A CBOQ Retiree Newsletter
December 2017
ENTERTAINING ANGELS By Rev. Karen Lowe Clergy Care Associate, CBOQ
Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. Hebrews 13:2 I have enjoyed my first year as the Clergy Care Associate with CBOQ. One of the highlights was getting to share a meal with many of you at the Over 40 Luncheon at assembly. I found myself at a table with a group of “retired” pastors mostly from Peterborough. (Most pastors gathered around the table were still involved in interim ministry in various churches.) I wonder as I look forward, do pastors ever really retire or do we continue to find places to minister and live out our call both formally and informally for the rest of our lives? As we enjoyed our food, all of us started to introduce ourselves and learn about where we were currently ministering and where we had ministered in the past. As these conversations progressed, a beautiful
connection was discovered between two of the parties at the table. Rev. Philip and Rev. Ruth Brown were seated next to Rev. Diné René Lóta. Diné is the current pastor of the Portuguese Language Ministries of Central Baptist Church, Oakville—a ministry for which Philip and Ruth started sowing seeds in Oakville many years earlier. Philip explains the oblique contribution he and Ruth made: In the Fall of 1968 Ruth and I accepted a call to the Binbrook Baptist Church. As well, I began fulltime studies at McMaster University and Divinity College until 1973. While at University I met Elizabeth Allaby (now Demaray) who was also studying at McMaster. Elizabeth had been
baptist.ca
a volunteer in Bolivia and was now working for Baptist Women in the Toronto Office. We talked about our overseas experiences. Ruth and I had been missionaries in Brazil for four years and Elizabeth in Bolivia. At this time, Rev. Dr. Archie Goldie served as Secretary of Home Missions for CBOQ. He was interested in seeing the viability of starting a Portuguese ministry in Toronto and surrounding area. He spoke to Elizabeth who then spoke to me to see if we could be part of this new beginning. The decision was made to hold a Portuguese speaking service in the Olivet Baptist Church, Toronto. Rev. Horace Estabrooks and his wife Esther were pastoring there at the time, around 1971.