Reading and praying over a most most important letter to the church.
Many have been aware that I may be retiring soon. Last Sunday (July 26th), I read a special letter to the church announcing plans the Lord has directed me toward. Below is the actual text of the letter I read to them. Below the letter is a video so you can watch it also.
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Date: July 26, 2020
To: Discovery Baptist Church
Subject: Pastor Mark Suko’s Retirement Redeployment Letter
Dear Church,
CALL TO MINISTRY
I came to Christ at 17 and found my bride also in Warden, WA. Later I went to college and then the USCG. I felt God had directed me to a military life at sea which I loved. I advanced in enlisted ranks quickly and then went to OCS and was commissioned. Several years later I was reading through the book of Acts while on the Bering Sea Patrol. I read of the start of the church, Paul’s conversion and later shipwreck and so on. I began to feel God was calling to more than a Coast Guard career, although I believe God used that time to mature me in many ways. Therefore, after seven years of active duty I returned to school to finish up classes at Corban University and go to Northwest Baptist Seminary with intentions to church plant in Alaska. Three years later it became obvious God was calling me to plant a new church here in Gig Harbor. In September of 1980 a team of seminarians and I launched Discovery in the old Arletta two room schoolhouse. These were exciting days as people came. But there were also difficult days when I wished I was back at sea. But, we forged on and the Lord saw us through all the rough storms. The church grew so here we are 40 years later.
FORTY YEARS OF GROWTH & GRATITUDE
When I first considered going into ministry it was with no end in sight. As the decades rolled by I was challenged and blessed, strengthened and humbled and grew in ways I had never thought of before. Along with this our family grew and we eventually had eight children. These forty years have been amazing as I reflect. It Is with great gratitude I want to thank members and friends of Discovery Baptist Church for allowing me the privilege of being your pastor all these years.
With those few thoughts I can only say thanks to our Elders and Deacons first who have come along side of me to help. I cannot say enough! There are a thousand other people I would not have time to name who prayed, helped, gave, worked, encouraged, and much more. To all of you here and many others I say thank you from the bottom of my heart…and Nancy says the same. God did it all by His sovereign hand in spite of me.
Isaiah 46:10 says, “Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, 'My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure';”
REDEPLOYMENT NOT RETIREMENT
In a month I will have completed forty years of ministry. I often think of Moses with forty years each in Egypt, the desert, and leading God’s people to the promise land. Then he died just before they crossed the Jordan to enter the promised land! I know what you are thinking, but I am not dead yet! I have only completed my first forty years and by God’s grace I trust He has some other work for me to do.
Years ago Graham Marshall and I began to talk about retirement while on a ministry trip from Oregon. It seemed strange at first but now I can see God’s hand in it as He has brought Chris into the picture.
I am getting older and our world is changing. The senior’s population in America is growing older and more populous as a group than ever before. Why? Because of better health care and because the younger generation is having fewer children. Gig Harbor is changing.
For the Christian retirement should not be a do-nothing time where you collect sea shells, do hobbies and then die. Scripture knows nothing about coming to a dead stop or being DIW which means Dead in the Water. With all the things a person learns in life he or she should have something to share with younger generations other than grey hair. Our world is inter-generational by God’s design. Even though our culture worships youth we must realize that the white hairs have something to share. Leisure is not my goal although Al Mohler says leisure is a reward for hard work, but there is still other work to do. Grey hair is greatly revered in the Scripture. Proverbs 20:29 “The glory of young men is their strength, And the honor of old men is their gray hair.”
Therefore, I am not “retiring” but “redeploying.” I am not sure where God will take me next but for the foreseeable future I sense it is going to be right here. I want to help you get into this “promise land” building and use it. I want to work with training men more and encouraging our missionaries on the field etc.. And I want to have more time available to pass on God’s instruction to my kids and our thirty grandchildren around the world. Deuteronomy 4:9 "Only give heed to yourself and keep your soul diligently, so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart all the days of your life; but make them known to your sons and your grandsons.”
Therefore, on September 13th, after 40 years and a few extra days of ministry, I will “redeploy.”
Sincerely in Christ,
Pastor Mark Suko
P.S. “I Love you.”
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BUILDING PROJECT PRAYER UPDATE: Please pray as we move forward “For the Generations to Come”. I am on site daily checking with our contractor. Here are a few pics plus a list of things to pray for as we build. We are now in our 4th week of actual building.
Here is what to pray for.
For redistribution of the tons of dirt has been piled for the drainage pond plan.
Digging the new basement will be done this week. There is a hole now big enough to hide a bus. Pray for forms to be set soon.
Praise that footing trenches are done for auditorium extension and forms are partially framed up. Pray for builder who has to coordinate the complex pouring aspect.
Pray for builder as they appeal to county to accept a standard asphalt parking lot vs. the more expensive pervious one.
Pray for an artisan willing to chisel excess concrete off the sides of our tile compass rose logo which was previously at the entrance doors. We hope to place it in a flowerbed setting with missionary foot prints eventually. Let me know if interested.
Praise for our contractor supervisor who is a believer also.
Praise that our offerings in July were an amazing $10,000 above what was budgeted for the General Fund and the Building Fund giving was $6,695 all of this while we are still in a CV-19 world and meeting on Sunday afternoons elsewhere at Harborview Fellowship.
Pray for someone willing to chisel the concrete edges of our compass rose logo that has been at the front entrance. We are considering placing it in the landscaping with our sent missionary’s feet cast in concrete to carry the gospel to the ends of the earth.
Pray for Dave & Linda Christensen. Their house has sold. They will be moving to Oregon to be near their son. They will move August 18. Dave is a key person on our building Committee and helped us immensely. Linda has been our primary church secretary for years whom we also will miss greatly. Pray for them as they move and as we pray for their replacements.
If anyone is interested a small hot water tank (10-20 gal.) in good condition and up for grabs as well as a large double pane window we had in the Cry Room then let me know ASAP. If no one want it then it goes to the dump soon.
Pastor Mark