Previous Deacons
Jim
(1999 - 2004)
I was born in Scotland of parents who attended the Church of Scotland. However, on moving south when I was very young, we linked up with a congregational church. As a teenager, I heard about the local Baptist church when we moved to Erith, in Kent. I went there with my brother and it was there I received my grounding in the Christian faith under the Rev. J. J. Brown, and also where I learnt the importance of adult baptism.
I was baptised and became a member of the church at Erith and there I met Rosemary who became my wife. We have one daughter, Heather, who is married with two children (one of each). It was our delight to see Heather baptised by total immersion at the Anglican Church she now attends in another part of Kent.
We have joined up with Whitstable Baptist Church, Middle Wall, comparatively recently; we were drawn by the warm welcome we received. I am in my first term as a Deacon here but have served on the Diaconate of two other churches as we have moved round the country. Amongst other duties I help look after the fabric of the church.
I am a retired pharmacist, or at least semi-retired, as I still do the odd day of locum cover. My career has been in two almost equal parts. I started off in manufacturing before Rosemary and I bought our own Community Pharmacy (Retail Chemist in old money!) in which we very much enjoyed the human contact and the feeling of being helpful.
Looking back, we can see quite clearly the guidance of God in our lives. Sometimes we have been impatient because things aren’t happening as quickly as we wanted. However, Rosemary came across the following which has been a great help to us - so much so that we had it framed and it now stands in our lounge as a constant reminder.
“If God’s way for you at this time is not what you would have chosen for yourself, hold on faithfully, you will (not may, but will) have cause to praise Him.”Jim