An open letter to Richmond Gospel Fellowship

Dear friends and family, at RGF;
We are reminded of the writer of Ecclesiastes who wrote "There is a time for everything under the sun, ... A time to be born and a time to die."
It is with an honest sense of joy and excitement that we anticipate a birth, but sorrow and grief accompany a time of death. We were sorry and grieved to hear of your closing.
We are honored to have been your first Pastoral Couple. We learned much from you, even as we sought to teach and grow with you, and we have many fond memories of our time with you.
Who could forget;
...Richard dressed up as a girl, in the mall hunt?
...Robyn teaching us how to line dance?
...Our Christmas in July party.
...Our indoor beach party in the Dyck's basement, in February!
..."Intergenerational Sunday school"
...Church Picnic's at Kings park.
...Sunday School Christmas programs.
...Mme. Proulx
...Playing Basketball in the school gym.
...New Years at Ron and Elaine's
...Our Harvest Carnival at Halloween.
...Bill coming ''back from the dead!"
...Cleaning houses after the "Great Flood!"
...The Sunday we did a Pouring Baptism in the morning at the school, then an immersion Baptism in Morrow Church in the afternoon.
...Just enough money coming in to pay the way for both Lauralea and I to go to London on a ministry trip.
...Thursday night prayers and watching how God would answer.
...Feeding the hungry every week with the food bank.
...Doug's enthusiasm.
...How we visioned and prayed in 1992 that by September 1998 we wanted to be in a more permanent home. Only to forget that prayer and vision till September 1998 when we moved into the old old Mr. Steak building!!
...Prayer walking in the Community.
...The Sunday morning we actually reached a hundred people in attendance!
...Worship practice nights.
...Introducing ourselves to that new guy not realizing that it was Allan who had shaved off his beard!
Lauralea and I want to thank you for your investment in us. I (Randy) was always amazed that you would take a chance on a 25 year old like you did! I confess that my goal that first year, was to not totally screw things up!!
Richmond Gospel Fellowship was where we learned to be a pastor couple. It was the place we matured personally and ministerially. A place where God had the time to create solid foundations in our lives, even going in deep to remove some old tired, dead stuff.
It was Mme. Proulx, filled with cancer, who asked us as church elders to come and pray over her believing that Scripture said she would be made well. We did come and pray for her, waiting on the Lord with her for a hopeful answer. But as she lay for months on her death bed, I began a two year search for the God of the Scriptures who had promised to empower me as a Christian and as a pastor.
Then on a cold February morning, as I was in prayer in my bedroom, how He entered the room, and I experienced things I never had before, saw things I'd never seen before, and I have not been the same since.
Or that ministry trip to the London Mennonite Church, which sealed my calling. As we left for London, I purposely left my "Pastor's Hat" at home in Winnipeg. When we arrived, many people were unaware that I was a pastor. Yet, strangely (to me at least) they began to respond to me as though I was a pastor. What they were responding to was the calling and gifting on my life. I was undone, because for years I had fought being a pastor.
London will forever hold a warm place in my life and calling. It was the first place I truly felt an anointing and calling from God, to spend my life doing this work. I am grateful that God used you to make that clear to me, through a church in another country.
As you walk through these next days, let me encourage you to remember the good and blessed things that God has done through you. God used RGF to feed the hungry, to heal the sick, to love the broken. Remember the changed lives, the babies fed, the sick made well again, the lost who found Jesus.
And remember this grateful brother and sister/son and daughter whose thoughts and prayers are with you these days. We will forever appreciate the gifts you gave us.
Thank you.
Pastor Randall and Lauralea