Dear Friends,
Even though my tenure as pastor of OBC will end April 30th, I wanted to write the May
Beacon Pastor’s Page. I wanted to thank you all, in writing, for 16 wonderful years of ministry together. I have been either a pastor or youth pastor for about the last 23 years. 19 of those years were spent at the Ogunquit Baptist Church! First, I was youth pastor under Dave Clark, and then pastor starting in 2007. So OBC and all of you have had a big influence on my experience of what it’s like to be a pastor. You have made it a real joy! Burnout is common among pastors, but it has not happened to me. Largely that is because of your care, kindness, grace and maturity in Christ and I appreciate it greatly!
I also want to thank you for caring about my family and treating my boys with love and
grace. Thank you for remembering that they are just human beings, like we all are. They are not perfect and you have not expected them to be and I thank you sincerely for it! They are great young men though, and I’m very proud of them, but you have been an important influence in them becoming young men who love the Lord and also look on His church with fondness and gratitude! Some pastors’ kids do not, but mine do! You are a big reason they do! They too will miss you all!
We have had ups and a few downs over the years (mostly ups though!), but we have
continued to push through seeking to do the Lord’s will and work in our church and in the community. A “resort town” is not a normal place to do ministry! But we have never stopped trying to understand our community and minister accordingly. I believe all that hard work has paid off and that we have gained some insight in how to reach the Ogunquit area. Praise God!
We’ve seen many wonderful people come and go over all those years. Some have gone
home to the Lord; others have had to move away for various reasons. We miss them and look forward to seeing them all again someday! We have seen people become believers and be baptized and others grow in their faith. I give thanks to God for it all, and for your partnership as we have tried to do our best through it all. We have put many different ministries into practice. Some have been quite effective and others less so. But we pressed on, seeking to do God’s will because we love Him and we want to see others adore His sacred Name as much as we do!
We have held out the truth of God’s Word and the hope of Christ’s love to a fallen world. Without your support and encouragement, it would have been much more difficult for me to preach the truth the way I have been—especially recently. As we see our culture continue to run headlong away from the Lord, speaking the truth of scripture boldly becomes even more vital to our mission. I know that truth and the good news about Jesus will continue to go forth from the pulpit at OBC and from all its members in the future. Thank you for your faithfulness to Him, to His Word and to His Gospel and for being a beacon of His light to the world! It has been my pleasure to shine that light with you for the last 16 years.
I will continue in prayer for the Ogunquit Baptist Church and everyone who is a part of it, that the Lord will bless you and expand your ministry. I know He will be with you always to the very end. Please remember me in prayer as well, that I might grow in wisdom and courage and that I might be used of God for His Kingdom everywhere He sends me.
Until we meet again.
In Christ,
Pastor Jeff