YOUR HIGH CLIFF: A Prayer for the Passing of Pastor Cliff Nunn

This morning I awoke to the saddest of news by email. Leroy Harbauer, the construction site manager for First Presbyterian Church in New Orleans, emailed to tell of the untimely passing of Pastor Cliff Nunn this past weekend.

Cliff has served as pastor of First Presbyterian Church New Orleans for the past twelve years. I could think of no better pastor than he to serve through the hell of Katrina and yet find the footing to be a pastor, an advocate, a visionary and organizer.

I’ve known Cliff since I was three or four and my father was the Associate Pastor at University Presbyterian Church in Baton Rouge. During that time, Cliff experienced a call to ministry mid-life and from that point on used his fullest gifts as a conduit to places of need in South Louisiana.

This past summer, I became reacquainted with Cliff and his lovely wife Nieta during a mission trip to help rebuild local homes in the Broadmoor area. While there, our theme for the week was “What a Wonderful World”. We drew on the words from Psalm 31:21 of the The Message translation:

21Blessed GOD!
God's love is the wonder of the world.

As we unpacked the whole of the Psalm through the course of the week, I found myself thinking of Cliff from the opening words of the Psalm (excerpts from verses 1 through 5)

I run to you, GOD; I run for dear life.
Don't let me down!
Your granite cave is a hiding place,
Your high cliff aerie a place of safety.
You're my cave to hide in,
my cliff to climb.
Be my safe leader, be my true mountain guide.
free me from hidden traps; I want to hide in you.
I've put my life in your hands.

There is no worse way to exegete scripture than to cling to particular words. But in this situation, I smiled at the providence of reading ‘Cliff’ into this Psalm, “your high cliff is a place of safety.” Truly Cliff and Nieta and their ministry in the Broadmoor neighborhood and greater New Orleans has provided a place of safety and sanctuary for countless people. His visionary style can feel like a scary precipice for those faced with day to day details. But for those who need hope, encouragement, perseverance and peace in the midst of life’s worst storms, Cliff was a safe leader, a mountain guide. I can think of no other pastor who modeled what it meant to ‘put my life in your hands’ than Cliff did.

When budget came up short for rebuilding, Cliff prayed. When tools disappeared from the shed, Cliff prayed (and called a local reporter for front page coverage). When the church struggled with the constant change and transition post-Katrina, Cliff prayed. Always, these prayers were answered with funds, with faith, and with good fun humor. After the newspaper ran the tool need, the next day it was ‘raining tools’ as local citizens brought all they had to the tool shed to gain their maximum possible use.

When I first spoke to Cliff after Katrina, I asked him how his pastoral duties had changed. He said, “Now I am a community organizer, a construction site manager, a volunteer coordinator, and an advocate for the voiceless. I realize now that should have been my job description as a pastor all along.”

As a pastor myself, I will remember his redirection in pastoral leadership as a challenge and a charge.

The Psalm ends with wonderful words of encouragement:

23Love GOD, all you saints;
GOD takes care of all who stay close to him,
But he pays back in fullthose arrogant enough to go it alone.
24Be brave. Be strong. Don't give up.
Expect GOD to get here soon.

Cliff was never arrogant enough to go it alone; his call was to organize the community into something greater than their own woes or needs. In New Orleans, home of the Saints football team, Cliff Nunn stayed close to God and in so doing was a saint for the city. My prayer for those who grieve his loss as a pastor, friend, family member, place of safe sanctuary will be those words from verse 24: “Be brave. Be strong. Don’t give up. Expect God to get here soon.”