Fifty years ago I would never have expected I would be lay pastor at three wonderful rural Presbyterian churches in Oro-Medonte and Rama Townships in Ontario, Canada. I’ve always been a bit of a shy soul, awkward in social settings. And after my dad suddenly died from a heart attack in 1973 when I was 15, I also became very bitter and angry towards God.

I still attended church at West Oro Baptist Church after dad died more for my mom’s sake. Church was important to her. She had enough on her plate following my dad’s death. Attending church was one way I could honor and respect her. Most Sundays I couldn’t wait for the service to end. But every couple of months there was a retired minister that preached. His name was Reverend Raymond LeDrew. He was in pastoral ministry for over 60 years. In this link, I discovered some of his churches he ministered at were Alton & Hillsburg Baptist Churches-1932 to 1936. Kenora Baptist Church.- 1936 to 1937. Lorne Park Baptist Church.- 1937 to 1941. Stayner Baptist Church.- 1941 to 1945. Ossington Avenue Baptist Church.- 1945 to 1950 McDonald Memorial Baptist Church- 1950 to 1952. First Baptist Church Orillia- 1952 to 1974. In the 1980’s and until his death in 2004 he was a member of West Oro Baptist. Though retired, he’d still preach every couple of months. Even into his 80’s, which astounded me.

What I did notice was how much he loved God’s Word. He could take some of the most difficult to understand passages and present it in a sermon with such passionate engagement. And as he was doing this, he was wringing out the text with personal adoration and joy. Looking back now, what must have happened is he became wowed with the text. The text had gotten into him. Reverend LeDrew went from being a tour guide to a resident, a lecturer to a preacher. He went from bland to full of flavour by seasoning the sermon with personal reflections of the infinite value of Christ, His beauty and unsurpassed glory.

With the Presbyterian Church we follow a lectionary. This has become important for me as it forces me to preach on passages I would normally want to skip over. For me I have to fight practically every single time to be moved by a particular passage. It just happened that last Sundays passage was Luke 13:1-9. It was about this fig tree that wasn’t producing fruit. It was the Parable of the Unfruitful Fig Tree. I told my wife Lynne that I had no idea where to even begin. As I was going through the passage, Reverend LeDrew instantly came to mind. Growing up, I wasn’t much of a fig tree with all my anger and bitterness. I definitely was not bearing any fruit. Most people would want to give up on me. Reverend LeDrew took a personal interest in me. Like a caring gardener, he saw possibilities of digging around it and giving it fertilizer. Have you ever had a Christ-like gardener in your life? Perhaps a friend, a boss, or a spouse who believed in you? I owe so much to Reverend Raymond LeDrew.

Reverend LeDrew was in ministry for over 60 years, 22 of those years was at First Baptist Church in Orillia. Many of those years the services were broadcast on the Orillia radio station. I’ll never be able to preach a passage of Scripture like Reverend Raymond LeDrew and connect the dots to show the glory, grandeur, and greatness of God in it. So those listening can join in marveling at the glorious view of God. And that’s okay. The important thing for me is that I am faithful to God. The words from 2 Corinthians 12:9 reads, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Reverend Raymond LeDrew will always be such an incredible inspiration to me. It is 21 years since Reverend Raymond LeDrew’s passing in 2004 at the age of 96. I don’t believe I ever said it in person, but want to say it in this post now, “Thank you Reverend LeDrew”. I know I’ll be able to say thank you properly once I meet you again in Heaven.

An interview with slideshow video by Allan Heidman done in 1992 and posted 2 years ago on Reverend LeDrew’s life starting back in Newfoundland (long before it was a province of Canada) found below.

https://youtu.be/DlFMVvI9AGQ?si=nKyfXZEWAKmAmpUN