May 11, 2011

A Rewarding New Chapter: Retirement!

 A variety of emotions can bombard one’s mind as retirement draws near. Apprehension and even sadness may intertwine themselves with happiness, relief, or eagerness. Some may even feel as though they’re dropping into a deep, dark vacuum.
 
Those of us retirees who were in church employment for 30, 35, or 40-plus years likely believed that prior to our retirement the great gospel commission would be completed. Regardless, for some of us the time for retirement has now come, and since we have never “been there, done that” before, why wouldn’t we wonder a bit regarding this next chapter of our lives?
 
After serving God and the church for 42 years in our homeland and overseas, my wife, Carole, and I sensed it was time to turn our responsibilities over to the younger set. Our “rewarding new chapter: retirement” began midway through 2003. Since then we have discovered how this journey can be exciting as well as rewarding—a new chapter of life in preparation for the return of Jesus.  
 
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The Colburns: Carole and Larry Colburn

Just as when we received our first call into church ministry, we wanted to be right where the Lord desired us to be in retirement. God promises: “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you” (Ps. 32:8). God promises that if we are serving as He planned, this next chapter of life will continue to be a rewarding experience. In fact, if our personal experience is any indication, it can be not only a new but also an extremely exciting time.

 
Where to Go?
God may design for some retirees to settle in large, densely populated Adventist centers. There certainly are missions, ministries, and services to be rendered in those areas. But there also are scores, even hundreds, of small Seventh-day Adventist churches throughout the North American Division whose members would welcome with open arms a retired denominational worker or couple.
 
Retirement considerations were combined with prayer that Carole and I would “land” in just the right location. The criteria went something like this:
 
Not a large concentration of Seventh-day Adventists. We want to be involved in church planting or part of a small church in which we can participate in church growth.
 
A rural setting rather than a large city. (Throughout our years of ministry we usually lived in large cities.)
 
Live near water, if possible.
God said yes to all these criteria, even our dream of living near water! We are now settled near Douglas Lake in eastern Tennessee. We are thankful every day for these blessings.
 
Meeting the Neighbors—and Our New Church Family
Soon after moving into our new community our neighbors responded eagerly to our invitation to a “let’s get acquainted” supper. Thirty strangers crowded into our home and left a couple of hours later as friends. As we continued to interact in the community, the friendships deepened.
 
The small town of Newport, Tennessee, at the foot of the Smoky Mountains, is the location of a small Seventh-day Adventist church. Records reveal that this church was first organized more than 70 years ago. Attendance waxed and waned throughout the years. At times the church was “packed” with 60 and more worshippers. At other times relationships would sour, and people would “disappear.” Closing the church was at times considered. When we arrived, only a handful of elderly people were showing up on Sabbaths.
 
The same year Carole and I transferred our membership to the Newport church, another newly retired couple, Scott and Debbie Suy, also arrived. Scott had been an automobile manufacturing engineer, and Debbie an elementary school teacher. The members and the young pastor welcomed us four newcomer retirees warmly.
 
Discovering Our Niche
During a church board meeting the Suys, who had served as Pathfinder leaders for many years, asked, “If we can find just one young person, are you willing for us to begin a Pathfinder Club?” One Sabbath morning soon after that a family with two children walked into the church for the first time. The son was eager to become a Pathfinder, and his parents were interested in Bible studies. So the Newport Sonseekers Pathfinder Club was born.
 
Before long Harrell Lynch, a local retiree, joined me in visiting members. We also organized a church-based Voice of Prophecy Bible School and began searching out long-lost attendees. Visits—mixed with prayer and the reading of God’s Word—worked additional miracles in the lives of a number of people, and little by little the church began to grow. There was a new, refreshing vibrancy in the small A-frame church.
 
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Newport Church: Members worshipped in this new church facility for the first time in August 2010.

Since friendship needs to “scratch where it itches,” women in the church began a ministry called “Bags of Love,” to offer comfort to children taken by Child Protective Services from homes in which drug problems existed—a ministry originally developed by Barbara Neher in Kentucky. Fifteen to 20 women gather at the church each Monday to sew quilts and package appropriate toys and toiletries into colorful bags that have been sewn for this purpose. More than 700 Bags of Love have been distributed to Child Protective Services in 10 counties and into the arms of frightened children. The majority of the women involved in this ministry are from various backgrounds and beliefs, and so not only are miracles happening in the lives of children, but bridges to our community are being built.

 
A Growing Church
Now the church was getting full! Worshippers were sitting shoulder-to-shoulder; the Sabbath school rooms could no longer accommodate the children; the fellowship hall was too small; and parking was a problem. Something had to change—but what, and how? With no wealthy members in the congregation, we encouraged one another with the thought that “the cattle on a thousand hills” (Ps. 50:10)—and even the hills themselves—are God’s. Heartfelt petitions ascended to heaven for guidance. We also began to gather funds and search for property on which to build a new house of worship.
 
A “Rise Up and Build” fund-raising committee extended invitations for members to give sacrificially. Letters were written, auctions were held, and other initiatives were pursued. A church in Maryland reached across conference and union territorial lines to donate more than $60,000 within two years. Money also began to arrive from various individuals, some of whom we had never contacted. One such person was a dentist in another state who sent large checks three times. A young man who is not a member of the Adventist Church gave $500 to his mother, saying, “Here, Mom, send this to that church you keep talking about.” The Holy Spirit was moving on the hearts and minds of people to give.
 
The church members learned of a prime hilltop property in downtown Newport where hundreds, perhaps thousands, of cars pass daily. Contacting the real estate agent, one of nine joint owners of the property, we learned that the asking price was $220,000. After further negotiation the owners returned with their bottom-line price, still $5,000 more than the maximum the church members could pay. The real estate agent/owner responded by stating, “I will pay the difference from my portion.” God was working! The land became the church’s, and the local newspaper released the announcement that the Seventh-day Adventist church had purchased a 2.58-acre lot on Hedrick Drive.
 
Soon thereafter the phone rang, and the voice on the line identified himself as the pastor of an independent church in Newport. He asked, “Will you be selling your little A-frame church?” So without real estate agent and advertising expenses an appraisal was done, and a price was set and accepted. Again the entire church sensed God’s guidance in this sacred initiative.
 
Not Over Yet
As the building contractors’ bids were opened before the members there was stunned silence at the projected cost of constructing the new facility—about $1 million. We again turned to God and claimed His promises. After much negotiation with an Adventist contractor, it was agreed that the church members themselves would do much of the finish work on the sanctuary level and most of the work on the lower level. Building expenses were therefore reduced to an amount the members felt they could handle. God had intervened again.
 
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Under Construction: Building costs were kept to a minimum because of the volunteer labor on the part of church members.

The groundbreaking ceremony was conducted September 6, 2009. One hundred Adventists from far and near, friends from the community, and dignitaries gathered on the hilltop. Dark, threatening clouds gathered overhead. Reportedly, it rained steadily at the former church three miles away, but only a few drops fell on the hilltop. Thirteen symbolic shovels turned the soil. General Conference vice president Lowell Cooper, the guest speaker, shared encouragement from the Word of God. Construction began December 1, 2009.

 
About nine months later, on August 28, 2010, members and guests entered the new church facility to worship for the first time. As they walked under the inscription over the center doors—“Enter His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise” (see Ps. 100)—many acknowledged that they were stepping into the middle of a miracle. October 9 was the official opening Sabbath event, with guest speaker Don Schneider, former president of the North American Division. One hundred sixty people attended.
 
All was not over, however. An amount of $54,000 was still due the contractor. Providentially, a piece of property dedicated to the work of the church that had been on the market for more than two years suddenly sold, bringing in just enough money to pay this bill. Another $50,000 was also needed to finish the lower level of the church—the fellowship hall, Sabbath school classrooms, warming kitchen, and facilities for Pathfinders and Bags of Love. Then one day the postal carrier delivered an envelope containing a check in the amount of $50,000—exactly the amount needed to complete the lower level. Again praise and thanksgiving resulted, and we exclaimed, “What hath God wrought?” Knowing what God has done thus far, we trust that He will provide means to make our mortgage payments.
 
What blessings Carole and I would personally have missed had we settled for retirement in a large Adventist center. The Newport church is now poised for growth. The first baptism and profession of faith have just been witnessed. By being a part of this small church in Tennessee our faith has been strengthened far beyond what we ever imagined. All we can say is, “Thank You, Lord, for this sacred privilege.”
 
“Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev. 22:20, KJV).
 
________________
Larry R. Colburn is a former assistant to the president of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. This article was published May 12, 2011.
 
 

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