GOSPEL MINISTRY IN MAINE

I know there are some folks who want to be kept up-to-date on what is happening here in Eastport, Maine. Specifically, how Karen and I are doing and how the Cornerstone Church (CC) is getting along. This post will try to explain our approach to ministry here and how the Lord is blessing and will bless as we submit to His sovereign will.

Cornerstone Church was founded in 1802 by two men who had been saved as a direct result of the Second Great Awakening. Formerly known as the Calvinistic Baptist Association, later as Washington Street Baptist Church, it is now called Cornerstone Church of Eastport. The former pastor, Lee Cross, a dear friend of mine, led the church to drop the word ‘Baptist’ from the public church name and from the sign out front. Long before I ever suspected that I might lead this church, he and I had discussions about the divisive perception that exists in Christianity because of our denominational labels. The intent was to erase any barriers that might keep a person from coming to hear the gospel.

The important thing to remember is that we are still a Baptist church and proud to be one. Our theology has not changed: Christ is still our central focus and the Bible is still our one and only source for all matters pertaining to faith and doctrine.

This began a discussion in the church about how to get more people to attend, primarily lost people. What would we have to do to make coming to church an appealing thing for people who are totally secularized? This term describes people who have lived their entire lives without any exposure to things of faith: never attended church, own no Bible, and matters of faith and God never even enter into their thought processes. This seems to describe a very large proportion of the local population. How in the world did this happen in a region where Christianity first came to America!?

Anyway, without getting unnecessarily wordy, this precious congregation almost unanimously began to see the need for change, not in belief but in practice. Pastor Lee led the charge and did a great job. Unfortunately, last Spring the enemy launched his attacks. Satan will leave a church alone if it isn’t a threat to him. Well, it is likely that the renewed focus on evangelism begun by Lee riled up the enemy and he threw his evil imps at Cornerstone. The result was a drastic reduction in attendance and finances. It isn’t important what sparked this downturn; what is important is that Cornerstone was nearly brought to its knees. It had less than half its regular attendance, $4.32 in the bank, and a look of hopelessness on many faces.

Fortunately, a core of believers stood firm and refused to give in to the enemy’s plans. It was during this period that Pastor Lee decided it was time to retire. He and Lana went to California for the birth of their first grandchild. Lee will long be remembered by CC as a faithful man of God, who diligently preached the Word and intensely loved his flock. May God richly bless him and Lana as He leads them into their next field of ministry.

Karen and I were here in Eastport last summer, as has been our practice for several years. Most of you know that Karen has Multiple Sclerosis. The Georgia summers are brutal for her so we started to come north to escape that miserable weather. Naturally we wanted a church home while here, so CC became our part-time church family.

We knew the folks at CC pretty well by this time and they knew that I had been to seminary and was a pastor in Georgia. The deacons asked me to fill in as pastor until they could find a replacement for Lee. Of course, I agreed to do it. After all, I was pretty much spending my days as a lazy bum, sitting on the deck with a book and enjoying the view of the Passamaquoddy Bay and the delightfully mild Summer weather. It was refreshing to have something constructive to do.

It’s interesting how the Lord works, isn’t it? I have now been pastoring CC for two months. Hindsight can be a wonderful thing, especially when you see how God’s divine providence has been at work for your entire life. Just to know that He used a bad thing, Karen’s MS, as a springboard into a situation that glorifies Him in a great way. We, especially this Southern boy, would never have come to Maine to live, without God’s effectual calling. Sure, Karen still has MS but she feels so much better so much more of the time because of the climate. And I am serving God in the way that He has intended since before time. I have found incredible peace and an abiding joy in finally doing what He meant for me all along. I mean, all those years in seminary and all the mind-numbing work that went along with it, was done without me even knowing the reasons for it. I only knew that it was God’s will for my life to go and learn His ways. Now I know what He had planned. Praise Him for His all-knowing, all-wise nature!

Back to the story:  Within a couple of weeks after agreeing to fill in as pastor, the deacons approached me to ask that I consider becoming their full-time, permanent pastor. To say that I was stunned is an understatement; that I was humbled beyond belief best describes my immediate reaction. After much praying and consultation with Karen, I agreed, pending a vote by the membership. So, I continued to preach, all total for about 10 weeks. We didn’t make my decision known for a while, but it became evident that God was surely calling me here. As time passed, this was confirmed as our relationships with the people of CC deepened into what I can only describe as Holy Spirit inspired. Little did I know that God was shaping a pastor’s heart within me, a trait I never saw in myself. In fact, it was an attribute I didn’t particularly desire after seeing how busy and demanding a pastor’s life can be. I even told Pastor Brian Jones of our former church that you couldn’t pay me enough money to be a pastor. Actually, when I surrendered to ministry a few years ago, my prayer ignorantly surrendered to whatever calling God had for me but “please don’t call me to be a pastor.” Really. I prayed that. Don’t tell me God doesn’t have a sense of humor.

Still having a rental home with all our possessions back in Georgia, we had to return there to deal with all of that. So, we left Maine for about seven weeks and spent Christmas there. It was a very strenuous time, packing and cleaning and all the stuff that goes along with moving. Saying goodbye to friends and family was especially difficult. The Pointe Church, where we had served for over ten years, was hard to leave. We have some very special friends in that church.

Perhaps the most difficult part of the move was leaving my parents behind. Dad has dementia pretty badly but his wonderful wife is taking good care of him. But Mom would be all alone with me in Maine and my brother in Arizona. I prayed hard about this and we decided to build a small cottage for Mom on our Maine property. To have her here with us would not only benefit her but would put my mind at ease about her care and comfort. The problem was that Mom had been adamantly opposed to ever leaving Georgia when I had approached her about the idea once before. This time, by God’s grace, she agreed. God is indeed faithful because my prayers had been for Him to change Mom’s mind about this. And He did, may He receive all the glory and praise. Our builder will start her house as soon as the ground thaws and Mom should be here by late Summer this year. It will be a big change for her, especially during the Winter, so please pray for a smooth transition.

Karen and I returned to Maine on December 30^th and I preached my first sermon as the formal pastor on New Year’s Day, 2017. (CC had voted me in during December.) I had come down with the flu so that was a hard message to get through but, by God’s grace, I did. There was no way that I was going to not preach my first sermon on our first Sunday back with CC. And it was the first day of the year!

The ensuing two months have been amazing. God’s hand has been powerfully at work, thankfully. One thing about being a pastor I have had to internalize is that I cannot do what only God can do. I am the foot soldier. He is the general. My job is to be faithful in what I am called to do: rightly preach the whole counsel of the Word of God, wisely lead the flock He has given to me, and prepare them for the mission of the church. Even though my skill set includes healthy portions of leadership experience, years as a trainer, lots of business management exposure, and two masters degrees in theology, I have found that without the leadership of the Holy Spirit it is all worthless. You simply cannot lead a divinely instituted organization without following the leadership of the one who created it.

This has been especially valuable for me in my own personal faith journey. I have learned as never before how important it is to be utterly surrendered to the lordship of Christ and unreservedly submitted to His will. And I have found that is a good place to be. Learning to trust the Lord as I lead, teach, preach, counsel, make decisions, and otherwise ‘do ministry’ has been fundamental to whatever successes we have had. I’ve often said that I love it when the Lord calls me to do something that I don’t know how to do. That means He is the one who must do it. In the wise words of my dear friend Carnell Thomas, “Russ, just let the Lord use you.” Good advice indeed.

I have to admit that it has been an adjustment to transition out of retirement and into a ‘job.’ But I have no complaints at all. I love what I am doing and sometimes can’t believe that I’m being paid to read and study the Word of God and to then tell others about it. What a privilege! Of course, there are many mundane tasks involved in pastoring such as administrative and logistical things. But, thankfully, I have the best two assistants a pastor could ever hope for, Brenda Buehner and Elaine Apt. Without them in the office I would be a basket case. And many others are crucial to CC and its success. My two deacons, Bill Buehner and Dave Morang, are wonderful and godly men. A pastor could not ask for better deacons and CC is very blessed to have them. Everyone else at CC has been incredibly loving and helpful to me and Karen, especially during the recent passing of Karen’s Mom. What a wonderful group of folks God has called me to pastor!

So, as of right now, the church’s financial situation is secure, attendance has doubled from what it was last summer, and there are almost a dozen people who have stepped forward to become members. If all of them follow through, that will increase membership by 40%. Praise God!

We are planning a big Easter weekend and Vacation Bible School in June. Some folks from our former church in Georgia are coming up to assist us with VBS. Our home Connection Groups will resume after Easter. Adult Sunday School is packed like sardines in a can. We are moving forward diligently to reestablish our children’s Sunday School and our prayer is for a part-time youth minister. Reaching the young people in the area is a priority.

One issue that has come to my attention is food security. This is a poor region and there are folks in CC who just don’t have enough food to make it through the month. Social security, food stamps, and the food pantry often don’t provide enough. So, we have been providing gift cards to the local grocery store to some in our congregation who need it. I am getting involved in the town of Eastport’s efforts to address this matter on a larger scale.

I just could not sleep at night knowing that anyone in my flock is going to bed hungry. Please pray for this need and, if the Lord leads, contribute to our project to feed the hungry at CC. The church and individuals within it have been donating cards but there is still an ongoing problem. Long range, I want to use some of our 15 acres to grow vegetables for our folks.

I praise God that CC folks are hungry for the Word of God. It is my firm conviction that the faithful preaching of the Word is the heart of worship, love, and service. God’s Word is powerful and can soften the hardest heart, prod the hearts of the saints, and heal all of culture’s woes. My driving goal is to learn more about the Word and how to effectively proclaim its glorious message. There are several books on preaching stacked beside my reading chair and I am slowly working my way through them.

I close with a request for your prayers, both for Cornerstone, Eastport and surrounding communities, and for God to be glorified in all we do. Also, please pray for me and Karen. Thank you very much for your prayers. Another update coming soon.