Monthly Message

This month's message from Rev William R. Armstrong.

SPRING 2008

Our congregation is facing a time of transition. After twenty-nine years in this delightful location my ministry has come to an end. Throughout that time I have been richly blessed in the good Christian people I discovered here, in the beautiful sanctuary which has been a haven of peace for generations past and present, and in the community in which I sought to be involved, bridging the gaps that are often evident between Church and society.

My time here is over. A Nominating Committee charged with the responsibility of finding a replacement minister has been formed. The hope and expectation is that the transition will be short and that the congregation can go forward into a new phase of Christian development and service as soon as possible. I pray that my successor will find what I have found in God’s people here. I have found my ministry fulfilling; and I have enjoyed the goodwill of many within our congregation.

I carry away with me memories of devoted people, some no longer in this world, who helped shape my ministry. I came here as an untried probationer; I leave as one who has learned to value people and the contribution they have made to my life.

I think of Tommy, my first Church officer; a man of simple, but solid, faith. He saw it as a privilege to be giving the responsibility of caring for our sanctuary. I think of Logan, my first organist, an amazing musician out of the classical mould; and of his sometimes acerbic wit. I think of Roy, a successful businessman, who encouraged me to exchange with a minister friend in Sleepy Hollow, California, a small but vibrant Church in an idyllic setting. Our visit there saw the beginnings of a relationship that spanned twenty years.

Many others have crossed my path that I was pleased to call friends. I cherish their memory; and much as we can build on memory and experience, we live for the moment and prepare for whatever may lie ahead, knowing that as God has guided us in the past, so he will lead us forward into a new future.

I, too, will face the prospect of a very different way of life. Retirement has crept up on me as a pleasant prospect, but having to say goodbye to the people I have come to love and appreciate and to the place that has been “home” to my family for such a long time is a daunting prospect. However, I know the time is right for us to go our separate ways. In our different ways new opportunities will emerge under a new ministry; and I commend my friends to the grace of God.

The last time I saw my friend Roy was in Perth Royal Infirmary. He suffered from heart failure and he knew full well that his time could be short. I had to leave as doctors arrived to attend to him. He shook me warmly by the hand and said: “I’m going on a great adventure”; and some weeks later he did.

We never know when and where God might lead us next, but the prospects should always be inviting and adventurous.

Rev William R. Armstrong