Singing His Praise!

PASTOR DON & JAN HARKEY

PRAISE THE LORD FOR FAITHFUL TEACHERS
(A Tribute to Mrs Jan Harkey)

Sunday morning it was raining and we came into the back entrance of the Cambria Baptist Church, of Cambria MI.(this is the church we joined when Ken retired) which takes us through the secretary’s office and then through the small chapel where the children’s church meets each Sunday.

I can not express the joy and praise that filled my heart as we came into the chapel door and I saw, Jan Harkey, the pastor’s wife, working hard writing an outline on the white board, and very obviously well prepared for the task of ministering to the Childrens’ Church (over 35  we found out later). She has many faithful helpers, too.

This lady of God, is a precious example of unselfish faithfulness to the ministry that she has been called. She has the dedication to study and prepare visual aids, and everything else that goes into a ministry like this. I don’t know how many years she has been at it, but certainly a long time. A few weeks ago the youth pastor, Jeremy Harrington, who grew up in the church and attended those children’s church sessions, mentioned how much he learned from “Marm Harkey” in Children’s Church.

What a joy it is to me as one who has taught for many years myself and used some of the same materials as Jan Harkey is using, [CEF, Footsteps of Faith, The Life of Christ, Betty Lukens.] I divided mine up with my daughters and grand-daughters a few years ago when I wasn’t able to use them any longer and I didn’t want them to go to waste.  I am aware of the dedication and preparation that is required to be able to present these materials faithfully year after year.

I am so thankful for those faithful teachers every Sunday who truly dedicate themselves to teaching the Word and putting the time and preparation that is necessary to truly present the Gospel, bathe those students in prayer and live a fine Christian life before them.

Also, the follow-up that goes into that type of ministry is important too.  A little note here and there, and all the prayers for those students God has entrusted to you.

A few weeks ago our son Ken preached a message:

07/27/2008 11:00 AM    The Eternal Weight of Glory    Ken Pierpont     Series: Beating Burnout
2 Corinthians 4:16-18, with a challenge to Christian to step up and be faithful.

I encourage you to go to this sight and listen to this message if you are a teacher or someone who should be.

http://www.evangelbaptist.com/podcast.aspx

As a young person, I also had some wonderful teachers, my pastor’s wife Mary Robbins,  I learn so very much from her about Christian living, and Shirley Summers who took our class to her home once a month for the quarter, to build a replica of the tabernacle and all it’s appointments. We even make the curtains by weaving the colors into fabric and carved the furnishings, etc. from balsa wood. The time she invested was a tremendous help to me, as a young Jr. High student, to understand the Scriptures.

Please consider now,…  is God calling you to the ministry of teaching?

Even though we are retired from the Pastorate per-say we are by no means retired from full time Christian service as God gives us the strength.  The desire is still there and God helping us, that is what we want to do.

II Timothy 2:15
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of God.”

Isaiah 28:9-10 (King James Version)
King James Version (KJV)

9.  Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.

10.  For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:

Saturday we had the precious privilege of going to Fort Wayne, IN. to celebrate the life and home going of my Aunt Wilma.

At the memorial service her Pastor told about a piece of notebook paper that Aunt Wilma had shared with him.  It was a list of Scripture verses that my grandmother ( a single mom from the time my daddy was nine) made up for him and his little sister, Wilma, to memorize while doing the dishes.

PRAISE THE LORD FOR THE HERITAGE WE HAVE.

My paternal grandmother was a precious Christian woman named, Grace, who loved the Lord and raised her two children faithfully for her Savior.  She worked at The Clark Equipment Company in Buchanan, MI. until her retirement.

When I was a teenager grandma bought a twelve base accordion and seeing my love for music and musical instruments she selflessly loaned it to me to use as long as I needed it. When I got married I returned it to her and she used it at Sunday school class parties and picnics.

Aunt Wilma was my mentor and faithful Christian example from the time I was a young girl, though we were never close geographically. I always looked forward to seeing her at Christmas, Thanksgiving and other special occasions and through correspondence.

Aunt Wilma served faithfully with Uncle Leland in the ministry for over forty years. They had two children Jerry and Kay.

Kay was diagnosed with lung cancer and within the year went to be with the Lord when she was in her mid-thirties leaving her husband and four children. She gave a precious testimony with her memorial service that she had prepared herself, including honorary pallbearers made up of the church youth group led by her and her husband.

Jerry became a pastor, ministered in several churches and later served as the President of Great Lakes Christian College from 1994-99. you might like to follow this link to listen to a message he preached at a 2008 commencement service.

http://www.glcc.edu/main/jerrypaulcommencement.mp3

Aunt Wilma was a choir leader, pianist, teacher, and loved her Heavenly Father and served Him faithfully.

One time not too many years ago while visiting Aunt Wilma and Uncle Leland at Golden Years Homestead in Fort Wayne they shared with my husband and me that the preacher had married them from his sick bed. One would think that from such an unorthodox beginning it might not last, but it lasted over seventy years.  Obviously the preparation and wedding is not near as important as the quality of the marriage.

When we arrived that day to visit them we went to there apartment to find Uncle Leland alone and he said she is out for a walk.  Sure enough when we got the the entrance door of the lobby, there she came, strolling along the sidewalk, elegantly dressed in a hot pink pant suit like Miss American on the runway.

At the funeral her pastor hit the nail on the head when he stated that Aunt Wilma was a “classy lady”.

Father, Thank you so much for the legacy you have given us.

Help me Father to follow the Savior in such a way to bring glory and honor to Your Name.

In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray,

Amen

Please read this portion in the Word of God

Deuteronomy 6:5-9

Ecclesiastes 9:10 “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.” KJV

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom. NIV

This is a verse that I have kept over my sewing machine or work place for many years to remind myself of the importance of doing my very best in whatever I do. Whether it be a job or making a gift for a friend or family, in my work place, as a wife and mother, a pastor’s wife or teacher.

A dear niece noticed my typed note to myself several years ago and sweetly cross-stitched a beautiful plague for me in lavender with a pretty blue flower and lavender ruffle.

Whenever I went to a new job or moved I would take that little plague and put it up over my work area.

When I make a mistake in my crocheting that perhaps only I would even know isn’t right, I feel compelled to pull out my work and make it right.

I crocheted a beautiful apricot tablecloth with a pineapple design and several years after I made it I was sitting at the table and I noticed a place where I had skipped a cluster stitch. No, I did not take it apart and fix it, it is still a beautiful table cloth and it is still very useful, but it has been twelve years or more since I made it and it still pops out at me.

I think of the time when I was making a bride’s maid’s dress and the iron spit water on the peau de soie (a lovely matte satin fabric which Is very unforgiving). Needless to say I had to go shopping to replace the section that was damaged.

One day while decorating for a Christmas program I was carrying some boxes and I entered the building in the dark (the light switches were at the other end of the sanctuary) and someone had moved the platform furniture into the area where I usually walked freely and holding the boxes high, I suddenly crashed into the pulpit. Now though the hand is healed, I have a scar to remind me of that occasion.

I often think back over my life as a Christian and think of things which I wish I had done differently, or that I had been a better servant of Christ, a better wife, parent, or friend.

This reminds me of the “Wonderful Grace of Jesus” and the blessed fact, that as born again Christians who have put their trust in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, we are assured of His forgiveness.

I John 1:9 “If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Read this precious portion for the Word of God…..

In the last year my dear husband and I had the trauma and adventure of moving and scaling down our belongings from an eight room to a five room house.

Yes, when we were young and first started out in the ministry I loved the “Adventures in Moving” including the U-Haul truck or trailer, seeing how the Lord provided little things for us like reaching into the curtain boxes and finding just the right type and color of curtains for the right number of windows in each room. The joy of meeting new friends in Christ and new avenues of ministry. Yet, missing the ministry and friend of the previous work

This Sunday with tears we shared with our people here that we believe it has come time for us to retire and move to a small retirement village in Michigan, not to far from our previous ministry at Jonesville, where we believe the Lord has opened up a place.
The people were so sweet and understanding and encouraging.

Ken will be a key person on the night shift in exchange for our housing in a very nice small apartment. It has recently been completely redecorated with all new appliances. It is just across the street from one of our sweet ladies that Ken and I have called on, who attended the Jonesville church until she became house bound. She is the person who referred us to the job there at the Friendship Village in Litchfield, MI.

At this stage in our life now, this is definitely not what we would call “Adventures in Moving” even though we are still using the tried and true biggest white truck they have.
I just pray that we can get all of our saved treasures tucked into our little place.

Now we are at it again and this time it is a different step in our lives. Scaling down again and parting with dear treasures gained in fifty years of ministry. The treasures consist of four file cabinets of sermon materials, pamphlets and articles in his “Memory-O-Matic” file system (before the computer age). for Ken and two files of music, teaching materials, flannel-graph materials and a five drawer “Simplicity” file of crafts and cassette accompaniment tapes and two three drawer “McCall’s files of yarn and sewing supplies (used in my sewing business) complete with an upholstered board on top for a cutting table, and five sewing machines. Between the two of us Ken and I have seven bookcases with approximately 1,500 books.

I donated my two commercial sewing machine prior to our last move to the Wycliffe Bible translators in Florida where Ken’s brother Bill and his wife, Billie ministered for the past few years)

Today both of us went through our closets and tried to be realistic and parted with a lot of clothes which in the past we felt we could not do with out.

Several times I would take an item and put in in the trash, take it out, put it in the pile for a charitable organization, take it out again. One such item was a sweet little plaque that the pastor’s grandson had given me at the Christian school where we taught, with eight adorable baby kittens in decoupage on a little piece of wood. That little boy grew to be a teenager and was struck and killed by a truck while mowing the lawn. I have treasured that little plague for years and of course there are many more things just like that, so hard to let go.

But, our greatest treasures we do not have to let go. The wonderful memories of our ministry and the dear friends we have from Oklahoma, Kansas, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana to Michigan.

In all of our years of ministry there has never been a time when we have been without.

Psalm 37:25
I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.

Our precious Lord has met our every need and many of our wants. There is not enough ink to write all the wonderful joys and heartaches of the ministry, the strength that the Lord gives through hardship and trials, the wonderful joy of leading someone to the saving knowledge of Christ as Savior and seeing the Saints grow in grace and knowledge of their faith.

My prayer today is, as we are trying to accept our limitations of increasing age and decreasing health that we will have a sweet spirit of love for one another and those to whom the Lord allows us to minister in our everyday lives. That we will not use that weakness as an excuse to become bitter or lax in our total commitment to You and that we will honor You in all that we do.

Amen

Our eldest son, Ken, let us borrow his four beautiful daughters and his sweet wife this week-end.

My, what a blessing it was. I am sure that Lois will have some nice pictures of our services this past week.

THE PIERPONT SINGERS started out their tour to Kentucky here at our little church in Portersville.

We and all the folk here were truly blessed by their singing and sweet testimonies.

Thank you, girls.

I even had the honor of singing with them on “WITHOUT HIM”.

We are praying for you gals as you travel and minister.

In the morning service I was truly overwhelmed with the joy of seeing oaur dear grand=daughters giving such a sweet witness for their Saviour. Each one gave a testimony of her salvation and how much the love Jesus.

• TO KNOW THE JOY OF HAVING ALL OF YOUR CHILDREN TRUST CHRIST AS THEIR SAVIOUR AT AN EARLY AGE.

MELONY JANE (PIERPONT) EVANS SALVATION 8-29-60 WHILE HEARING ME WITNESS TO A NEIGHBOR BAPTIZED WAYLAND FIRST BAPTIST, WAYLAND, MI 1-26-1964

KENNETH LEE PIERPONT SALVATION 5-31-1963, DURING FAMILY DEVOTIONS WITH DAD WHILE MOM WAS AT WORK BAPTIZED 12-25-66, HI WAY BY-WAY BAPTIST CHURCH, NEAR MIDLAND, MI.

KEVIN ALAN PIERPONT SALVATION DURING DEVOTIONS WITH MOM, 4-25-1970 BAPTISZED 3-17-1974 BY BLESSED HOPE BAPTIST, DAYTON , OH

NATHAN SHIPLEY PIERPONT SALVATION 7-28-1972 DURING DEVOTIONS WITH MOM BAPTIZED BY HIS BROTHER WHILE PASTORING PLEASANT RIDGE CHURCH OHIO 6-5-1977

• TO KNOW THAT THEY ARE FAITHFULLY SERVING THE LORD IN THEIR VARIOUS MINISTRIES AND DESIROUS OF RAISING THEIR CHILDREN TO HONOR THE LORD WITH THERE LIVES.MELONY AND HUSBAND JIM (PASTOR)- GRACE BAPTIST CHURCH, OTT0WA, IL
  KENNETH (SR. PASTOR) AND WIFE LOIS(HATTON) PIERPONT- EVANGEL
  BAPTIST, TAYLOR, MIKEVIN (PASTOR) AND WIFE CAROLYN (WORTH) PIERPONT - HIGGINS LAKE
  BAPTIST, ROSCOMMON, MI

  NATHAN (MINISTER OF MUSIC) AND WIFE JENNIFER (GIEHL) PIERPONT,
  NORTHEASTERN BAPTIST, KALAMAZOO, MI

  TO BE SO BLESSED WITH THIRTY-ONE GRANDCHILDREN PLUS ONE ON THE WAY IN DEC. AND NINE GREAT GRANDCHILDREN. WHO CALL US ON THE PHONE TO LET US KNOW THAT THEY HAVE RECEIVED CHRIST AS THEIR SAVIOUR. TWO OF THEM ARE YOUTH PASTORS AND TWO IN TRAINING FOR MISSIONS WORK, ONE SERVING FAITHFULLY WITH HER HUSBAND IN THEIR LOCAL CHURCH AND THREE BEGINNING A MINISTRY OF SINGING GOD’S PRAISE, AND MANY YOUNG ONES WHO LOVE YOU AND SERVE YOU IN THEIR YOUTH.

  TO ME THIS IS THE GREATEST MOTHER’S DAY GIFT ANY OTHER COULD EVER ASK FOR. IT IS MY GREATEST DESIRE THAT ALL OF MY DESCENDANTS COME TO KNOW CHRIST PERSONALLY, HAVE A GREAT DESIRE TO HONOR THE LORD WITH THEIR LIVES AND LIVE FAITHFULLY FOR HIM (NOT NECESSARILY AS PASTOR OR MISSIONARY) BUT WHERE EVER AND WHATEVER THE LORD WANTS FOR THEM WHICH OF COURSE WOULD MEAN FAITHFULNESS TO HIM IN EVERY AREA OF THEIR LIVES.

  I PRAY THAT I WILL BE THE KIND OF EXAMPLE AND WHEN I FAIL THAT THEY WILL KNOW THAT MY GREATEST DESIRE IS TO HONOR MY SAVIOUR WHO HAS BEEN MY HELP AND STRENGTH.

“THANK YOU, JESUS, FOR ALL YOU’VE DONE”

Yesterday, as we were doing our weekly Monday morning grocery shopping we decided to look for a little yard decor, that would fit into our budget, for our little parsonage in the country of southern OHIO.

Ken picked up a couple of small fur trees that promise to grow to about 7 foot maximum.

As we were heading for the check out, a beautiful, familiar, lavender flower caught my eye and, (to quote my dear daughter-in-law, Lois who has a wonderful eye for floral beauty) “I just fell in love with it.”

Read the rest of this entry »

A few weeks ago I made the comment in the class that God wanted Solomon’s complete surrender and obedience and willingness to obey HIM and follow HIS instructions with a right heart attitude. (II Chronicles 28:9 ….serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind.”

Vs. 20 “and David said to Solomon his son, be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the Lord God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou has finished all the work for the service of the louse of the Lord.”

Isn’t that what He wants from each of us as His children

Last night while I was talking with one of my grand-daughters on a chat over the internet, we began to discuss something that could be done in fun on the internet and I mentioned to her that possibility that though it was funny and fun to do, that I felt it might be something that could be used in a wrong way and be deceptive.

What came next was a joy to me

She responded that she appreciated the fact that I had pointed it out to her and she thanked me for helping her to do right. When I mentioned that the Lord would bless her for her sweet spirit in her response, she said that I had been an encouragement to her

To me the reverse was true. She had been an encouragement to me in her response of respect and honor, to my suggestion, even if she might have felt differently than I, she listened with respect and thanked me for my opinion.

Earlier that day I had chatted with another grand-daughter and she had shared with me how very much she wants the “perfect will” of God in her life with relation to her life’s choice for a husband.

Moms, isn’t this exciting to you. What a joy this is to me. What a Godly spirit. What a joy to know that there are some young people who want to do right and are willing to listen to advise with respect, from their parents and even yheir grandparents .

This attitude is what God wants, not just in young people making small and big decisions in their lives, but He wants this for each of us too.

Have you totally surrendered your will to Christ. God wants of us as He asked of Solomon. Here are my instructions Follow them in obedience, with a right heart attitude. You will be blessed.

1. Here are my instructions
2. Follow them in obedience, with a right heart attitude.
3. You will be blessed.