Minister and Deacons

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=200 BGCOLOR="#006633" TEXT="#F7F7FF" background="001d6c00ddvuru.jpg"> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>Walmer Baptist Church</B><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#333399" FACE="Arial" >    </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > |     </FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Walmer Baptist Church"><U><U><IMG SRC="01a581f0.gif" border=0 width="88" height="31" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></U></A></FONT></div> <div>                                                   </div> <div> Minister and Deacons</div> <div> Still Under Construction</div> <bR> <div> Minister</div> <div> Reverend Sean Michael Carter</div> <bR> <div> Deacons</div> <div> Mr Roger Saunder</div> <div> Mrs Janet Saunders</div> <div> Mrs Pat Collyer</div> <div> Mr Ian Marsh</div> <bR> <div> About the Minister</div> <div> The Rev Carter has served in both the Royal navy and the Merchant. He read theology at Spurgeon's theological college London. His first church was Clipston Baptist Church in Northamptonshire where he was minister for almost eight years. His current church is Walmer Baptist Church where he has been for almost five years. He has traveled in his ministry nationally and internationally as a conference speaker and evangelist, he has also ministered in churches of virtually every denomination as well as lectured in various theological seminaries. He has met and prayed with presidents of nations and advised various congressman of developing nations. He has spoken on Radio and television a number of times, but his passion and desire is to build disciples in local communities who will reflect the values and truths of the kingdom of God. </div> <bR> <bR> <div> My Testimony (By Revd Carter)</div> <div> Why am I a Christian? This is a good question. Intellectually, many times I have tested the Christian faith because if I am devoting my life to it I want to be convinced it is true so it has to undergo personal intense examination and scrutiny. My most ardent studies and most imaginative questions always lead me back to the person of Jesus of Nazareth. As a teenager, serving in the armed forces, I experienced the world for what it really was. As a result I became very scornful of any type of faith. This scorn occasionally manifested itself in that I sometimes verbally abused any god or deity that might have existed. Then, one day, perhaps due to the divine sense of humour, He touched me. In a way I cannot explain I was simply touched by the divine, by God, and I had a vision of Christ that forever changed me. Now I am trapped by His love. Intellectually, if I try to disprove Him by my own questions, my studies and most intense questions always lead me back to Christ in whom I find the answer.  I am a Christian because I have been touched by the divine. I cannot answer all questions or explain all mysteries though I will try. The only thing I can really do is bear testimony to Christ, because He has touched me, and I can never be the same again.  Now I see everything from the divine perspective. If I try to walk away from Christ, I cannot, because wherever I go the divine is now before me and the irresistible force of the Holy Spirit pulls me back. It is a force I willingly submit too.  </div> <bR> <div>  Am I psychologically deluded as Freud suggests? Am I seduced by the opiate of the masses as Karl Marx suggests? Or,  have  I simply been touched by the divine as the authors of the biblical witness suggest? My own intelligence and experience suggest the latter, that for some reason unknown to me, I have been touched by the divine; therefore, I unashamedly bear witness and testimony to Christ because He touched me, and He is reaching out to touch you. The question you need to ask yourself is,  ' when He reaches out and  touches you, will you recognize it and respond to Him?'  Will you recognize who it is that is touching you? If you do, be prepared for the adventure of a lifetime. Christianity is a faith that enables us to explore facts and worlds beyond our wildest dreams, as well as understanding that the faith we have provides us with a rational, logical meaning for our existence here on earth and connects us to the divine, to the eternal. It shows us that our time here on earth is linked to eternity in a way that is profound. I am a Christian simply because, 'He touched me.' I am on a spiritual pilgrimage exploring the world of truth which captivates my being. I invite you, the reader, if you have not already to behin the journey.  </div> <bR> <div> <U>Retreats</U><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" ><U> </U></FONT></div> <div> 'Retreats are as enriching for the one invited to lead them as they are for those who go on them.' The Revd Carter is available to lead reflective retreats for church groups on request. There are also reflective retreats for those in the business world. </div> <bR> <div> <U>Chaplaincy Work</U><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" ><U> </U></FONT></div> <div> The Revd Sean Michael Carter is also chaplain to the Port of Dover working for the British International Sailors Society.<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="106717e0.jpg" border=0 width="113" height="126" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <B>Revd Sean Michael Carter</B></div> <bR> <div> <U>The Work of Chaplains</U><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" ><U> </U></FONT></div> <bR> <div> St Martin of Tours was probably the first chaplain in history. He accompanied the French army into battle and he shared his cloak with a beggar. He literally tore his cloak in half, giving half to the beggar and keeping the other half himself. Later, the half cloak which he had kept was regarded as a sacred relic and looked after by a group of priests who were called ‘The Capellane’, literally ‘The Keepers of the Cloak’. This cloak being a holy covering, we get the word Chaplain, which means ‘He who confers the Holy Covering. The word chapel also comes from this Italian word.<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="14540300.png" border=0 width="320" height="48" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div>  <embed src="HTMLobj-292/avemaria.mid" autostart="true" loop="true" hidden="true">  </div> </td> </tr></table></body>