Reverend Philip Moran came to Boise in 1991 to serve as pastor at Covenant Presbyterian Church. He was young, age 35, and brought his charming wife and baby son. My children were young, and we attended Covenant. I appreciated his congenial style, musical talent, goofy jokes, and passion for the Gospel. He remained at Covenant for twenty years.
I have fond memories of Pastor Phil. I helped with several children’s programs at Covenant, and I remember one long meeting with volunteers. After a tedious and repetitive discussion, Pastor Phil finally said, “We’ve spent two hours organizing a 45-minute agenda. Time’s up!”
After I moved my mother to an Assisted Living facility near Covenant, he brought her communion and talked with her. In 2014, he drove 100 miles to speak at her funeral in Wendell.
Hundreds of people attended his service on February 1, and the event was shown online. One of the speakers asked guests to raise their hands if Pastor Phil had counseled with them, spoken at their family funerals, or married family members. All the hands were raised, including mine, and the speaker asked Pastor Phil’s family to turn around and look at all the raised hands as visual proof of his lasting legacy.
Videos at funerals always make me weep. I watched with tissues as photos appeared of a spirited boy, a bright, young pastor, a positive speaker, a loving husband, father, and grandfather, and finally as a quiet man of 68 afflicted with the debilitating disease of ALS.
Pastor Phil was an extraordinary Christian who made his daily walk with Jesus look easy. As one of the speakers said at his service, “He’s home.”
