Saturday, June 29, 2013

Retirement




When is a good time to retire? I have been thinking about that question a lot as I approach that time in my life. In fact I have already gone two years beyond possible retirement age. Depending upon your vocation you may be able to retire at 55, or if your age plus years of service adds up to 85 or 95 you may be eligible for retirement. Maybe your field of employment says that when you reach 65 you can retire. In ministry we can go to age 70 at which time we must retire. My wife tells me that I will never retire! I respond by saying, “No, that’s not true but I have to be ready for retirement.”

So, how will I know when I am ready? One of the big concerns that I must deal with is affordability. Can I afford financially to retire? Do I own my own house or is my bank still a partner? One bill I don’t need when I retire is a mortgage payment. Early in my ministry I made the decision to purchase my own house rather than living in a church manse. I have met ministers who have lived in manses all their life and suddenly when faced with retirement they discovered that they had no place to call their own. Jill and I purchased our first house while we were living in Calgary Alberta. I remember my oldest brother saying to me; “John whenever you buy a house always try to “buy up” never down.” The reason for this is quite simple. When you come to the end of your working days will own a nice place in which to live not something that is just adequate. Since Calgary Jill and I have bought houses in Barrie Ontario and in St. Marys. We were very fortunate or as they say here in Bermuda we “were blessed” in that we were able to sell each house for a profit and used the profit towards a down payment on our next house. Last year we bought a house just north of Orlando in Florida. We believe that this house will be our retirement home. Is it completely paid for? No! But it will be in just two years! So, number ONE when I retire I will own my house not the bank and I just me.

The number two question is can I still afford retirement even though I own my own house. A strange thing about retirement years is that the bills keep coming in. The government still charges you taxes. Oil/gas companies still charge you to fill up your car. Don’t forget that you still have to eat and groceries are not cheaper just because you are a senior. I remember reading some time ago an article that stated; “When you retire you should own your own home and your income should be at least 75% of your present income. Another brother told me (families are pearls of wisdom) that the only thing you don’t have to worry about paying once you retire is saving for retirement! For the past few years I have been busy calculating what my income will be once I retire. I am very very close at present if not over 75% of my present income. I am fortunate that through savings plus my church pension we will be OK. My financial security is based on my personal resources alone not my wife’s. In other words what I am saying is that we could safely retire on my income and my savings. Jill’s income and savings will be a big bonus for us. I couldn’t be as confident about my personal savings if it hadn’t been for her faithful support over the years. Thanks Jill.

So, I own my own house, I am financially secure but am I ready to retire? Maybe yes maybe no. I say maybe because the third biggest question I must ask myself is whether or not emotionally and or psychologically I am ready for retirement. What am I going to do when I retire? Sure there is that “honey-do” list of things just waiting for me and yes I will want to take an extra long vacation but what happens then? To-do lists and vacations will not last forever. Wives are often hasseled by husbands who simply don’t know what to do after they have washed the car and cut the grass. I once had an elder friend who when he retired still left the house at the same time every day. He went to the local coffee shop where he met all of his retired buddies and together they solved the problems of the world. Following the coffee shop he moved on to the library where he read the daily newspaper. By the time he finished at the library it was time to go home for lunch and then take a look at that honey-do list!

So what are my plans? How will I spend my retirement time? For starters I do have my hobbies like gardening, metal detecting, my radio ministry, reading and of course there is always my computer. However, these things will not keep me going for ever and so I have a secret plan up my sleeve! What is the secret? I don’t plan to retire! Let me rephrase that by saying; “I don’t plan to retire completely.” As long as the good Lord gives me the health and the capability I would like to do a little Sunday preaching to help fill some of those vacant pulpits and maybe even a little part time ministry. Perhaps, if there is a church out there who can’t afford a full time minister we can get together and work something out? The only thing I ask for is retirement from administrative work but preaching and visitation that’s OK!

Blessings to all you understanding souls!

John Fraser



Sunday, June 16, 2013

One Mountain Many Paths?




During one of the earliest Assemblies that I recall attending as a Commissioner shortly following my ordination a visitor from another faith was introduced to the Court. I take it that this has been a matter of courtesy for some time. Shortly after saying how nice it was to be with us he then went on to say; “You know that we are all travelling up the same mountain we are just taking different paths.” A strong hissing sound could be heard coming from the commissionaires indicating their disapproval over what he had said. I thought to myself, “We are not travelling up the same mountain but he was correct when he said that we are on different paths.”

How am I called upon to respond to people of other faiths? The subject came up again in 2001 when I was interviewed by the Board of World Missions of the Church of Scotland. The Board was considering sending me to one of their Mission Churches in the Bahamas. I recall one of their questions going something like this; “In the Bahamas you will find people of several different faiths. How will you respond to these other faiths?” Twelve years later I can still recall almost word for word my reply to their question. “I respect people of other faiths. I will not use a baseball bat in an attempt to make them believe. But, I will not back down nor will I compromise my own faith simply to be accepting of them.” There were many other questions as well but the long and short of it was that I did get the appointment!

What may be my last Assembly as I near retirement years took place this past June at Seneca College in Toronto. Interestingly enough the question of responding to other faiths came up once again. A gentleman of the Hindu faith was welcomed to the Court and asked to bring greetings. He may have started out on a positive note but it was downhill from there on. As I listened to him I said to myself he is mocking my faith and desperately abusing his invitation to bring greetings. I heard him say that Hindus worship all things created believing that their god is in all things. “We don’t worship God as creator because we believe God is creation.” He then went on to say such things as; “You insult me and you are not accepting of me when you think you have to convert me.” But the most offensive thing which he said and he said it in comical tones was; “If you believe that you can only get into heaven through Jesus Christ then tell me where do those people reside who lived on this earth before Christ?” Now, he wasn’t only insulting my faith but he was insulting the very God whom I have faith in.

During the next day and a half I talked with many other commissionaires and they all shared similar thoughts. They couldn’t believe what they heard this man say. I even spoke with our moderator who told me that he also was very concerned. Sunday evening as I sat in my room I wrestled with myself or perhaps I should say with God! Something had to be said about our guest’s comments. Perhaps someone else will speak. I don’t want to be the one Lord. I do not want to suffer the scorn of Assembly for speaking out on this issue. Maybe we should just forget it and it will all go away. There was no booming voice and there was no handwriting on the wall there was just that little voice within me that said; “you must say something.” I didn’t want to address the Court off cuff so I texted the following words on the notepad of my phone.



Moderator, I was offended that we gave our Hindu guest a platform that he used to mock our faith and our Savior Jesus Christ.

We do not worship the same God as they do. We worship the God of creation not creation itself.

We worship the Triune God made known through Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Our God calls us to make disciples which to him is an insult.

We believe that God calls his children through Christ from the foundation of the world. Our guest made a joke of that when he said that if we believe that people get to heaven through Christ then what about those who lived before Him.

We were mocked and we responded with applause and gifts. I am very concerned.



I immediately took my seat and waited for the hissing that would be directed towards me. I was more than surprised when instead of hissing I heard what has given me greater confidence in my denomination and that was applause. You see the clapping was not for me but was an affirmation of what I had simply put into words.

After the Assembly was closed officially by the moderator a woman seated at the table ahead of me turned and asked; “Were you the one who just spoke on the matter of our Hindu guest?” I responded that I was and prepared for the rebuke. She replied; “I am so glad that you spoke because what you said is exactly what I believe.” She went on to say; “I awoke in the middle of the night and I was sick I couldn’t sleep because of what that man said; thank you for saying what you did.” I had several people speak to me many of whom I had not met before saying that they fully agreed with what I had said and thanked me for speaking where others were reluctant. Those who perhaps disagreed with my comments simply did not speak with me at all. Silence can be another form of hissing!

My concern over all of this is not just that we allowed a person of another faith to address our Assembly in the manner that he did but even more importantly that many within our church may believe as he did that there is no real difference between our faiths. Are we simply going up the same mountain by a different path? I don’t believe that for a moment and I thank God that He gave me the courage and conviction to address the Assembly. I also thank the Lord that many others at Assembly hold to the same conviction. So what do we do? Where do we go? Do we continue to invite people from other faiths to address our Courts? I believe that needs to be looked at seriously. Invite people of other denominations perhaps but if we invite people of other faiths there needs to be restrictions placed on what they can say. If we had gone into a Hindu temple and addressed worshippers there in the same way that our guest addressed our Assembly we would have been ushered out quickly and never invited back again.

The more important question is not whether we invite other faiths to address our Assembly but the more important question is whether we, who proclaim ourselves to be Christians, believe Jesus Christ is the only means unto salvation. We need to affirm again and again and again the words of our Lord in John 14:5-6.



Thomas said to Him, Lord, we know not where You go; and how can we know the way? Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes to the Father, but by Me.”