UCC remembers three pillars of faith and justice

Nestled in the pages of the Pilgrim Hymnal is a song praising the saints of God who “toiled and fought and lived and died for the Lord they loved and knew.”

The United Church of Christ remembers three such saints who recently passed away, leaving behind inspiring legacies of love and justice for generations to come.

They are the Rev. Graylan Scott Hagler, 71, who died Feb. 17; Olgha Sierra Sandman, 98, who died Jan. 27; and, the Rev. Donald G. Stoner, 91, who died Jan. 23. (Click each name to read their full obituaries.)

Their tireless commitment to the work God called them to showed that UCC’s “A Just World for All” was not just a denominational tagline. It was a passionate call to action — one revealing the glimmering hope of God’s kin-dom.

UCC News invites you to pause, pray and give thanks for their witness.

Rev. Graylan Scott Hagler: A ‘fiery prophet’

It seems like a God-incidence that the Rev. Graylan Scott Hagler, described as an “eloquent, fiery, fierce and passionate” voice for equality, died on the same day as another fiery civil rights pastor, the Rev. Jesse Jackson.

But on Feb. 17, Graylan lost his battle to cancer.

His quest for justice resounded loudly wherever he was, be it in the pulpit of Plymouth Congregational Church in Washington, D.C., where he was Pastor Emeritus, or on the streets of Washington D.C., or in the halls of General Synod.

His message was one of tough love, always pushing the body of Christ to strive to new heights in their walk of faith.  

“Rev. Hagler’s love for the Church would not settle for what it was. His love for the Church challenged it to be better,” said the Rev. Freeman Palmer, Conference Minister,  Central Atlantic Conference of the United Church of Christ.

Palmer noted that even when illness affected Graylan’s physical voice, the prophet of justice’s spiritually continued to speak volumes through his mere presence as well as the written word.

For Grayson, silence — be it freely chosen in good health or forced upon one due to illness — was not a choice.

“Silence is not an option,” he said, “Especially when your eyes have seen and your heart is filled with memories of Jim Crow, apartheid, discriminations and human beings’ inhumanity to other human beings.”

After retiring from pastoral leadership in 2022, Graylan continued his ministry of witness. He founded and served as director of Faith Strategies, an interfaith collective for furthering civil and human rights. He also served as co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign and co-chaired the Black Homeownership Strike Task Force, a group dismantling the racial wealth gap in Washington, D.C.

“There will not be another like him. It was a profound privilege to know and serve with him,” said Palmer. 

A memorial service will be held at Plymouth Congregational Church on March 1 at 3 p.m. (EST). The service will be livestreamed via the following links: https://www.facebook.com/PlymouthChurchDC; https://www.youtube.com/@plymouthcucc8; plymouth-ucc.org

Olgha Sierra Sandman: An advocate for farm workers

Olgha Sierra Sandman, a tireless and trailblazing advocate for farm worker justice, always believed that every situation could be made better.

It was a utopian view that grew stronger each year of the seven decades she spent listening to the stories and breaking bread with farmers. It was also a view that her son, Bob Sandman, often challenged.

“I would tell her that not everything could be solved,” he recalls, knowing all too well that the argument was moot. Olgha’s faith in the God who makes all things possible would always win.

Bob had the gift of watching his mother’s faith in action at the national level of the United Church of Christ, where mother and son served together on the UCC Executive Council, the predecessor of today’s UCC Board.

Ministry among farm workers was never Olgha’s plan in life. Born in Mexico, the daughter of a Baptist minister wanted to serve overseas as a missionary. While attending Baptist Missionary Training School in Chicago in the early 1950s, though, Olgha saw firsthand the struggles and injustices of farmers in Central Illinois.

A new vocational seed was planted. It was one that would flourish into a bountiful life for Olgha as, on one of her many farm outreach trips, she met her husband, UCC minister, the Rev. Dr. Robert Sandman.  

Olgha would later go on to serve as an original board member of the National Farm Worker Ministry (NFWM), where her presence had far-reaching influence.

“A striking, almost startling fact about Olgha was that she was a stalwart in support of the farm worker movement from before its modern beginnings. She was persistent, persuasive and politely fierce in advocating for biblical justice, daily-bread kind of justice for farm workers. Simply put, Olgha was an amazing person, a faithful witness,” said Sam Trickey, NFWM board member.

That faithfulness led Olgha in the 1980s in helping more than 300 farm workers in Illinois apply for permanent legal status. Later in retirement, she and her husband would spend a year in Turkey working with refugees.

To her children, Olgha as the embodiment of Christ’s love.

“She sought justice for the forgotten people that provide us so much,” said son, Rodney Sandman. Her daughter, Linda, echoes that memory of her mom “giving voice to those who often go unseen and unheard.”

Olgha herself was often seen and recognized for her good work.

In 2003, the 24th General Synod passed a resolution entitled “The United Church of Christ – Thirty Years of Faithful Accompaniment with Farm Workers” (03-GS-35). The resolution declared, “that the United Church of Christ offers its gratitude to Olgha Sierra Sandman and others within the church who had the vision, foresight, and courage to put themselves on the front lines with the farm workers and to urge others to follow.”

At press time, a memorial service has not yet been planned. Information will be available on the website of the First Congregational United Church of Christ in Downers Grove, Illinois.

Rev. Donald G. Stoner: The saint of stewardship

The Rev. Donald (Don) G. Stoner knew all too well in life what Jesus was speaking of when he said in the Gospels, “He who is faithful in a very little, is also faithful in much.”

Don, who spent his life witnessing to an abundant God of love and provision by serving in ministries of finance and planned giving, knew how powerfully investments of all amounts could be used in blessing God’s children and furthering the building of God’s kin-dom.

For Don, money was not an awkward topic of conversation. If anything, stewardship of the treasures that God entrusted to people was a spiritual practice that revealed where one’s heart was. Stewardship was something to be practiced, understood and embraced.

Don began his ministry at Elmhurst College (1966-1978) where he was Associate Chaplain and Assistant Professor of Religion. He later joined the Illinois Conference United Church of Christ staff as Associate Conference Minister for Stewardship.

After leaving in 1983, he moved to New York, where he worked with UCC churches nationwide as Director of Planned Giving.

Hans Holznagel, who worked at the UCC national offices as a news communicator remembers his national staff colleague as a “friendly, competent and a committed director of planned giving.”

“I’m sure his legacy lives on in the many gifts solicited during the UCC’s Make-a-Difference campaign of the 1990s,” said Holznagel.

Even in Don’s golden years, he continued to be a saint of stewardship. When he and his wife, Beatrice (Bea), moved to Vero Beach, Florida in 2000, they were welcomed as co-associates for Financial Ministries with the Florida Conference UCC.   

Remembered as a social justice advocate as well as an educator and world traveler, Don, whose life his family says can be defined as one of “courage, compassion and purpose,” held in his heart an unshakeable truth that treasures of all kinds were meant to be used to build a better tomorrow.

A celebration of Don’s life and ministry will be held on Friday, Feb. 27, at 2 p.m. (EST) at the Community Church of Vero Beach.

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