William L. Flanagan

Flanagan, Rev. Dr. William L. "Flan" With his wife and daughter at his side, Bill Flanagan passed peacefully into the arms of his Lord & Savior on Saturday May 1st at his Newport Beach home, following a valiant fight against cancer. He was 70 years old. The oldest of three boys, Flan was born on Nov. 7, 1939 to Annette and Bradford Flanagan in Los Angeles, CA. He attended Los Angeles schools, graduating from Dorsey High in 1957. While attending the University of Redlands, Flan met his future wife Christy Pierce. They were married July 12, 1963, and were blessed by the birth of daughter Julie in 1967. Flan earned a B.A. degree from the University of Redlands, a Masters in Theology from Princeton Theological Seminary, and a Doctorate from Fuller Theological Seminary. From 1964 to 1968, he served as Youth Pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Burbank. He then moved to the First Presbyterian Church of Colorado Springs, CO, where he led the Singles Ministry and started a Divorce Recovery Workshop. In 1981, Flan joined St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Newport Beach as Minister of Missions and Singles. The Divorce Recovery Workshops he led for over 25 years remain an ongoing ministry of St Andrew's, having served over 13,000 men, women and children in Southern California and around the world. Flan was honored for his work in this field of ministry and was the author of a "How To" book on divorce recovery. As Pastor of Missions, Flan led trips that brought caring support along with the gospel message to people across the globe. He had a heart in particular for the people of Israel, Malawi and Kenya. With mission teams from St Andrew's, Flan helped build churches in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Flan led numerous groups to the Holy Land and taught at Bethlehem Bible College and throughout Kenya. Locally, Flan supported efforts to create a ministry of presence in underserved neighborhoods, through Shalimar Learning Center and with MIKA Christian Community Development Center in Costa Mesa. His dedication to Pacific Youth Correctional Ministries made him a regular fixture at the annual Juvenile Hall Christmas pageants. Flan helped St Andrew's forge a close partnership with Southern California Teen Challenge, a worldwide Christ-centered recovery program. He was part of the leadership team that developed "Partners in Christ," a discipleship ministry for Teen Challenge graduates. Flan's advocacy and support for the ministry of Teen Challenge continued beyond his 2005 retirement. from St. Andrew's. Attending the Teen Challenge 50th anniversary celebration in 2008 in New York City was a special highlight for him. Flan is survived by his wife of almost 47 years, Christy Pierce Flanagan, and daughter, Julie Marie. He was also the proud "adopted" father of Josephine Macharia Lowe (Jeff) and "Papa" to their children Joshua and Jonathan. In addition, Flan is survived by his brothers John and Robert (Sue); brother-in-law, Stephen Pierce (Karen); cousin, Carole Stone Bryant (Tom) and son John; nieces Stephanie Pierce Flanagan, Amy Pierce and Heather Flanagan Cross (Cliff); nephew, Tom Flanagan, and grand-nieces and nephews Maddie, Tommy, Leland and Audrey. A celebration of Flan's life will be held at 2 p.m. on Thursday, May 20 at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, 600 St. Andrew's Road, Newport Beach 92663. In lieu of flowers, the family requests all memorial gifts be made to St Andrew's Presbyterian Church, c/o Bill Flanagan Memorial Fund. Proceeds from this fund will be used for Missions and for Teen Challenge. Arrangements through Omega Society in Santa Ana (714)754-7781.