"For everything there is an appointed time," says the Bible. So, one discovers that there comes a time to retire, to end the services as an active minister and join that enlarging segment of society called senior citizens.

The Bible does not discuss this modern day phenomenon, but the church and denomination remind a pastor from the beginning of his ministry that he must prepare for that eventuality. So the churches feel, as does industry, that at a certain age one must relinquish the responsibilities and let someone younger assume the challenge. When one is healthy and active it is difficult to believe that such a time has arrived, but when you observe diminishing results from your labours, you feel the urge to say, "my time has come to retire."

I reflect, as I face the last few months of ministry, on the joys and satisfactions of serving Christ and his church. What a joy to be able to share in happy experiences such as weddings and baptisms. What satisfaction is felt to be able to minister to families and individuals in time of sorrow, hospitalization or various problems. Only a preacher knows the thrill each week of being led to a portion of Scripture by the Holy Spirit and then discover in study and meditation all the spiritual meanings and applications that the Lord has desired to reveal from these texts. At times one has to say, "Lord, that's all I can use in one sermon, I must now put these thoughts into writing." The Scriptures are inexhaustible.

The ministry is not without its disappointments and frustrations. Fortunately the Lord calls us to be faithful, not necessarily successful. It is heartbreaking to see some to whom you minister with all your heart fall away and become inactive. Within the church a pastor often asks, "where is the spiritual hunger?" People are satisfied with so little. A pastor ministers by instructing those who plan to make confession of faith, but in some new members he see so little change, change such as the "new birth" promises. And, some who have been members of the church so long seem not to grow, they just remain in the same rut year after year. The pastor sees a lack of concern for the unchurched and unsaved and wonders why the saints can be so silent.

My ministry began with my first summer student assignment which was to Monarch, Alberta. The warm people treated me with such kindness. Because the war in 1944 made gasoline scarce my visiting there was done on horseback I have served churches in New York, Ohio, three in Michigan and now back in Canada. It is amazing how different churches under the umbrella of one denomination can be. For example, my big city church in Cleveland, Ohio had sixteen denominations represented and only three Dutch families. Because of the Roman Catholic background of a good percentage of that congregation, great emphasis was placed on Lent with special mid-week services that always began with a meal. Easter Sunday, as well as Christmas Eve, found the church packed to overflowing. Our first church, Clymer Hill, N.Y. was in a village where dancing was not allowed in the public schools and where no alcohol was available. In that church there was no Christmas Eve or Christmas day service. In our second church, Montague, Mich., there was a lovely custom that really made the church grow. No stranger could be there more than twice without being invited to someone's home for coffee and fellowship after the evening church. What a blessing this was. All churches have their own distinct traditions to which a pastor and his family must learn and adjust.

Future plans are still in formation. I plan to be available to the Lord's leading. Often my wife and I have heard people say when they get older, "rve done my part." We do not want to be guilty of that. Volunteer work in the community is an option. Already some area churches have asked me if I can do substitute preaching. I may possibly do some visiting at senior citizen homes since many people are lonely. A new policy in the Reformed Church under consideration is to have an interim pastor in every vacant church. This may prove an interesting option for me also.