Carthage Union Church Pastor

Pastor Ken and Linda Hinkley

Pastor Ken Hinkley is a 1993 graduate of New England Bible College in South Portland, ME with a B.S. in biblical studies. He and his wife, Linda have raised three children and have two grandchildren.

Pastor Ken has been in the ministry for fourteen years, serving for ten years at the Stow (ME) Baptist Church, the Dixfield Common Baptist Church (since 2003) and now doing double duty with us here at Carthage.

At the same time, to meet personal expenses, he and Linda both work at a local grocery store on a part time basis. They are looking forward to the time when Ken no longer needs to do that.

Pastor Ken has had a life-long interest in reading and writing. He has written Modus Operandi, a self-published workbook for ministry leaders as well as several unpublished manuscripts for short stories, skits and poetry. He is the author of The Journey of a Heart a collection of poetry that traces the many stages of love and loyalty in the heart of an American woman.

From the Pastor-----

I have been thinking about retirement. Not for myself, specifically. I plan to keep working for the Lord as long as He gives me opportunity. But I was thinking about how the American economic system conditions us for that time of life when we no longer desire to or cannot contribute to it in a productive way.

Our culture says we deserve to take it easy in our old age and have enough financial security to do it without too much hardship. This was the thought behind the establishment of the Social Security system. It is this type of thinking that is behind pension plans and other retirement financial packages. The idea is that if you (or your employer, or both) contribute a small amount each pay period while you are working, then by the time you are ready to stop contributing productively, you will have enough set aside to live somewhat comfortably. This has become almost a right that we expect in our senior years.

From God’s point of view there is one major flaw in this school of thought. It leaves Him out. WE plan. WE contribute. We trust the SYSTEM. We trust that our health will hold up long enough to get us to the point of retirement. Only in the general sense that God allowed the system to exist do we give Him any credit.

Don’t misunderstand me. I think we should take advantage of such opportunities to set aside money for the future. But as we do, we should never plan to depend on that resource for our sole source of income. We have all seen what can happen in an instant when the stock market fails. When it takes a down turn it takes many people’s security with it. It is a very fragile system we are depending on.

What do you suppose would happen if people chose to depend more on God for their daily provision instead? Didn’t God promise He would do that for us? What would happen if we all decided to contribute to one another’s welfare within the church, seeing that no one went without? Isn’t that what the first church in Jerusalem did, even when the social atmosphere was against them? What do suppose the difference would be if we accepted the needs of widows, orphans and handicapped people as our responsibility instead the State? Finally I ask you, how much more secure would you feel if you were surrounded by a group of friends whom you knew cared for you than a bank account that may be emptied overnight by things that were out of your control?

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own [wisdom]. In all your ways [even your retirement plans] acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths [now and in the future]. Proverbs 3:5,6 adapted.I

Pastor Ken's thoughts and leadership

From the Pastor-----