BANGOR (AP) – The Rev. Jerry Falwell was remembered Tuesday for his “spiritual rescue mission” two decades ago that saved one of New England’s largest fundamentalist churches after its disgraced pastor confessed to adultery.

The Bangor Baptist Church was in disarray when Falwell took over as interim pastor for three months in 1986, replacing the Rev. Herman “Buddy” Frankland, a former gubernatorial candidate who founded the church 20 years earlier.

Falwell, who died Tuesday, saved the church and allowed it to become bigger than ever, said the Rev. Jerry Mick, the current pastor who was on staff of its Bangor Christian School during the tumultuous period following Frankland’s public confession.

“He definitely saved our entire ministry by him helping us in a very difficult situation. Without him, we would not be operating,” Mick said.

Falwell flew from his Lynchburg, Va., headquarters to Bangor a couple of times during that period, Mick said, and his presence helped assure lenders who were apprehensive about the church’s future.

“When we informed them that he was going to be stepping in and giving guidance by using his staff in Lynchburg, that seemed to calm the waters,” he recalled. “It also brought a lot of stability to our ministry at large and also to the community.”

Falwell and Frankland had been friends, Mick said, and the church’s deacons asked Falwell for help when the future of the church was in jeopardy.

Falwell visited once on a Friday night and again on a Saturday. His assistant pastors presided at Sunday services so that Falwell could return home to his Thomas Road Baptist Church.

The Bangor Baptist Church was $2.2 million in debt at that time but eventually recovered. When the debt was paid off, Falwell accepted Mick’s invitation to return to Bangor in late 2000 to attend the mortgage-burning banquet.

“He was just a very, very gracious man, always willing to help,” the pastor said.

Mick said the church is thriving, with this year’s Easter service drawing a record attendance of 1,600. There are 350 pupils in the school and the church has added a 50,000-watt contemporary Christian music station in addition to the 100,000-watt station, WHCF-FM, that Frankland founded and that still uses his initials as its call letters.

“The credit all goes to Jerry,” Mick said. “Without him, it would not be there.”

Frankland, who has returned to the pulpit as pastor of Messiah Baptist Church in Bangor, also had fond memories of Falwell.

“He had real compassion for people and he was a giver as far as his time and his energy,” Frankland said. “I could say nothing but awfully good things about him.”

AP-ES-05-15-07 1657EDT

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