This past weekend we traveled to Connecticut to help the good folks at River Valley Baptist Church in Ansonia, Connecticut celebrate the 25th anniversary of their church. God used us to plant this new work in October of 1987, and after pastoring the work for 18 years, I turned over the reins to Pastor Chris Camp, my able associate of many years. Pastor Camp and the church people put on a wonderful anniversary dinner on Saturday evening, with delicious food made by the church's hospitality committee. The choir sang, and there was special music. Dr. Barry Brown, now the associate pastor at Central Baptist Church in Southington, CT and part of the staff of New England Baptist College, but in 1987 the pastor of White Oak Baptist Church in Stratford, was the special speaker for the evening. It was under Dr. Brown's ministry that I was called to preach, and through his leadership and direction, we were sent to Ansonia to begin the new work. He challenged the church from 1 Corinthians 15:58 to remain steadfast to the task God had called them. He and I received special gifts from the church as tokens of their appreciation, and after the dinner it was time for pictures that will be tokens of remembrance of a wonderful event in the life of the church.On Sunday, I was privileged to teach the adult Sunday school class and preach both the morning and evening services. It felt good to once again stand in the pulpit before our friends of many years. It was also good to see new faces of those whose lives have been touched by the continued ministry of the church. River Valley will always hold a special place in our hearts as we recall the miracles God performed in the lives of so many over the years. It was difficult to finally go home after the Sunday evening service after emotional "good-byes" were said. Our prayer is that God will continue to bless Pastor Camp and the congregation of River Valley as they continue to remain faithful to God and their calling upon their lives.
Pastor Norm Aabye
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