This past Sunday was my last as the Transitional Pastor of Westport Baptist Church. I served this great church for about 2 1/2 years in that role and loved every minute of it. The people there are great, which I knew before I even went there. For a number of years this church was in my Area when I served as Area Minister. It was always in my top three favorite churches that were in my Area. Their pastor was a great minister and friend, now retired, and the church had an amazing feel every time I walked in.
It should not have taken the church this long to find a pastor, but that is the way it is today when churches seek new pastoral leadership. For years I've told search committees that the pool is not very big and not very deep. This is especially true for churches in rural communities or small towns. If I had to guess, some of the people the church interviewed decided to not candidate due to the small community of Westport. Personally, I don't think they know what they are missing. Of course, I like small communities and always felt very comfortable with the Westport community.
Their new pastor is a young man with a family. He's never pastored a fully-funded church before so the church has asked me to mentor him for a few weeks. He seems energetic so I think I'll enjoy meeting with him and helping to answer some of his questions.
God has been very good to me in the churches He has led me to serve. For 20 years I served as a bivocational pastor at Hebron Baptist Church in Madison, IN. What a wonderful time that was! After retiring from denominational ministry I had the opportunity to serve Madison FBC as their Transitional Pastor for two years, and now He allowed me the privilege of serving the Westport church. As an Area Minister in our Region for 14 years I know how brutal some churches can be, and I am thankful God spared me from that.
Some have asked about my future plans, and I really do not know. My auction business keeps me busy, but if God opens up another door I'll certainly consider it. I turn 75 later this year, but I don't feel like it (usually!), and I believe God still has work for me to do.
The older I get the more I appreciate Caleb. As one of the original spies of the Promised Land he along with Joshua were the only ones who encouraged the Israelites to conquer the land since God had promised it to them. Now, the Israelites are conquering the land. Caleb goes to Joshua and asked him to let him take his tribe and take the mountain areas. Although that area was inhabited by giants and walled cities Caleb was ready at the age of 85 to rise to the challenge. My prayer is that I will always be ready to rise to the opportunities God gives me.
While I wait to see if God opens up doors of ministry I am ready to fill pulpits when needed. Please feel free to contact me if you need someone to preach for you.
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