Part 6
I graduated from Eastern Baptist Seminary on May 20, 1979, with Sally,
my mother and dad, my brothers and sisters in attendance. David and Brian help us
pack and load our belongings in a rented truck and drive with me from there to
Northern, NY. I was ordained by Reverend Jagger at the First Baptist Church of
Amherst on May 27th of that year. I was already commissioned as a
Naval Reserve Chaplain and assigned to a Chaplains unit in Albany, New York
about 30 miles from our small apartment in Saratoga Springs, NY.
My first church, Old Stone Church in West Milton, NY is a church-plant
from the First Baptist Church of Ballston Spa, also an American Baptist Church.
We with about 45 hardy souls. Most of the men were hunters, fishermen, snow
mobile enthusiasts, and rugged souls who challenged me to split wood, and stretch
a bit and love then as they were. It was hard at first, but January 1980 the
Holy Spirit changed my whole perceptive on life and ministry.
In that frigid northern climate the Lord warmed my heart for my flock. I
knew that I had a call to be a Navy Chaplain, but my denomination required 3
years of full time ministry. By mid-January I was burned out and ready to get
out the ministry. Nothing I was doing in the church was working out. My Bible
study that started with a dozen souls was down to me and my wife. I actually
told the Lord that I’d rather go back to work in a grocery store than deal with
the unbelievers in our church. My immaturity and self-pity had closed my heart
to the needs of my flock. I felt like I was dying.
But God was on the move. I cried out to God for help and had amazing
supernatural experience. That morning I was so low that I could barely make it
through a day. I was in deep prayer with
tears washing down my cheeks. I said to the Lord, “Father, I don’t know what to
do. I have no idea how to be a pastor. Show me how to love these people and how
to preach with power. I can’t do this without your help.
A minute later I felt the power of the Holy Spirit come over me and then
I felt warm oil pouring over my head and glowing down my cheeks. An amazing
power came over me and I was giddy with live for God and my flock! I was
blasted by God’s Agape.
The next weekend I preached without notes and had so much power coming
from me that some folks were shaken. The devil wasn’t happy about the new me! A
few weeks later I was called to come to the senior deacon’s home. After a few
minutes she said, “The main contributors of our church don’t like the way you
are preaching. We can’t afford to lose them but we can afford to lose you!”
My reply may seem disrespectful, but I said, “I am preaching exactly
what the Lord as asked me to preach. If you need to fire me I won’t harbor any
malice against you or the board. But I will not compromise at all.”
The next Sunday the senior deacon and her family didn’t come to church.
The following Sunday right before my sermon stood up and walked to the front of
the church. I was expecting to be relived of my duties, but God had another
plan. Instead of calling for a vote to fire me, she said, “Last Sunday we worshiped at Rev. Elliot’s Church (Our church was a daughter church of his) and
he is preaching the same message our pastor is preaching so you better listen
to him.”
What a relief! Soon after that trying day the Lord brought a host of
disabled men and women and their caretakers to the church and we grew in one
week by 40 percent. A few weeks later the Lord told me to submit my Navy active
duty application. I had no idea that I’d be on active duty just a few months
because the chaplain of the USS Texas would have an accident. Leaving the
church was a sad and glad time for Sally and me….Because my call to ministry
was to be an active duty Navy Chaplain.
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