Brian McCartney announced his intention to retire on April 30, 2018. You can read his announcement letter below.
Dear First Baptist Church:
Today is a very special day for Joyce and me. It marks my 40th Anniversary in full-time vocational Christian ministry. We have savored the journey and had wonderful experiences in the four churches we have been privileged to serve over these four decades. Serving with you, the good people of First Baptist Griffin, has been for us the highlight of our ministry. You are our family. You have celebrated with us in the birth of our grandchildren. You have grieved with us as we have lost three parents during these nearly fourteen years with you. You have welcomed our son Matthew into the fold. You have given us untold opportunities to exercise our spiritual gifts in and through this church. We are blessed!
My 40th anniversary is also a time for evaluating our lives and ministry. In April I will turn 65, and I have determined that I will retire at the end of April. Joyce and I are not retiring from ministry, but we will move into a new phase of ministry. We need to be more available to Joyce’s elderly father in northern Virginia. We need to be more available to our grandchildren as they grow. We need to be free to spend more time enjoying travel experiences in our little travel trailer. And we desire to spend more time visiting with and encouraging our Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel and church starters along the way.
These next four months will be busy ones – the Panama Canal cruise with 20 from First Baptist this month; Winter Bible Study with Dr. Bryan Whitfield, the annual church family camping/glamping trip, and leading a Lenten Lessons LifeGroup in February; Founders Day Heritage Builders Lunch for new 50-year members in March; the Spring General Assembly of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Georgia here at First Baptist, a mission trip to eastern North Carolina focusing on family literacy, and the annual Senior Adult Retreat on Saint Simons Island in April. During the coming months I am also preaching when and where needed. Then, beginning May 1, we plan to spend about six months away from Griffin for much needed Sabbath rest. We anticipate returning to Griffin and to this congregation as lay members beginning in November.
We know you love us and will celebrate with us this next step in our journey. We love you, too.
Savoring the Journey,
Brian A. McCartney
Minister of Education