PASTOR EMERITUS IN HOME PULPIT TO BEGIN MILESTONE WEEK
The congregations of the Bridgetown, Centrelea & West Dalhousie Baptist Churches joined in the March 17th service at the Bridgetown Church to honour Rev. Dr. George Allen, who turns 100 on March 21st. Dr. Allen had been previously inducted as Pastor Emeritus by the Charge at a well-attended May 2012 service. However, on Sunday, a letter of congratulations & greeting from Dr. Peter Reid, Executive Minister, recognizing this further significant milestone on behalf of his many colleagues, and members of CABC churches, was read and presented to Dr. Allen.
After the Choir lead the congregation in a special rendition of “Happy Birthday!”, present Pastor, David Cumby, shared with the gathered children that “Dr. George” has been officially a Pastor for just over 72 years. While another Atlantic Baptist minister had been ordained longer, our Dr. Allen is as far as we know the “oldest living Atlantic Baptist pastor”. Yet, he has been actually serving his Lord since the age of 10, when he told the Pastor of his boyhood church Calvary Baptist in North Sydney, that he had accepted Jesus and wanted to “take his stand for Christ”, despite his Pastor’s initial reticence to offer “believer’s baptism” to a child who was that young.
Organist & Choir Director Debbie Rice, led the congregation in the opening hymn “How Great Thou Art” and closed with “Great is Thy Faithfulness”, hallmark themes of Rev. Allen’s life, and full-time ministry from 1940 to 1984. After he read the Scriptures (from Psalm 19 & Lamentations 3), he noted that while he loved the Bridgetown Church (from which he supposedly retired) and its people, he could “never pick a favourite”, from among any of the five Nova Scotia Baptist Churches from Mahone Bay to Canard to Truro, Dartmouth to Bridgetown, or others in which he had the opportunity to minister or speak over the years.
The BBC Choir’s choice of “The Servant Song” which ends with the words “Let me be your servant …let me be as Christ to you” reflects Dr. Allen’s humble reputation and legacy, and led into Pastor Cumby’s message “Restoring and Rebuilding Lives”. 
Dr. George the pronounced the benediction and a blessing upon the lunch reception and cake cutting which followed the Service.
And this only began what promised to be a hectic week for this Centenarian, who was likewise being feted during a “Order of Good Cheer” supper in Nictaux on March 20, and then at an “At Home” reception on March 21 hosted by his family at his Crosskill Court Senior Apartment complex, behind Mountain Lea Lodge in Bridgetown.
– Submitted by Rev. David Cumby
