We spent those years
working with the Southern Hills congregation in Shreveport. In my previous post I mentioned my “utility
infielder” approach to ministry, and I had plenty of opportunities to practice
it during those years. Mark Pugh had
replaced Eddie Randolph in our pulpit.
Mark left and for a time Eric Petty, our youth minister, assumed the
pulpit role. After several months Eric
decided he was better suited to serve as a youth minister, and accepted a
position in Florida. After Eric left,
John Hawkins came from Harding and worked with us as a summer intern. After John went back to school, he, Bob
Brewer, and I served as a pulpit trio until John graduated the next spring. During that period of time John was approached
about becoming our pulpit minister and accepted the challenge. In each case I had positive experiences and
enjoyed being around my colleagues.
We must have been
hard on secretaries. Mary Beth
Touchstone had served the church for many years, and when I first came on the
scene Susan Pelezo was a part of the administrative church staff. They both decided to go on to other things,
although Susan often came back to lend a hand when we were in a bind. Over the next few years, we had three
different secretaries. Each one of them
was congenial, cooperative and brought different skill sets to the ministry. I regarded them all as my friends, and stay
connected with most of them until this day.
Before Mark left I
began serving as an elder but after Eric left, I started dealing with some
health problems, and I thought it was probably a little too much to handle full time ministry
and eldership responsibilities at the same time, so I resigned as an elder.
I stayed on with the
church on a full time basis until after John came on board full time. I then took on a part time role, and for the
first time since graduate school, I was no longer working full time in
ministry. Actually, it wasn’t that much
of a change. I just didn’t go to the
office as often as I had gone before. I
wore blue jeans a lot more and rarely put on a tie. Most of the time I didn’t attend business
meetings, and I didn’t miss those at all.
I firmly believe that part of the eternal reward of elders and preachers
will be exemption from having to attend business meetings.
As an elder, there
was one experience that stood out above all the rest. A young mother was facing a life threatening
surgery. She took James 5:14-15 quite
literally. She asked the elders of the
church to visit her, to anoint her with oil, and pray for her healing. We did exactly that. I would have to say that was the high water
mark of my time as an elder. As I’ve
already said, I don’t think I’m much of an administrator, but when we sat in
her home that night and honored her request, I was absolutely sure I was doing
what an elder is supposed to do.
In 2008, the elders
asked to meet with me, and after a lengthy discussion we agreed that we had
reached the point at which I needed to think about full time retirement. A date was agreed upon, and by the end of
August, the Shreveport chapter of our lives had come to an end. I really have no regrets about that. I’m grateful that I had the opportunity to
serve for 11 years. What a blessed
privilege. I was able to minister on a
full time basis until I reached “three score and ten.” I did not know there would be another
opportunity after that, but I am deeply grateful to God for giving me such
wonderful opportunities to contribute to the life of the church.
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