Grinter Chapel UMC
There is a New Preacher in Town
a poem by Jim Ennes,
on the arrival of the current pastor, Rev. Ken Baker
Originally he was from new York State,
that in itself should decide his fate.
And if you add Brooklyn to the locale,
What can we expect from him nohow?
We must forgive him from whence he came,
Alas, in the eyes of God we are all the same.
They say it takes a big man to admit his mistakes,
if size is any measure, there will be many he will make.
He tells us he was a carpenter without fault,
I think it is wise to accept that with a grain of salt.
A carpenter was not for him to be, he got a higher call from our maker
And this is how we got stuck with Reverend Ken Baker
He came to us a big man with a booming voice,
But even a little pip squeak can make a lot of noise.
I will listen to him with reverence and respect,
And to be uplifted and inspired, I will expect.
It remains to be seen if we ride him out of town on a rail,
or will we send him packing with a tarred and feathered tail?
Could it be we will welcome him with [warm] open hearts,
and he will minister to us for a long time before he departs?
I hope we will all be there cheering him on,
and we will become a bigger church, before he is gone.
I believe and have no fear, you all will see,
That he will lead us from here, to where we want to be.
If he works hard here and is pleasing to his Maker,
he could become Professor doctor, the exalted Ken Baker
But wait, what if I am wrong and he does not survive?
O well, there will always be a lot of nails he can drive.
After this if you are all in the mood to stand,
I would ask us all to welcome Ken with a big hand.