A Word from the Pastor

Decisions are not always easy to make. For me, the decision to step down as pastor of Hopeful Baptist Church has been one of the hardest decisions I have ever made.

It is not that I am not excited about the possibility of retirement from the active pastorate (I’ve been preaching for forty years), or that I am not anxious to finish our home and get moved in. What makes this decision difficult is that this church has become my home, and you have become my family. It is as I said in my resignation letter:

“For nineteen years, God’s purpose for my life has been here at Hopeful Baptist Church. After being called as your pastor, Cathie and I have spent those years ministering and being ministered to. At Hopeful we have experienced the acceptance, oneness and fellowship Jesus talked about as being the true sign of Christian Faith. This is truly a unique church, one that embodies the Life and Spirit of Jesus Christ more than any church I have ever known or pastored, and I can assure you this morning that I love this church with all of my being.”

It is our love for Hopeful and the relationship we feel with each of you that has made this decision difficult. Cathie and I know we will never find another church like Hopeful. Leaving here means leaving the best of church, fellowship and friendships behind. But effective August 31, 2011 that will be the case. You will move on to better and bigger things under new leadership; we will struggle trying to replace what we leave behind.

Of course, our relationship with Hopeful will not end completely. The person who said, “Out of sight out of mind,” was not thinking of this church. You will be in our prayers every day. We will continue to stay in contact with church members—you all have an open invitation to visit and stay with us whenever you have an opportunity. We will have opportunities to visit and worship with you. And we hope to come back for special occasions.

The last nineteen years of ministry at Hopeful Baptist Church have been the best years of our lives. And, as I said in my resignation letter, although

“God is reminding me that I am getting older, and that my age is affecting what I can do, and what I can no longer do as well or with as much enthusiasm as I once did… Therefore, with the deepest emotional feelings, I am making the decision to step down as your pastor.”

Pray for us over the next three months. Someone has jokingly called us, “short-timers.” Someone else joked that I was now a “lame-duck pastor.” I don’t know what the proper classification is. My ministry is winding down. I will no longer be offering new ideas and incentives for ministry or be making plans with church committees; and even though I will miss the fellowship of those meetings, my feeling of belonging and being a part is just as strong as ever.

Cathie and I have not just considered ourselves as Hopeful’s pastor and wife; we have felt a part of this church and community for nineteen years. Such a relationship is not easy to walk away from. But the decision has been made to leave, and we know it is the right thing to do. Nevertheless, this will always be our home, and we will miss it.

GOALS ACCOMPLISHED

When I first spoke to the Hopeful Baptist Church Pastor Search Committee in the summer of 1992, I was told the church was looking for a pastor who would help better organize the church, and one who would lead the church through a building program, which the church had already voted to get started. In addition, when I came in January 1993, l learned the church had gone through a difficult time. After being candidly briefed on the situation by those who had been involved, and not knowing that I would be here for nineteen years, I decided on some ministry goals that I wanted to accomplish. As I look back, I can see that with the willingness, encouragement and help of Hopeful members and the church’s leadership, each one of these goals has been accomplished. It gives me a sense of satisfaction.

1. My first goal was to establish a good spirit and working relationship between the pastor and the deacons, one that would be obvious to church members, and through which the church could gain a sense of stability.
2. I wanted to see the church successfully through its building program. I have to admit, I was glad when the proposed new building was voted down. I felt it was too much, and that it would have burdened the church down with years and years of debt. I think we have all been pleased with what we ended up with. It was an easy transition, a happy time,and a debt-free building we have all enjoyed over the years.
3. I was taught that even the best church organization accomplishes very little without a total reliance upon the Holy Spirit and a commitment to adhere strictly to the organization, which provides a safety net to solve future disagreements. If it is written, it is written! That is not always easy. We are all creatures of habit, and we all tend to want to accomplish things the quickest way even though it might not be the way proposed by the organizational structure. My goal was to provide the best organization Hopeful has ever had, and to stick to it. I believe this has been achieved, and is now well established through the Organizational Flow Chart, Job Descriptions and Policies and Procedures found in the church Operations Manual.
4. Very early I set out to establish guidelines and goals for the church to maintain the highest standards for godliness and growth. This effort has culminated in the Administrative Guidelines that are included in the church Operations Manual.
5. Another goal was to lead the church into relationships that would maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. This sometimes requires licking our wounds after not getting our way and moving on. It is what makes Hopeful unique.
6. My final goal was for Hopeful to be involved in the most engaging and effective ministries of all time. Although not all yet accomplished, this has been laid out in the Hopeful Ministry Strategy 2010 and Beyond notebook.