On February 22, 2021, Rev. Dr. Richard E. (Dick) Hamilton, minister and renowned community leader, died at the age of 93. Hamilton served the United Methodist Church for 43 years as a pastor and district superintendent, retiring in 1997 after serving 23 years as pastor of North United Methodist Church in Indianapolis.
Members of the CTS and greater Indianapolis communities remembered Hamilton at the news of his death. N. Clay Robbins, chairman, president & chief executive officer of Lilly Endowment Inc., was a member of North United Methodist Church during Hamilton’s tenure as pastor. Robbins said, “I would be hard pressed to find anyone I admired more than Dick Hamilton, and my wife, Amy and I feel blessed beyond measure that he was our family’s pastor. It is rare to find a minister who has both the pastoral presence and sensitivities he had along with the ability to capture a congregation’s attention through inspirational, stimulating and eloquently delivered sermons and prayers. He also had a unique ability to offer others an opposing point of view in a civil manner reflecting that, while he may disagree with them, he still cared about them as persons. I remember him gently saying from time to time: ‘We just see that through very different lenses.’ I will miss greatly his sage advice and reassuring presence.”
Rev. Dr. Dick Hamm, CTS trustee and past General Minister and President of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), knew Hamilton as “a beloved pastor and leader in Indianapolis.” Hamm said, “He was a progressive spirit and served as a trustee of Christian Theological Seminary. His brother, Lee Hamilton, was a member of Congress from Indiana for many years and both embodied concern for the marginalized and for healthy institutions.”
CTS is grateful for Hamilton’s remarkable life of service to the church, to the CTS community, and to the city of Indianapolis and beyond.
Read more about the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Hamilton in his obituary.
