Big Lake pastor retiring after more than 26 years

A pastor who has spent the last 26 1/2 years in the Valley is heading to warmer climates.

Jerry Pinkerton, who has pastored at Big Lake Baptist Church for more than 26 years, is retiring. Today, the movers are scheduled to show up at his house, and he and wife Connie plan to head to North Carolina as soon as next Friday.

"We are anxiously awaiting what God has in store for us in North Carolina," Pinkerton said. "We've had 26 and a half really good years here. God has been very good to us, and the church."

A special celebration is planned for Sunday at 2 p.m. at the church. Pinkerton said he is looking forward to meeting with everyone one last time.

Pinkerton is also retiring after 30 years with the Bureau of Land Management, and his wife is retiring from Providence Hospital.

"They have worked full time in Anchorage, but it hasn't stopped them from answering their phones in the middle of the night when it's a call from the hospital," said Elsie O'Bryan.

Pinkerton said three things really stand out during his family's service to the church -- two building programs, and the impact of the Miller's Reach Fire in 1996.

"God's faithfulness was very evident during the building programs," Pinkerton said.

He remembers how hard it was going through the bank for the 1983 project.

"They put us through the third degree. A couple of years later, the bank went belly up and the church is still going strong," he said with a laugh.

Members of the congregation -- and most Big Lake and Houston members in general -- remember well how much the church stepped up and helped the community during the Miller's Reach Fire in 1996.

"Our church was as far as you could go, they had the road closed off past us," Pinkerton recalls. "We opened our doors that night because people couldn't get home. I believe we fixed spaghetti because it was what we had. Over the next couple of days, we fixed more than 3,500 meals for people and firefighters.

"We established a message center and kept track of people who were coming and going. A lot of them were sleeping in the pews because it was the only place they could go," Pinkerton said. "The next 16-17 days were a vital part of our ministry.

"To watch people pull together was great. I've told people since then that we did more to tell people about what we were about in those 15 or 16 days than we did in the 20 years I was there before the fire," Pinkerton said. "It's easy to say you are compassionate and you care, but during that time, we really showed it."

During that time, God's hand was with the church, Pinkerton said. "I said that God has brought us this far, so we shouldn't fear the future. Remember what God has done in the past, and you'll be fine in the future." Pinkerton said.

Another testament to God's work came when the Valley underwent the big economic downturn in the mid-1980s, Pinkerton said.

"We got the building project done and were faced with a building payment of $2,650, which we didn't have a problem making," Pinkerton said. "We had a lot of slope workers, and when things turned bad, many lost their jobs and left, and we were faced with a hard time. But we got through it, and we ended up paying the building off two years ahead of schedule.

The Pinkertons are looking forward to the move, although they leave many friends here.

"We're looking forward to just spending time together," Pinkerton said. "We've both worked five days a week and then on Saturday, you're getting ready for Sunday. I'm sure there's a lot of Christian work down there, and we'll probably be involved."