Preserving the Legacy: Found Writings of Alan Spawn Available as Podcasts

The family of Alan Spawn has released a series of audio podcasts based upon his recently discovered writings.

“I wanted to share with you a project that I finished recently. In a nutshell, I discovered some writings of my dad’s which were treasures: inspirational and thoughtful stories and essays about a variety of things. Many were related to his faith. In the past couple weeks I have ‘tested’ them with friends and family and I have been astounded by the feedback,” explained his son, Mark. “I am now sharing them with a broader audience and wanted to include the regions where my dad and his family had roots. Oswego County, of course, was important to me.”

“Al” was a member of St. Paul’s Church in Oneida, NY, for several years, from the early days when it was an Evangelical Brethren Church and then as the Evangelical United Brethren Church.

In the 1960s, St. Paul’s became United Methodist as it is known today.

Al was not only a regular attendee at Sunday services, he was actively involved in a variety of committees.

He was active in the Men’s Club, Administrative Committee and Evangelism Work Area, and he worked on the chicken barbecue and Harvest Supper with bounty from his lovingly tended garden.

Alan Spawn was born near Albany, NY, in 1934.

He attended school in the Guilderland area outside of Albany until his teenage years when he moved to Oneida.

He settled in the nearby town of Lincoln in Madison County where he built a country home and worked as a television repairman.

He enjoyed hunting, fishing, and trapping.

His children, Mark, Kevin and Karen grew up in the Oneida area.

His stepchildren, Deb, Linda and Jeff also grew up in Lincoln.

After Alan passed in 2003, his family preserved several notebooks, which were found to be filled with handwritten notes and presentations for his church work.

Recently, his son, Mark (retired Fulton Police Chief), produced a series of audio podcasts in order to share Al’s thoughts not only for the future of his church, but for anyone looking for inspiration.

The podcasts are available for free in the iTunes Store under the heading, My Father’s Legacy. They are also available at www.SpawnGroup.com/legacy and on YouTube.

There are more than 20 productions currently available, which are about 2-5 minutes in length per episode.

Current titles include: Transformation, Community, Nurturing, Mary, The Harvest, Our Gifts, God’s Still Small Voice, Peace Within Myself, My Journey of Faith, Keeping the Faith, and more.

There is also a podcast titled, Renaissance Man, which reveals more about the life of Alan Spawn from childhood to his teen years and beyond.

In the podcast episode titled, Nurturing, Al discusses his property up on the hill in the town of Lincoln (Madison County, New York), and a lesson for us about cultivating, fostering, and protecting.

He talks about how brutal the winter winds could be, and that there was no protection from the elements.

“I planted some trees, which only succumbed to the elements,” he said. “So I planted more, this time affording them stakes, guying, and protectors. Finally, little by little, a few made it.”

Al went on to say, “They were twisted and gnarled from the relentless winds, but this seeming torture made them strong. Now looking back 40 years I can plainly see that the more trees I planted, the survival rate increased. Why? I think it was because the larger, stronger trees which had to fight the severe storms in order to survive were made strong, and they, in turn, gave protection to the smaller, weaker ones.”

Al goes on to say that people are like seedlings, being lashed and pounded by the winds of life, and that they “…need something to hold on to, something the world doesn’t offer, but that Jesus does.”

Al’s daughter, Karen Spawn Searl, remembered how her dad found comfort in the church after suffering so much sorrow in his life, including the death of his wife, Donna, and some serious health problems of his own.

Karen said, “He turned to the church for answers on how to deal with the issues. Because of this, he handled everything with strength, honor, and dignity. He never complained and was never angry.”

She added, “Dad’s faith and beliefs made him the man I loved and respected.”

Al’s son, Kevin Spawn, a specialist in Old Testament studies, recalled countless fond memories of gardening, cutting wood, fishing, animals and other related tales.

“Dad was more a man of action than of verbosity. But when it came to words, he meant what he said. This was no less true than with my many conversations with him as an adult, conversations on things related to Scripture, theology and Christianity.” Kevin added, “I’ve been afforded the opportunity to study and otherwise collaborate with some of the greatest minds in the academy of theological studies of my generation. However, the work ethic, integrity and wisdom of my father have left a much deeper impression on me than any other individual. Based on our conversations, it was evident that his love of God, Scripture and his community at St. Paul’s, where he left an enduring mark not only through his acts of service, but also by his leadership, continued to grow with every passing year of his life. He is the greatest man I have known.”

Kevin’s wife, Nyla, fondly remembered her father-in-law and his values, dependability and energy.

“He was quick to laugh, quick to serve and then he would worry that he hadn’t served well enough.” Nyla said. “He passed on this ethic to his children, and I see it every day in the life of his son. And even though his life was punctuated by disappointment and suffering, he only talked about it when asked.”

Mark’s wife, Jeanna, shared, “Unfortunately, I never had the privilege of meeting Al during his lifetime. But I feel blessed to know him through these podcasts and from the many cherished memories shared by his family. His legacy lives on through his words and also in his three children.  I see it in my husband, Mark, who is warm, caring and compassionate and who has always lived his life in service of others.”

Mark said, “In his notes, dad discusses his faith, some of the challenges he faced, and times when he felt that he was being put to use for his Lord. In one of the most compelling episodes and one of my favorites titled Mary, he talks about an accidental meeting in the hospital with a woman whose father was dying of cancer. Dad noted that he was walking the halls of the hospital late one night when he stopped in a patient lounge area. He was surprised to see someone stretched out on the couch there, staring into space. Dad said that she was startled at first when he walked in, but that they struck up a conversation. Mary had intended on going home earlier that night, but for some reason, decided to go to the patient lounge. For each of them, this chance meeting would be a blessing.”

Mark continued, “Dad sensed that something was wrong. He asked Mary if she had a family member in the hospital and Mary replied, ‘yes, my dad is just down the hall. He has cancer and is very bad.’ As they talked, dad discovered that they were both afraid and both situations were out of their control. Then, Mary said, ‘My dad never told me he loved me.’”

They continued their discussion and after a while, dad told her, ‘although he can’t say the words, his life, his actions, his concern and his providing were all unmistakable evidence of his love for her and her family.’”

There are a range of stories in the My Father’s Legacy podcast series.

Many of them are introspective and thoughtful, an analysis of himself; others are specific to his work at St. Paul’s Church.

Al also wrote about some experiences which he relates to God’s calling.

Karen said, “The podcast titled Mary is my favorite. I didn’t even know about until now. It showed a side of dad that not many saw. He was a man with a large heart. Kind, considerate, and never spoke ill of anyone.”

Mark said, “My dad was really vested in the Evangelism Work Area at St. Paul’s. His notes are very compelling as you can sense that he had a true vision for the future of the church. But it wasn’t just his vision – he wanted opinions and input from everyone.”

Al’s work in the area of Evangelism would be his last.

He chaired the work area in 2003 on the request of Reverend Clyde Relyea.

Al died in October 2003.

His family is specifically interested in sharing their father’s notes about his work in this particular area, which includes some very heartfelt commentary and planning for the future.

Additional productions will be added in the future.

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