It is a sad day for the whole Church of Christ, but as what Bro. Erano Manalo, Ka Erdy always quote "To live is Christ, to die is gain". Truly, he lived a life in Christ and spending all of it in the service of God. His memories will stay in our hearts until we meet the Lord.
You enter the church by the gate who is Jesus. He died for the church, not those outside, see Acts 20:28. When we are saved, God adds us to the church. You cannot reject the church.