Help me not to be just another face in the crowd...

If any of you have any Salvation Army literature, at some point you must have seen the following photograph:

The Salvation Army officer in the picture is the late (and great) Major Keith Lloyd who fell ill shortly after retiring last year and was Promoted to Glory (a great Salvation Army phrase!) a couple of months back. I had the privilage of working with Keith for but a short while and am immensely proud of having spent some time with the great man. There's too much to say about him - in fact I hope someone writes his biography on day - but here is the tribute to him I was honoured to give at his funeral to give you some idea of what I felt about him.

Keith Lloyd was a big man. As expected therefore he leaves a big impression. In fact so big an impression that it seems strange to be talking about him in the past tense.

I had the privilege of working with Keith for quite a short while compared to many of you. It is therefore an honour for me to have been asked to say a few words in tribute today.

So what were the qualities of this big man which so impressed me?

Firstly, Keith had Presence - you knew he was around even when you couldn't see him. You heard him coming down the corridor humming or whistling the only 4 bars of the march "under 2 flags" that I think he knew. The presence of Keith was nigh – as my colleague Mike Emberson used to say, cutting around like the old actor Sidney Greenstreet.

Keith wasn't an official part of our unit, but given the fact that his team was home-based or out and about visiting centre and his office was close to our area, he soon became one of the team – especially if someone had left cakes, sweets or biscuits on the table! In fact I am aware that he became an adopted member of several other teams around the building for the same reason!

If delicacies ever arrived courtesy of guests north of the border which required slicing, Keith could be relied upon with a plate and knife ready to oblige (in exchange for a generous portion of course).

But I remember his presence most at a very difficult time for our unit, when due to central financial issues we were asked to make cuts which led to possible redundancies. I shall never forget Keith coming into my office to talk to me before I had to undertake the difficult task of telling those staff affected, neither will they or I forget the fact that, whilst others found reasons to be off the building, Keith sat outside my office waiting, available as a listening ear to anyone who needed it – his presence at a difficult time for all of us being highly valued and led to us conferring on him the position of chaplain or padre to our team (without official permission of course!). Keith was a big man with a big presence.

Principles

Keith was a man of high principles, firm in his beliefs and never afraid to express them – not in a confrontational way, but solid and unwavering. You knew where he stood on issues as he told you. At a time when all too often principles are compromised for expediency, Keith remained firm in his beliefs and never flinched from telling people what he believed in and what he thought the correct response to a situation. Amazingly, even when you disagreed with his point of view, it never felt threatening with Keith because of his total honesty in his views and his acceptance that others may hold alternative views – he was not argumentative but simply stated the truth as he saw it.

Keith was a big man who was big on principles

Proud

Thirdly, Keith was a proud man – proud of his faith and the way he had come to faith all those years ago in Westminster. He was proud of his family, of Madelaine, the girls and the grandchildren.

Keith was proud to be a Salvationist, of our flag and what it stands for – I remember him once insisting that Facilities Management replaced the flag outside THQ because the one hanging there was dirty.
Keith was proud of his uniform – he was one of very few THQ officers who were always seen outside the building or on public transport to and from work wearing his cap. He said that The Salvation Army paid for his ticket so therefore they deserved the advertising! But really he was proud to be a Salvationist and not afraid to be identified as one in the community.

As he approached retirement, it seemed at the time that he would not be able to continue working for The Salvation Army and he therefore talked about becoming a greeter at B&Q. Well I think that he was the greatest greeter that B&Q never had because I can imagine he would have been superb at the job – mind you I’m not sure bright orange was really his colour! However we can console ourselves that heaven has a top class greeter on the gates now – standing smartly in his cap and stand-up collar, humming those 4-bars of “under 2 flags” and serving the Lord that he loved so much. Keith Lloyd was a big man, but we remember him for the big impression he made on our lives.

Soldier Of Christ Well Done

Praise By They New Employ

And While Eternal Ages Run

Rest In Thy Savior's Joy