Lacoochee

Roger’s Legacy

This tribute was written and read by Dominique Miller at Roger’s services. A portion of the tribute has been omitted due to space.

At first I was going to come up here and talk about all the things that Roger has done for my friends and I and all the lives I’ve seen him touch, but the truth of the matter is this, none of us would be here if he hadn’t impacted us, we all know the kind of man he was; what is left to be known is what are we going to do now to press on in his ministry and all the others that are intertwined.

Roger was a man that didn’t just dream of all the things he could do, he did them. He saw a need and filled it. But it wasn’t always easy, no sometimes help was in short supply, donations were scarce, and some plans didn’t always work out how he hoped but did it stop him? No, he kept on persevering, kept trusting God, and I always would see Roger seek God more intently in moments such as these until God overflowed him with so much passion and courage again he just exploded and got another need filled. All week at school when I was asked to pray for Roger and his health I asked all my teachers and classmates for every class to pray for my friend in ministry and I kept saying I don’t think God is finished with him yet, he can’t be. But soon after my last class praying I found out he passed and I was dumbfounded. I went home to my dorm and some verses came to mind in Ecclesiastes 7:

“A good name is better than fine perfume, and the day of death better than the day of birth.

It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of partying, for death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart.”

So many times we get caught up in life that we forget we are living and how much of a blessing a day called Today really is, as I looked over Roger’s life and recounted all the things he had accomplished and all the differences he has made not only in my own life but in the community and beyond. God told me “No, Roger is done here; it’s time for everyone else to step up and take their places.” Out of all the dreams Roger had one was not so great as the one he had for the churches joining together, for Christians banding together, and for the tri-community to finally stand up on their feeble legs and walk again on their own.

I take it that many if not most are here because you truly love Roger and have come to celebrate the incredible life of passion he led, and I have come here from Virginia to tell you all this, Do NOT let Roger’s work be in vain, for at the very foundation of Roger’s dream is the heart of God and his vision for all of you and your mission, the legacy Roger left is not meant to end here but to live on and flourish more than ever. Maybe you think the need is too great, that it is too hard, maybe even impossible when you look upon the mess and evil in this world, but if each and everyone one of us got up and did even half of what Roger accomplished then those impossibilities would start becoming possible.

So tri-community and all others represented here in this room it is time for us to wake up and let Christ shine on us, to make the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil, and not to be overcome by evil but overcome evil with Good, doing the Lord’s will which is to know Him and make Him known.

God has blessed us with the life of Roger Kaminski, therefore let’s give thanks for this life by continuing on in his ministry, by expanding the kingdom of God, and bringing more to the dinner table one day in heaven when we are all together again.

I’ll close with this quote that I believe Roger understood and all of us could do with learning as well.

“People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don’t believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can’t find them, make them.” — George Bernard Shaw

Dominique (Nikki) Miller is the daughter of Don and Darlene Miller, of Ridge Manor, FL. She is currently at Liberty University and prior to that, she worked at Boys & Girls Club and was youth pastor at the First Presbyterian Church in Dade City. She has volunteered for several years at the Christian Edge, working with youth and assisting her mother with the Faithful Princess Girls Tea Parties.

Editors Note: Roger gave so much to the community and its people and he has been eulogized for his service. But one thing stands out for this staff and that is his, and Marion’s, dedication to the continuation and coordination of the Lacoochee Reunions. They have spent countless hours to ensure that the reunions were a success. They bravely took up the torch from the Abraham family and for that we are truly thankful. We will miss you, Roger, but we know you will be smiling down on us, and probably saying, “No, that’s not the way to do it.” But with the help of others, Marion will be able to carry on.

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