Category: Ministry

It was September, 1978.  Benton Street Baptist Church in Kitchener, welcomed a new pastor, Rev. James Reese to their staff.  On that same Sunday, the church that is now Eastwood Christian Fellowship welcomed me as their new pastor.  That is how long I have known the friend that I lost when Pastor Jim died on July 5, just two weeks ago.  Whereas Jim Reese stayed on at Benton St Baptist for 25 years first as Associate Pastor, then Senior Pastor, then Associate once again before retiring, I stayed at Eastwood only 5 years before moving to serve in western Canada, before returning to Ontario again in 1993.  Our paths soon crossed after our arrival in Kitchener, as we had fellowship in ministerial gatherings, and planning inter church functions such as the Barry Moore crusade in “The Aud” in Kitchener.

While I was out west, I returned to Kitchener  and area often for vacations and other reasons.  The church of choice to attend was of course Benton St. Baptist.  How could there be any other? – a church that is a beacon of faith in this area, and the church that was on the radio with the sonorous voice of Jim Reese preaching, and sometimes singing and even playing the trombone – occasionally in the same service. (Benton’s evening service was broadcast live on a local radio station for over 50 years).  Although the congregational singing was accompanied by the powerful strains of Benton’s pipe organ, I have seen Jim Reese abruptly leave the platform in the middle of a hymn, only to return moments later with his trombone to help the organ and the piano! At other times we would arrive at a service to see his trombone parked beside the pulpit, and we knew it would be an interesting and delightful service.  I had this talented pastor in several of my pulpits. In my previous church in Hamilton, Jim Reese preached at my installation, and again at my farewell 13 years later.  And in my present church, he stood in the pulpit and sang and spoke words of encouragement at my installation just a few months ago.  Now those were all public events, seen and heard by many.

But a pastor does not only shepherd the flock at large, he gives individual spiritual attention, guidance and encouragement  to the sheep when they are hurting or when they need guidance.  But whom does the pastor turn to when he needs this kind of care?  Jim Reese was that shepherd or pastor to myself and our family. Although I wasn’t always a member of the church that he led, my family and I did consider him to be a shepherd and pastor us.  When my brother Norbert and Janine were married, Jim and I jointly officiated.  When Eric, their first born arrived, Jim and I did the baby dedication together.    About 20 years ago I spent about a month in the hospital in Burlington.  Although I didn’t request it, he unexpectedly appeared at my bedside. It was a day when there was a freezing rain storm in Ontario, and I asked him why he would risk being out in traffic to travel from Kitchener to Burlington. He replied, “the bond of friendship is very deep, my brother!”

When our family experienced the sad and painful illness and death of our mother in 2010, and our father in 2015, Jim Reese was the “shepherd” at the bedside of our parents, and at our side as a family as well.  In fact when my father passed away in the middle of the night, Jim Reese come to the hospice to see us.  He sat with us, wept with us, comforted us, quietly sang to us, and stayed with us until the funeral home came to take Dad away.  The hospice where Dad died  has a very nice practice of escorting a deceased person through the front door, with a procession in which all staff members who are present take part.  There was Pastor Jim, leading the procession, with us a family and the staff following the stretcher.  Before we reached the door, Pastor Jim paused at the place where Dad had fallen and broken his back a week earlier, and he prayed a prayer of thanksgiving for the salvation that Dad had in Jesus, and which he was now enjoying in the Lord’s presence.  Anyone listening to the prayer would have heard the good news of salvation and how they could obtain it if they cared to.  With Jim’s help, I was able to jointly officiate at the funeral of both of my parents.

But my pastor-friend Jim was also a gracious colleague and a mentor.  Over the years I have observed him, and also adopted some of his practices.  Like for example the practice of praying for colleagues on Saturday night.  Years ago, he told me about his practice of praying for colleagues and missionaries on Saturday evening and he assured me that I was on his “list”.  Part of of my Saturday evening ritual now is to think of pray for my fellow pastors who would be serving the Lord the next day.  We also exchanged and shared ideas from time to time.  “What are you preaching on these days?” was a frequent question.

While I was ministering in Calgary, I had invited him to spend a week at our church with “Deeper Life Meetings” as we used to call them. How delighted our people were to see and hear someone who could preach, sing, and play the trombone all in the same service!  We saw a number of decisions for Christ in those days.  During that week, my phone rang late in the evening.  It was Dr. Ted Rendal, then the President of Prairie Bible Institute in Three Hills, Alberta.  He had heard that Jim Reese was in Calgary, and had tracked him down to me.  They were having a missions conference at Prairie, and he was wondering if it were at all possible for Jim to come and sing at one of the daytime services.  I said I would ask, and Jim joyfully agreed.  As we drove from Calgary to Three Hills, Jim sat beside me with his briefcase on his knees.  He shuffled through sheets of music, trying to decide which ones he would sing.  He would hum, and sometimes sing a portion of a song.  It was much nicer than having the radio on!

Although I considered Jim to be far advanced not only in age but in pastoral experience, I never had the feeling of being “talked down” to.  Not only did he never seek to showcase his great talents and ability, there was also a deep sense of humility.

For example, when I was between ministries for a short while, I worked at the funeral home that was diagonally across from Benton St. Baptist Church.  From my office window, I could see the church, and the parking spaces for staff.  One day I observed Jim Reese pull up, and he crossed the street to the funeral home. He was coming to see me.  We sat and chatted, and then he turned to a particular problem that he was facing because he once again had the full load of ministry while the senior Pastor, Bob Parks, was on sabbatical.  After outlining the issue, he surprised me with the question, “do you have any wisdom for me?”  Well, I didn’t, and I told him that the question was better asked the other way around, but since neither of us had the needed wisdom, we turned to God in prayer.

The one thing that stands out to me the most when I think about Jim Reese, is his amazing positive spirit.  I never saw him “down”, though I’m sure he had his moments of trial also.  His letters and emails were always signed, “Joyfully in Christ”.  I’m sure that he now enjoys the fullness of that joy.

Last week I started a new/old job. Once again (in fact for the sixth time in my life) , I become the pastor of a local church, and last Sunday I preached there, not as a guest speaker, but as their pastor. Next Sunday, Feb 10, I will be officially installed at the Christian Fellowship Church in Waterloo and I will exchange ministry covenants with them.

On July 1, 2016, after 13 years of service in one church, and after over 40 years of  pastoral ministry, I began what I thought would be the beginning of the final chapter of my life – the time of blissful retirement. I have to admit that I looked forward to that.  I was tired and fully spent, wondering if I had anything left to give.  I enjoyed the prospect of being fully in control of my time – doing the things that I enjoy, and not having to do anything that I didn’t.  As far as ministry was concerned, I remembered the words of my mentor when I was a student intern, “it takes a lot of grace to begin ministry, and even more grace to know when to quit.”  Well I thought that moment had come.

The joy of ministry had never really left me.  I was determined to be involved by helping out in some way. I covered for pastors on vacation and took funerals when families who didn’t have a pastor called on me.  I volunteered to teach at a Bible School in Kenya for two 3 month terms in 2017 and 2018.  Last winter, spring and summer, I preached in a church that didn’t have a pastor.  People would say on their way out on Sundays, “could we call you out of retirement?”  I remember smiling and saying, “it would take a lot more than your call to get me to quit retirement.”  At the time my preparations for the trip to Africa were in full swing, and I was greatly looking forward to my assignment there.

And that is where the journey to the Christian Fellowship Church in Waterloo began.  While the months in Kenya were very busy, there was also much quiet time and room for prayer and contemplation.  It was there that I faced the question of what I would be doing when I return to Canada.  I had to ask myself whether I could justify NOT helping where there is a need that I could meet with the gifts that God has given me, and the health that He so graciously restored to me after last year’s cancer scare.  So the dialogue continued and the rest, as they say, is history.  The church has graciously consented that I serve them on a three-quarter time basis, a requirement that I requested to help me not to relapse into my workaholic tendencies.

So what about retirement?  The traditional age is 65.  In certain jobs that  age  is mandatory and people are forced to retire, even though they are able and willing to continue working.  Some face a pressure, that if they continue working, they are somehow taking work away from younger, less fortunate people who don’t have a job.  Then again, the financial realities of some make 65 unrealistic.  The previous Canadian government had started to push the retirement age to 67, something that the present government reversed.

And then there is the “Freedom 55” movement which refers to people whose ambition is to be financially independent by age 55 so that they can take an early retirement package.  While I don’t see anything wrong with that in principle, I have watched all too many people shift their lives,  spiritually and otherwise, into neutral when they retire too early.  A life of play and pleasure rather than hard work, or perhaps, in the best case scenario,  a life of humanitarian service, or work that is a labour of love.

And then we must not forget those who made great contributions to their community and their country at an age where others are traditionally retired.   Ronald Reagan, who had a colourful series of careers as an actor, then a motivational speaker and finally politician, including governor of California, was 70 years old when he became President of the United States and he served two terms.  Some of Canada’s Prime Ministers were also advanced in age when they were elected to office: John Diefenbaker was 62 when he was first elected in 1957; Lester Pearson was 66 in 1963.  Canada’s longest serving Prime Minister, William Lyon MacKenzie King was first elected  in 1921 at age 47, and was 74 when he left office in 1948.  Winston Churchill began his second term as British Prime Minister in 1951 at the age of 77.

These (and others) have shown that age does not preclude anyone from great accomplishments.  As a society that worships those with youthful energy, we need to remember that.   Years ago, when as a young man I was installed into one of my pastorates, an older, retired pastor gave a word of greeting.  He lamented the fact that seasoned ministers, after decades of gathering experience often are obliged to put down their work at a time when they are more equipped than ever to make meaningful contributions to the work of the church.  At the time, I did not think much of his comments, but now, after I am at the approximate age of that pastor, I know what he meant.

By this I do not want to suggest that as an old(er) pastor I have more to offer than someone younger.  If someone younger or more qualified were to appear, I would like to think that I would have the grace to step aside. And some day, there will come a time when I will step down, and step aside for good.  I’m just not ready to do that yet.