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Sexton: A sexton is an officer of a church, congregation, or synagogue charged with the maintenance of its buildings and/or the surrounding graveyard (Wikipedia definition).
There is a whole chapter in Wyndham B. Blanton, The Making of Downtown Church (1945) [not currently available at LCP], concerning the Second Presbyterian Church in Richmond, Virginia, about the role of the Sexton. And it is primarily about one special Sexton in particular: Joshua Kinney (1870-1953).
This writer once served as a sexton in his youth and has an appreciation for the labors and services of such an individual. They are often unrecognized, but happily, Joshua Kinney was very much appreciated and recognized by his church. There were congregational observances of the 25th, 35th, 40th, 45th and 50th anniversaries of his tenure, which began in 1886.
His autobiographical reflections were published in 1931 under the title My Years of Service. We have recently added this work to Log College Press at the suggestion of Wayne Sparkman.
Kinney wrote much about his first pastor, Moses D. Hoge, his second, Russel Cecil, and also his third, William E. Hill, who wrote the introduction. He recounts how there was a period of time when the pastor was named Moses, the pastor had a butler named Daniel, and the sexton was, of course, Joshua. He wrote of his deep appreciation and affection for Miss Katherine H. Hawes and her company of Covenanters. He shared about an experience when an intruder held a gun to face and threatened him. And he spoke of his occupation as a life of service to others.
Kinney’s concluding thoughts are worth highlighting:
First, let me say how happy I have been to have my home here at this church; and how many real true friends I have here. And again, how many I have seen carried out to the last resting place. Of the friends of today, what a joy they are to me, to meet and greet them on a Sunday morning, and to have a hand-shake and a little joke. Why, it is more than anything in this world to me.
So I am closing this little book of mine of this dear old church with the texts of two of its pastors and the closing words of the text of the first.
I. “Show me thy ways, O Lord, teach me thy paths.”
II. “Certainly I will be with thee.”
III. “I am going to lay my burden down when I have fought and won.”I think that is all.
