Rev. Dr. William L. Flanagan (“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 RecoveryWorkshop.
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 pm 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 the Omega Society, Santa Ana.
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