By NANCY HILER
What you might not expect of him is the way he goes well beyond his ministry, and beyond the community, as the caregiver to the caregivers.
He offers comfort and counseling to firefighters, EMTs, police officers and other first responders who often witness death and destruction -- particularly those traumatized by the tragedy and the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and more recently soldiers returning from the Iraq war. He also reaches out to the community's mainstay caretakers such as teachers, parents and even pet-lovers.
For his unrelenting service to those who help others in the community and beyond, the Herald proudly names Taylor our 2007 Person of the Year.
What distinguishes Taylor is his down-to-earth manner, his ability to put people at ease and his desire to listen. ³He's approachable,² said Jim Schwarz, a longtime Grace Lutheran parishioner and Sunday school and Confirmation class teacher. ³He's a big-hearted, kind-hearted man concerned about others, their spiritual and mental well-being,² Schwarz and his wife, Kristin, the First Communion class teacher, were the first couple Taylor married at the church, just a few months after he became its pastor in 1992.
"Sept. 11 became a personal cause for him because of his affiliation with firefighters," Schwarz said.
Taylor himself served as a firefighter, an EMT and a fire investigator for many years in Liberty, N.Y., before moving to Long Island. He is a former deputy chief of the North Bellmore Fire Department and its longstanding chaplain, as well as a coordinator and team leader for the Nassau County Fire Critical Incident Stress Management Team.
After Sept. 11, Taylor volunteered as a Red Cross chaplain at the temporary morgue at ground zero, as well as St. Paul's Respite Care Center and at the New York City medical examiner¹s office. He also served as a chaplain for the United States Naval Reserve.
"He is not only an excellent pastor," parishioner Peter Lorch said, "he is also an outstanding citizen in our community."
Taylor is a board-certified expert in traumatic stress and emergency crisis response. A counselor by trade, he serves as assistant director and a therapist with Faithful Response, a mental-health and counseling service at the church, which helps those still struggling with the aftermath of Sept. 11.
Taylor is deputy coordinator of Long Island for the Lutheran Disaster Response of New York, and chairs the Spiritual Care Group of the Long Island Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters.
A 1981 graduate of the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, Taylor recently completed his master¹s in social work at Yeshiva University, and serves as a trauma therapist in private practice. He celebrated the 25th anniversary of his ordination this year. He and his wife, Sheryl, also a counselor, and their two children, Shawn and Danielle, live in North Bellmore.
In October, at the annual Blessing of the Animals in honor of St. Francis of Assisi, Taylor invoked a spirit of openness for which he is well known. "We invite them all, all God's creatures, even humans," he said. "We bless everyone."
"My husband and I feel blessed knowing him," said parishioner and animal lover Alison Lorch. "Pastor Taylor loves animals. When our dog Murphy died, he went out of his way to speak to our son."
Lorch added that when Taylor learned that a member of her family became ill earlier this year, he called her house to see if he could lend moral support. "He is a wonderful, compassionate person," she said.
Comments about this story? NHiler@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 234.
