JEFF'S RETIREMENT (and mine too! 😍)
August 18, 2019
I used a "countdown" app on my Ipad for the past year.....there were times when it seemed it would never arrive at "0" but it finally did!! 💓🙌💓
But the closer the time came, the more bittersweet it was! 😥😥
Retirement comes after ten years as the Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church, Galena, Kansas and 45 years of full time ministry!
Rachel drove up from Little Rock, AR to be with us on our last Sunday (thank you, Rachel Ann!)
Rachel took pictures for me that day!
Jeff preaching his final sermon on Sunday morning as Pastor to a full house!
The title of his sermon was, "I Want to Finish Well" from Judges 14:6-14
That afternoon, Bev (who had spent the week in Arkansas) drove Mom up for the Farewell Service that evening. Thanks, Bev!
Our Farewell Service - Sunday Evening, August 18th at 6 P.M.
Leigh Ryan introduced the program....someone spoke from the various ministries in our church and then gave us a numbered gift to hold until after everyone had spoken.
Jenae Polok presented us with a huge scrapbook album filled with cards, notes, poems, etc. Such sweet words from so many....not only from our FBC family but also from relatives and fellow believers in our sister churches. We received many more cards, notes and gifts during the day and after the service that I need to add to the book. Thank you to everyone who contributed to that 💖💖
The Scrapbook
Inside front cover
A sampling of the pages...
Clara Wassom read a pretty poem she wrote for us 💕💕
The poem--Thank you, Clara!
Steve Hall spoke on behalf of the Deacons
Pat Patterson spoke on behalf of the Ushers
Mike Gibson spoke on behalf of the Finance Team
Becky Polok spoke on behalf of the Nursing Home/Shut-in Ministry
Troy Wade spoke for the Worship Team
Jaime Boyes spoke on behalf of the Missions Team
Aaron Polok spoke on behalf of the Student Ministry
Jerry Derfelt spoke on behalf of the Education Dept.
Amber Spencer spoke on behalf of the Women's Ministry
Leigh shared the staff/office relationship 😍
Fred Lane is one of the 3 men to surrender to the ministry during our tenure and he spoke on behalf of these 3: Fred, Garrett Hall and Josh Thompson
And last, but not least, Paul Mooney, Jeff's father in the ministry, spoke on their 47+ year relationship and the initial call of Jeff to come to Galena
A huge thank you to Aaron Polok for the wonderful picture powerpoint of so many precious memories over the 10 years that ran on the screens during the whole evening!! Loved it!
We then began opening the gifts in numbered order.....wasn't real sure where it was leading but when we got near the end, I was beginning to realize it might be a trip....
(I posted what each gift was and the description on Facebook, if you are interested)
WE WERE BLOWN AWAY WHEN THE FINAL GIFT REVEALED A CRUISE TO ALASKA!!! That has been on our dream bucket list for a long time so we could not be more thrilled!!!
Thank you, thank you, thank you, Church Family!!!
💝💝💝💝
Valerie Keyser is our excellent travel agent and will be making all the arrangements. Thanks, Val!
We are planning to go next July. Anticipation is all part of the fun, so we have 10 months to plan, anticipate and be excited!!
It was a full house Sunday night with the majority of our FBC Church Family present, many of our extended family and then a great turnout from our Sister Churches.
The FBC Ladies, once again, outdid themselves with a delicious and abundant meal -- 2 tables full of Jeff's favorite foods: Fried Chicken, Meatloaf, Roast and Spaghetti and Meatballs and all the "fixings" with wonderful desserts as well.
We are sure going to miss all these wonderful cooks!! They are the best!
I wish we would have gotten a better group picture of the "Boore" family who came. But thankful that Rachel got this picture which includes Uncle Marvin and Aunt Judy, Aunt Joan, Greg and Michelle Hardister, Brian, Patti and Josh Boore, Mark and Nancy Boore, Holly Viets, Rachel, Mom and Bev. Also at another table were cousins Janis and Darrell Goedeke and Darren, Beth, Anna, Ella and Cora Goedeke. Thanks so much, family, for coming!
We were sorry that Mary was home sick and we didn't get to say goodbye or get a picture together. We are so thankful for the long friendship and support of Paul and Mary Mooney!
This is a link to my "first" posting about Jeff becoming the Pastor at First Baptist -- and how it was a "full circle" season of life for us -- Jeff began his Christian walk under Bro. Paul and they were able to finish together. Thank you, Jesus!
Donna Langford wrote a sweet poem for us and had it framed:
Thank you, Donna!
Speaking of poems, another dear lady in our church who suffers from serious health problems, wrote us another sweet poem! Thank you, Amy Wagner!
The following pictures are some random shots of us with dear church people. There were more pictures taken, but I haven't seen them, so just posting what was on my phone or that people tagged me in on Facebook. I'm so sorry the line was long and thus we didn't get pictures with so many of you! Will gladly add more if I receive them!
Diane and Troy Wade
Amy Parnell
Austin, Kayleigh, Rachel, Colton and Allison Boyes
Lisa Dairy
Some of the Hall crew: Steve, Jessica and Haley Hall; Judy Hall, Donna Langford and Leigh Ryan
Tyler, Jenna and Kamden Underhill and Tani Montee
And with just the Underhills
Ethan, Lacey, Mason and Oakley Boyes
Austin Boyes family along with Scott and Kellie Boyes and Paige Boyes
Alan and Clara Wassom (Clara has been such a blessing to me in giving me a ton of beautiful clothes, shoes, jackets, etc.!) I'll always be so grateful for you!!
Leigh Ryan and Judy Hall (thank you for always including us in your family and all the delicious meals!! Man, we are missing that already!)
I didn't get a picture with the Shoemaker/French family that night but wanted to add a picture (this one was taken in the Holy Land!). They also were so sweet to include us in their family and feed us many delicious Sunday meals, which we will also greatly miss. A great family and a blessing to know!
This picture was taken a week before....Jon, Misha, Nate and Josh Thompson (Josh had surrendered to the ministry on this night) and Gary and Rayma Wilson. Gary made many beautiful Christmas items for us over the years that we will also cherish (including a replica of the church!) Thank you, Gary!
Also wanted to include some older pictures of our staff since we didn't get that picture Sunday night. We are so thankful for the wonderful group of people that supported Jeff and faithfully served the church together! We love you all!!
Jeff--Senior Pastor; Paul--Pastor Emeritus; Aaron--Associate Pastor/Student Pastor and Leigh--the best Administrative Assistant ever!
Jeff was thrilled that he was able to lead Bill Gipson to the Lord just a couple of weeks earlier!! Bill was involved in a horrible car accident a few months ago and we all feared he would not make it......but God was so gracious to give him a second chance at life and more importantly, eternal life!! Thank you, Lord!
The newspaper, The Joplin Globe, that Jeff has wrote a weekly article for almost 10 years, did a feature story on him, which was so nice.
Here is a link to read that story:
To finish out this posting .... our Kansas State paper, the Baptist Herald was made available on our last Sunday. The Editor/Asst. Editor (Aaron and Becky Polok) was so gracious to put Jeff and I on the cover and then the Editor's wife, Jenae Polok wrote a very sweet (but undeserved) article about us. Thank you, Aaron, Jenae and Becky!
Finishing Well
For the last several weeks we have had to endure statements from the pulpit that evoked awkward emotions. So much so, that at times I had to say to my pastor, “Please quit saying that!” Not to worry though, it wasn’t anything that was not Biblically sound or that he stepped on my toes too much… it was just the fact that he was counting down to his retirement. It didn’t seem quite as bad when it was six months away, but those months and weeks have flown by. We certainly celebrate with him though. We celebrate that he will have much more Papa Jeff time with his grandchildren, he will feast on Rachel’s beautiful sugar cookies a little more often, sneak away to hear his son Andy preach, enjoy Josh’s musical connections…even if it might be rock-n-roll, and even better frolic from vacation spot to vacation spot with his wonderful wife and maybe even rest a little. Over the last year Bro. Jeff’s desire to retire has resonated with a common statement, “I just want to finish well.”
Now let me speak very personally, long ago I watched Bro. Jeff as a leader at church camp when it was in Saginaw, Missouri; when he still had hair, played a mean game of softball, and practically sprinted up that huge church camp hill. I watched as high school students lined that old rock wall and he captured their attention with the Word of God. As his ministry developed, many of us would say “remember when…” Then 10 years ago, First Baptist of Galena, was in search of a pastor. The news that Jeff Swart might consider coming “in-view of a call” and many said, “oh, he would never come back to a small church when he’s pastored mega churches and has made something of himself.” He did indeed return to a small-town church and he was quick to correct our “he’ll never come here” way of thinking…it wasn’t numbers in the congregation or a high paying salary…it was God’s call. Over the last 10 years, it has been very evident that God’s hand was all over his ministry here. I watched as attendance numbers grew, town’s people that we thought would never come to church- well, they came, our church’s vision for missions was reignited and we truly became a church on the move under his leadership. He invested in my husband’s ministry as well, becoming a mentor, a “Father in the Faith,” and one of our dearest friends. His wife, Ms. Debbie, poured abundantly in my life as a pastor’s wife. Teaching me how to create an effective, working prayer journal and modeling what it truly means to be a prayer warrior but above all, being one of my greatest encouragers. I can never thank them enough for pouring into our lives. To say “we love them” is quite an understatement. They invest, they love, they impart biblical wisdom, and they shape lives in a powerful way for the cause of Christ. As their ministry at FBC comes to a close, many in this congregation will attest that they certainly “finished well.”
To Bro. Jeff, we say “You know you have finished well when…”
Around 3,000 souls have been saved under your preaching or personal witness.
You have been faithful to complete evangelism materials which are still being used by missionaries all around the world.
You have diligently fed and built four church plants and nine churches.
Your Mother-in-Law chose to attend your church and listen to you each Sunday.
Over 100,000 readers have responded to your Biblical writings over through the years.
People come from near and far just to hear your last few sermons.
After all these years, your wife still hangs on every word of your sermon. She still flows with compliments over each one. She proudly posts your writings, articles and each sermon. She’s still your greatest cheerleader and ministry supporter.
The Hall’s and Shoemaker’s let you rotate from dinner table to dinner table each Sunday. You’re in the inner circle when family’s let you in on their unfiltered dinner table conversations- that’s how much we love you.
You’ve seen full circle of ministry, the pastor you began with is also the one you end with. Bro. Jeff and Bro. Paul- the dynamic duo, the father and son of the Faith, friends until the very end.
In small town, Galena, Kansas, you have made an eternal difference on at least 168 lives.
When you do a question and answer sermon, even your church teen’s get excited and interested! Your teaching spurs them on to ask big Biblical questions and dive further into their Bibles.
For the last several weeks we have had to endure statements from the pulpit that evoked awkward emotions. So much so, that at times I had to say to my pastor, “Please quit saying that!” Not to worry though, it wasn’t anything that was not Biblically sound or that he stepped on my toes too much… it was just the fact that he was counting down to his retirement. It didn’t seem quite as bad when it was six months away, but those months and weeks have flown by. We certainly celebrate with him though. We celebrate that he will have much more Papa Jeff time with his grandchildren, he will feast on Rachel’s beautiful sugar cookies a little more often, sneak away to hear his son Andy preach, enjoy Josh’s musical connections…even if it might be rock-n-roll, and even better frolic from vacation spot to vacation spot with his wonderful wife and maybe even rest a little. Over the last year Bro. Jeff’s desire to retire has resonated with a common statement, “I just want to finish well.”
Now let me speak very personally, long ago I watched Bro. Jeff as a leader at church camp when it was in Saginaw, Missouri; when he still had hair, played a mean game of softball, and practically sprinted up that huge church camp hill. I watched as high school students lined that old rock wall and he captured their attention with the Word of God. As his ministry developed, many of us would say “remember when…” Then 10 years ago, First Baptist of Galena, was in search of a pastor. The news that Jeff Swart might consider coming “in-view of a call” and many said, “oh, he would never come back to a small church when he’s pastored mega churches and has made something of himself.” He did indeed return to a small-town church and he was quick to correct our “he’ll never come here” way of thinking…it wasn’t numbers in the congregation or a high paying salary…it was God’s call. Over the last 10 years, it has been very evident that God’s hand was all over his ministry here. I watched as attendance numbers grew, town’s people that we thought would never come to church- well, they came, our church’s vision for missions was reignited and we truly became a church on the move under his leadership. He invested in my husband’s ministry as well, becoming a mentor, a “Father in the Faith,” and one of our dearest friends. His wife, Ms. Debbie, poured abundantly in my life as a pastor’s wife. Teaching me how to create an effective, working prayer journal and modeling what it truly means to be a prayer warrior but above all, being one of my greatest encouragers. I can never thank them enough for pouring into our lives. To say “we love them” is quite an understatement. They invest, they love, they impart biblical wisdom, and they shape lives in a powerful way for the cause of Christ. As their ministry at FBC comes to a close, many in this congregation will attest that they certainly “finished well.”
To Bro. Jeff, we say “You know you have finished well when…”
Around 3,000 souls have been saved under your preaching or personal witness.
You have been faithful to complete evangelism materials which are still being used by missionaries all around the world.
You have diligently fed and built four church plants and nine churches.
Your Mother-in-Law chose to attend your church and listen to you each Sunday.
Over 100,000 readers have responded to your Biblical writings over through the years.
People come from near and far just to hear your last few sermons.
After all these years, your wife still hangs on every word of your sermon. She still flows with compliments over each one. She proudly posts your writings, articles and each sermon. She’s still your greatest cheerleader and ministry supporter.
The Hall’s and Shoemaker’s let you rotate from dinner table to dinner table each Sunday. You’re in the inner circle when family’s let you in on their unfiltered dinner table conversations- that’s how much we love you.
You’ve seen full circle of ministry, the pastor you began with is also the one you end with. Bro. Jeff and Bro. Paul- the dynamic duo, the father and son of the Faith, friends until the very end.
In small town, Galena, Kansas, you have made an eternal difference on at least 168 lives.
When you do a question and answer sermon, even your church teen’s get excited and interested! Your teaching spurs them on to ask big Biblical questions and dive further into their Bibles.
Every morning, a little boy named Gabe Polok, looks out his window toward the church and says, “Papa Jeff is home, I need to go see him.”
Your church of ten years mourns the thought of your leaving and celebrates every moment we have with you until your departure.
My final thought about Jeff and Debbie Swart would be, I hope when we are in line to stand before our Heavenly Father that I am close by the Swarts. I can’t imagine how far their ministry has truly reached and the spiritual impact they have made on so many lives. I want to witness their faces as they hear our Father say, “Well done, thy good and faithful servants.” How great their rewards are going to be for being true servants with bold voices always honoring Our King!
Your church of ten years mourns the thought of your leaving and celebrates every moment we have with you until your departure.
My final thought about Jeff and Debbie Swart would be, I hope when we are in line to stand before our Heavenly Father that I am close by the Swarts. I can’t imagine how far their ministry has truly reached and the spiritual impact they have made on so many lives. I want to witness their faces as they hear our Father say, “Well done, thy good and faithful servants.” How great their rewards are going to be for being true servants with bold voices always honoring Our King!
This was Jeff's article for the Bulletin on our last Sunday, August 18, 2019:
HASTA LUEGO
I preached here at FBC in view-of-a-call as Senior Pastor on Sunday
August 9, 2009. The church voted to call
me as Senior Pastor on Sunday August 16th and I started to work the
next day—Monday August 17, 2009. In the
past ten years, I have made more than 1,000 hospital visits, more than 1,000
home visits, preached 1,233 sermons, and drove 162,376 miles. During my tenure here, 269 souls trusted
Christ as their personal Savior, 166 were baptized, 46 were added by letter, 18
by statement, 3 surrendered to the ministry, and we ordained two men to the
Gospel ministry. I humbly pray that
something I have done during these past ten years was Christ honoring!
This has been my longest pastorate and as a result, we love the people
here more than the other places that we have been privileged to serve. Most of you have treated us far better than
we deserve and we will forever be grateful to you. I especially want to thank Leigh Ryan—the
best Assistant I have ever had, Paul Mooney, my biggest encourager, and Aaron
Polok, one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met.
In the Spanish language, there are several words that are used to say “goodbye.” The most famous might be “adios” which
literally means, “go with God.”
This word has a sense of finality to it and so on this occasion, I
prefer the Spanish words “hasta luego” which means, “see you later.” I pray that we will indeed meet again on this
side of heaven! Debbie and I wish to
sincerely say, “Thanks for loving us!!!”
"See you later, dear friends" 😢😘😢😘😢😘
Yes, yes, yes to this!! 😍😍😍
2-1/2 weeks later, Jeff said there are 3 things about retirement he is loving:
(1) You can wear shorts every day
(2) You can take naps every afternoon
(3) Every day is a Saturday
💗💗💗
Yes, yes, yes to this!! 😍😍😍
(1) You can wear shorts every day
(2) You can take naps every afternoon
(3) Every day is a Saturday
💗💗💗
I've loved all the pictures and posts. So glad you've both been able to relax and enjoy your family! You're always in my prayers. Let me know if there's any specific way I can pray. Love you!!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Amy! Love you -- and we are praying for you!!
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