Obedience as a navigational tool
It all began with three pastors from Ridge Baptist Association in South Carolina coming to Vermont for a vision trip in February 2022 – yes, major snow season in Vermont. We had so much fun visiting pastors and churches during those few days. There was an emergency pulpit need that one of them covered and God showed His Favor upon this potential partnership in a mighty way during those few days. They asked for one of our pastors to travel south in September to preach a week of camp meetings. It was such a blessing for this pastor to share what God is doing in Vermont with our southern brethren. Then I received a call about an opportunity to have one of the pastors who visited in February who was now retired and was willing to come up and preach a few weeks to give our pastors a Sunday to rest. I was working on a schedule for this brother when I received a call from a church whose pastor had just stepped aside and they needed help. During the first meeting at their church, 2 days after the pastor had stepped down, we were discussing the benefits of an intentional interim instead of just pulpit supply each week and the leadership asked if I knew of anyone who was willing and able to do that. At that exact moment, my text notification sounded and it was Pastor Bob from South Carolina. A smile came to my face and one of the leadership team asked if everything was ok. After explaining who Pastor Bob was and his desire to come up for a few weeks, they asked if he would be willing to come up for the rest of the year. Having no idea of Pastor Bob’s schedule, I asked him if I could give the leadership team his contact info and he agreed. Before I knew it, God had the whole plan put together better than any of us could have imagined.
“Before I knew it, God had the whole plan put together better than any of us could have imagined.”
-Russ Rathier
The following is the story told by Pastor Bob, a pastor for 35+ years finding himself in a new season of ministry, wanting to continue to be used by God for His Glory. It can be very difficult when life changes and we find ourselves navigating a new course and we do not know where it is going. This is a story of one pastor who heard a call and just obeyed:
“When I retired at the end of August 2022, I posted a quote on Facebook from my favorite foodie traveler, Bilbo Baggins, that I was quite ready for another adventure. From mid-November until Christmas, I was able to live that adventure with my favorite traveling companion, my wife, Vivian. Back in February 2022, I went with the Association Mission Strategist of the Ridge Association, SC, Keith Lancaster, and pastor of Sardis Baptist Church, Saluda, SC, Mike Bell to Vermont for a vision trip to explore a partnership between the Association and the churches of Vermont. We connected with Russ Rathier, coordinator of Baptist work in the state and several pastors. We truly wanted this relationship to be an equal partnership, not just sending resources to Vermont.
After retiring, I wanted to continue the connection and asked Keith if he would contact Russ about the possibility of Vivian and me going to Vermont to help any church that might have a need. Russ knew that Precision Valley Baptist Church in North Springfield needed an interim pastor as they conducted their search for a new pastor. People who are available to be an interim pastor are hard to find in Vermont, and those who can fill the pulpit usually have a church or other full-time work that prevents them from being able to give consistency and direction to the church in search of its next pastor. Originally, we envisioned a period of three weeks to a couple of months, but we really couldn't commit to much more than that because of family obligations. So, with coordination between Russ and the Church Council at Precision Valley, we set a period from the week before Thanksgiving to Christmas Day to go and serve, with the possibility of returning later if necessary.
Even before we traveled to North Springfield, God had been working on me, driving me to hone my preaching skills and leading me to meditate on the lessons from Henry Blackaby's "Experiencing God." I had only been out of the pulpit since the end of August, but refocusing on the necessity of preaching stirred a personal renewal and deeper fellowship with the Lord. I recalled several of the principles from "Experiencing God" that challenged Vivian and me as we prepared to serve the people of PVBC. One of those principles is that God is always at work around us. This came to mind as I re-examined a very familiar scripture passage that I preached before going and preached again once I got to Vermont. A second principle is that when you see God at work, that is your invitation to join Him in that work. You may not see the same thing that I see (I hope you do see God at work in Vermont), but wherever you see Him at work, He is inviting you to join Him there. The next principle is that to accept God's invitation requires a step of faith. As we discussed these things between ourselves and shared them with the church and the prospective pastor and his wife, they became lived experiences and put past events into a new perspective.
While the church was hurting and grieving over the departure of their previous pastor, they were working their way through their search and assessing the needs of the church and community. In preparation for our arrival, the church threw themselves into cleaning up the parsonage, making improvements in anticipation of a new pastor coming, and went above and beyond in making our stay as comfortable as possible. They made sure to include us in activities in church and community life. The evening we arrived, a gentle snow began to fall. Like all true Southerners, we eagerly anticipate any snow event. In 40+ years of marriage, and living in some places where snow is common, we had never experienced a White Christmas. Maybe this would be our year. Chris Kelly, Chairman of Deacons, met us at the parsonage, welcoming us and showing us how the church had prepared for our arrival. The church had stocked the refrigerator and pantry, demonstrating to us their love and welcome.
“We have been woven into the fabric of this pastor and church and cannot wait to see and be a part of what God is going to do at Precision Valley.”
- Pastor Bob
This was not a typical interim pastorate in that we lived in the parsonage, and the search committee was far along in their process. By living in the parsonage, we were partners with the church in making assessments for upgrades, taking inventories of items in the house, and coordinating scheduled maintenance. Also, by being in the field, we were invited to assist the committee with their work. We prayed together and addressed some communication issues, but mostly, we just loved on each other. By coming at this time of year, we ate together: a lot. The church had a welcoming meal for us that first Sunday. Vivian and I ate Thanksgiving with two ladies from the church at a community Thanksgiving meal put on by the local Catholic church. The prospective pastor came on November 28th, and he preached in view of a call on December 4th. The church had a welcoming meal for them, and we had a church-wide Christmas meal on the 18th. I guess it is a universal principle among Baptists that we meet and eat. Y'all (pardon my Southern showing out), I am so excited about the new pastor, Mauricio Martins, his wife, Ashley, and their son, David. We know that this union of church and pastor and his family is God ordained.
As I am writing this, they are unpacking and preparing to begin their ministry with PVBC. From our initial meeting with them, Mauricio and Ashley have become close friends. The church set up meetings with the different ministry groups in the church throughout the week, and we were invited to be a part of those meetings. I observed the pastor and church interact with each other, and I became convinced that the Council had done an excellent job. This ministry couple is enthusiastic about the opportunities and realistic about the environment in Vermont. Vivian and I are excited and honored to be invited to take part in the installation service on January 22nd. We have been woven into the fabric of this pastor and church and cannot wait to see and be a part of what God is going to do at Precision Valley.”
What a blessing this South Carolina Partnership has been so far for the churches in Vermont. Partnerships can, and should, be more than a construction team or a VBS team. They came up, we went down, they came back – God is building a kingdom relationship that will carry into eternity. If your church finds itself in need of an intentional interim for a few months, Pastor Bob has already said God has broken his heart for New England. He is ready to come and serve where needed. For more information on BCNE Partnerships please contact Sharon Haller as shaller@bcne.net.
Russ Rathier serves as the Vermont regional coordinator for the Baptist Churches of New England.
