Bringing Back Memories

Sunday night, Amanda and I made the trek down to Brantford. It was Deane Proctor's induction service as Lead Pastor at Queensway Baptist Church. It was a wonderful service with inspiring worship and a challenging message from Elaine Poproski. I have known Deane for a number of years. Deane has just begun the Arrow Leadership Program which I graduated from in March. Deane will be a great fit at Queensway and we were very pleased when we found out he had been called to minister there. Queensway holds a pretty special place in my heart. Just over a decade ago, I had quit the ministry... and I had not even graduated from seminary yet! After one experience, I had begun to doubt my call. Then Don Fraser, one of my professors and pastor at Queensway, called me up and asked me to interview for the youth pastor position. I did and was surprised to be hired. I could not believe I was actually getting paid to be a pastor! It was at Queensway that my call to the ministry was confirmed and it was at Queensway that I discovered my compatibility with the Baptist tradition, having been an Anglican and a Pentecostal previously. I enjoyed working with Don and later Ralph Neil, as well as associate pastor Carol Caswell. It was at Queensway that I was ordained as a pastor in 2001. When Amanda and I returned on Sunday, it has been eleven years to the month that I had started at Queensway. Much had changed and much was familiar. It was nice to see old friends and to watch as they begin this new stage of ministry. May God richly bless Pastor Deane Proctor and Queensway Baptist Church!