Man of the cloth
Twenty-seven years after he first arrived, Pastor Allen Orser is saying farewell to the Mount Uniacke Baptist Church.
At least 100 people attended Orser’s final sermon at the church to wish him well on his retirement.
“It’s really good seeing so many people present here, it’s just wonderful to see everyone,” Orser said following his final sermon.
“It’s really beautiful, seeing the co-operation of so many people from different churches as well. It’s transitional for sure; it’s the start of a new chapter in my life. I won’t miss the administrative headaches at my age, 62, so I’m ready for a rest from that.”
Orser said he’s looking forward to taking on new challenges in his retirement, but added that he’ll always remember the people of Mt. Uniacke.
“Getting to know the people, who I baptized as little wee kids that are now grown up and have kids of their own,” he said. “It’s just awesome.”
Many things have changed since he started at Mount Uniacke Baptist, including paying off the church’s mortgage and securing a new audio/visual system.
Orser is visually impaired, but the community rallied around him.
“It’s been a challenge. The church knew from the beginning that I had the issue,” he said.
“My wife and I work as a team, she drives me from place to place when I can’t walk where I need to. It was also an opportunity for people in the community to get on board and help me.”
Friends would pick him up, helping him work around the challenges.
“People have been so good when it comes to helping,” he said. “I’m proof that anything is