he had begun writing as a lawyer.
He learned the story of the Great Storm as a child. Then, as an adult, the tale stuck with him on visits to the island.
“I love stories about people in a place where they have to rescue themselves, be persistent and find hope,” he said. “That’s really compelling.”
In Galveston’s historic hurricane, he found protagonists fit for a film — the young boys who were the sole survivors of St. Mary’s Orphan Asylum.
When the storm approached, 10 nuns secured the orphans to their bodies with clotheslines, hoping the rope would keep them together, but 90 children were lost in the natural disaster.
“They all died except for three boys,” Funderburk said. “I thought that these kids were a great story, one that needed to be told.”
And that’s where his book begins.
He estimates that the research and writing took him on an 18year journey. Funderburk was in the last stages of writing when COVID-19 hit.
At the same time, his work in pastoral care completely changed. No longer able to visit hospitals or hold memorial services, he pivoted to creating a network for church members to stay connected.
“I reached out to about 50 or 75 people, asking, ‘Can I give you four or five names to check on?’ ” Funderburk recalled.
He also made calls to members, especially the elderly and most at risk, to prevent them from feeling isolated. Funderburk searched for ways to offer relief and connection, especially while doors to the church were closed.
He turned to writing, starting a weekly column that was emailed to the congregation and posted on social media. Each installment offers words of encouragement.
As Funderburk wrapped up work on “The Mourning Wave,” the columns piled up.
Eventually, Funderburk realized that there were enough columns to compile into a book, and he reached out to Christian publisher Smyth & Helwys Books.
“They picked it up,” Funderburk said.
Now, his book “Let It Be Said, We’ve Borne It Well: Following God in the Time of COVID-19” is slated for publication in the spring. The work is similar to a devotional; each chapter contains amessage of faith and assurance, as well as a prayer.
The new work and “The MourningWave” share a similar focus.
“How do you overcome terrible circumstances? How do you navigate through grief and death?” Funderburk asks. “The world is full of sorrow, but one of our duties is to push onward and find hope. There is hope even in a dark time like this.”
It’s the same theme he draws upon in pastoral care, he explained.
“How do we push forward? Howdowe hold each other’s hands and carry each other’s hearts, even the people we have lost? Let’s walk together,” he said. “Let’s see if we can find a glimmer of hope — and walk towards that, with God’s help.”
“There are always storms. The church has to respond and not just hunker down.”
South Main Baptist Church minister of pastoral care