FORGET NONE OF HIS BENEFITS, volume 10, number 52, December 29, 2011

I thank my God in all my remembrance of you . . . in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now, Philippians 1:3, 5.

Parting Words to Our Beloved Congregation

By the time you read this Wini and I will, D.V., be on our way south to Birmingham, Alabama where I will take up my new work as the Director of the Alabama Church Planting Network and itinerant, evangelistic, and revival preaching through Presbyterian Evangelistic Fellowship. This parting from you is exceedingly painful for the both of us, yet we earnestly believe this is God’s will for the advancement of His kingdom. We have never before felt such pain at leaving a congregation, and we have wondered at the reason for it. Perhaps our pain is because we know how grateful and appreciative you have been for our coming to New England. In many places in our country, there is a plethora of gospel preaching churches and people sometimes take them for granted. You certainly have not taken our ministry for granted.

We will never forget you and we will continue to pray regularly and earnestly for you. Indeed God has begun a good work and we trust Him to build on this solid foundation by bringing you a godly pastor who, by God’s grace, will take you much farther in the mission of CCPC. Our hearts are full of wonder and gratitude at how responsive you have been to God’s word. Your evangelistic zeal is something rarely seen in today’s churches. Many of you have regularly and faithfully taken to the streets of West Hartford with the gospel. Many of you are constantly telling others about Christ, inviting them to church, seeking to engage them in Bible Study and gospel conversation. It really is a beautiful thing to see. Your commitment to World Missions through Faith Promise Giving, your commitment to revival prayer, your kindness and openness to visitors, regardless of their ethnicity or socio-economic status is remarkable. I can honestly say that I have never heard gossip, back-biting, or sowing seeds of discord among any of you. This has been a very peaceful, loving, and unified congregation from day one. You have been incredibly gracious to Wini and me. You have given me the freedom to preach in other places and to lead Days of Revival Prayer around the country. We are humbled by your kindness.

As we leave, I want to challenge you with what I believe are a few vital things to remember. First, please do not leave this congregation. That has been our prayer since we knew God was leading us away from CCPC. You need to know that typically a new pastor’s coming, especially when he replaces the founding pastor, results in the departure of as much as one-third of the congregation. Generally this is because the new pastor is not “like” the old one. I suggested to our Pulpit Nominating Committee (PNC) that they heed the words of Phil Douglas at Covenant Theological Seminary who has carefully studied pastoral transitions. Phil says that PNC’s often err by recommending a pastor who is very different from the first one. This almost never works. So the PNC will seek to recommend a pastor who is similar in temperament, gifts, and core values of ministry, but who also is much stronger in areas of my weaknesses. Having said this, however, the new man will most certainly not be me. His preaching, leadership style, approach to pastoral ministry, and how he relates to you will probably be different. Please resist the temptation to compare him with me. This is not fair to him. Be patient with him. Pray for him. Encourage him. Show him the same love and affection you have shown me.

Second, continue to support the Session of CCPC. Our Ruling Elders are wonderful men. There is no guile in them. They are the hardest working, most faithful elders I have worked with in my many years of ministry. They sacrifice time and energy in ways rarely seen in today’s church. There is unity on the Session. Support them and continue to have confidence in their leadership. Third, continue to support Brad Smith in his ministry. As you know Brad brings a rare combination of skill in worship, music composition, and administration. We have made clear to any men being considered for the Senior Pastor position that Brad is going no where. He is vitally necessary to the day to day operation of our church. Fourth, continue to pray for revival and the work of the gospel here in New England and the world. Never forget your utter and complete dependence on the Holy Spirit’s presence and power for ministry. Live out the theology I have taught you—100% God and 100% man. God is sovereign in all things, but He, at the same time, expects us to fight the good fight of faith, to take the gospel to the nations, and to live as become the followers of Christ. Do the next thing correctly. Go deeply with Jesus. Continue in your small groups. Don’t miss corporate worship on Sundays. Be part of the Community Groups which meet in your towns. Tithe. Open up your homes to one another and strangers. Love the Lord Jesus. Be so filled up with Jesus, as you meet with Him daily, that He is evident on your faces, in your eyes, in your speech. Be sensitive to the Spirit’s leading in your life. Believe in the Holy Spirit. Be quick to confess your sins to one another, to be kind to one another, to pray for one another, to love one another.

We love you, thank God for you, and consider it an inestimable privilege to serve our wonderful Lord Jesus with you these eight and one-half years. We plan on coming back to New England from time to time for ministry, and you most certainly will see us again. You are most welcome to visit us at any time in Birmingham. We would love to see you.

I intend on continuing to write my weekly devotionals and my sermons will continue to be uploaded to www.sermonaudio.com and www.pefministry.org .My new e mail address is al.baker3@yahoo.com and our home address is:

218 Oglesby Avenue

Birmingham, AL 35209

Our phone numbers will remain the same: Al, 860-748-5918; Wini, 860-539-8820.

May the Lord bless you and keep you, may the Lord make His face to shine on you, and be gracious to you, may the Lord lift up His countenance on you and give you peace.

Your Pastor,

Al Baker