Rev. Dr. John B. Payne

The Rev. Dr. John B. Payne, 84, of Homestead Village, Lancaster, PA, died Friday, December 2, 2016. He would have been 85 on December 21st of this year. Born in St. Louis, MO., he was the husband of Nancy Yates Payne, formerly of LaGrange, GA. They celebrated their 57th wedding anniversary on January 17, 2016. He was the son of the late Leslie Everett and Essie Ellen Currence Payne of Eldon, MO. In addition to his wife, he is survived by their children: Sara L. Payne, Cambridge, MA; John M. Payne, husband of Patricia E. McAndrew, Gaithersburg, MD; and Rebecca E. Payne, Madison, WI; and a sister, June Payne Snider, Mountain Home, CA. Also surviving are two grandchildren, Andrew D. Payne and Megan A. Payne, both of Gaithersburg, MD. He was preceded in death by a brother, Thomas B. Payne, Tulsa, OK. John earned a B.A. from Texas Christian University, a B.D. from Vanderbilt, and a Ph.D. from Harvard. In addition, he was a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Heidelberg in the first year of the program in Germany, 1953-54. He also held a Danforth Graduate Fellowship throughout his graduate studies. John was ordained in 1957 as a minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and later received dual standing as a minister in the United Church of Christ. He began his teaching career in 1960 at Randolph-Macon Woman's College in Lynchburg, Va., as instructor and later assistant professor of religion and in1968 he joined the faculty in the history and religious studies departments at Bradley University in Peoria, Ill. He became professor of church history at Lancaster Theological Seminary in 1971, and in 1989 was named the first occupant of the Paul and Minnie Diefenderfer Chair in Mercersburg and Ecumenical Theology. He was author of Erasmus: His Theology of the Sacraments (1970). He was also involved in the production of two multi-volume publications: The Collected Works of Erasmus, and The Living Theological Heritage of the United Church of Christ. He wrote essays and chapters for 10 other books and some encyclopedias, and dozens of articles and book reviews for scholarly journals and other periodicals. He presented papers at national and international meetings of professional societies. He gave lectures at a theological colloquy in Berlin and at meetings of the United Church of Christ Historical Council and UCC Council on Higher Education, and was a consultant to the UCC committee for a new hymnal in 1991. In other church-related activities, he was a member of the UCC Historical Council, member and past president of the Evangelical and Reformed Historical Society, and executive committee member of the Mercersburg Society. He served on the Penn Central Conference, UCC, committee on the partnership between the UCC and the Evangelical Church of the Union in Germany. Locally, he was a member of Church of the Apostles UCC and Wisdom's Table at St. Peter's UCC, and had served on the consistory/church council of both churches. In the Lancaster community, he had been a member and past president of the Cliosophic Society, a board member of Quest for Learning, and a member of Fortnightly Club, Wheatland Tennis Club, and Lancaster County Bird Club. He loved classical music and had sung with the Lancaster Opera Workshop, the Lancaster Symphony Chorus, and church choirs. He enjoyed playing tennis, vegetable gardening, going on bird walks and hikes, playing bridge, and traveling in the U.S. and abroad. As much as he loved scholarship, his classroom teaching and students always came first in his work. He also loved and made time for his family, friends, and other people. He loved all of his caregivers at Homestead Village, and the family thanks them for their excellent care. Relatives and friends are invited to attend John's Celebration of Life on Thursday, December 22, 2016 at 2:00 p.m. at the Church of the Apostles UCC, 1850 Marietta Ave., Lancaster, with the Revs. Kathryn L. Kuhn and Robert G. Hunsicker officiating. The interment will be private. The family will receive friends at the church following the service. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be sent, if desired, to Lancaster Theological Seminary.