When Bob Ferrington retired from education in 1988, he was
only half-way finished with his career.
Ferrington was the director of choral activities at Louisiana
Tech University for 19 years. He went to First Baptist Church of Farmerville
in 1975 to help out as the interim minister of music. The position soon grew
into a bivocational ministry and, later, into full-time service. At the end
of June, Ferrington retired from his full-time ministry at the church.
When Bob Ferrington retired from education in 1988, he was
only half-way finished with his career.
Ferrington was the director of choral activities at Louisiana
Tech University for 19 years. He went to First Baptist Church of Farmerville
in 1975 to help out as the interim minister of music. The position soon grew
into a bivocational ministry and, later, into full-time service. At the end
of June, Ferrington retired from his full-time ministry at the church.
During his first 13 years at the church, Ferrington balanced
his teaching responsibilities with his ministerial ones. This balance required
him to adjust his priorities at the time, Ferrington says.
“Im just glad I was younger then than I am now,”
he acknowledges.
Wednesday nights were especially hectic for Ferrington. He
went directly from the school to church to conduct choir rehearsals and create
the order of worship for the upcoming Sunday. “I always had a headache
on Thursday mornings. I remember that,” Ferrington says.
He also faced the differences between directing a collegiate
choir and a sanctuary choir. He says he gradually learned to determine his expectations
for each choir separately and tried to find a balance between the spirituality
and technical details in the church music.
“I felt that to find the right music that had the right message, while
still working on the sound – that was ministry.”
In 1988, after 31 years in music education, Ferrington decided
to retire from that aspect of his career. He remembers his relationship with
students, which he calls “more than a pupil-teacher relationship.
“I made a lot of close friends with a lot of the students.
They would take me into their confidence and tell me some of their hopes and
dreams,” Ferrington says.
When he retired, Ferrington says he had felt slightly fatigued
with balancing both duties. However, he also says he had felt called to go into
full-time ministry for about three years. The church then made his position
full-time and added the responsibility of minister to senior adults.
“It was just a knowing thing that God gave me and a peace
he gave me in making that decision,” Ferrington notes.
In his church position, Ferrington spent his time developing
the worship service, coordinating the various choirs and keeping up with the
senior adults activities. He visited church members in the hospital or
at home and offered whatever prayers and support were needed.
Ferrington says he enjoyed developing the worship service each
week and seeing the music help lead the worship for the churchs members.
He says he tried to offer a mix of traditional hymns and praise choruses to
guide a complete worship experience. “If we leave either of those out,
we deprive ourselves of a true worship experience with God.”
Ferrington says he intentionally did not make many plans for
retirement. He says he wants to worship with his children and grandchildren
in their churches something that previously has been limited.
“I know God has something in store for me and my wife,
…” Ferrington emphasizes. “I have no fear of becoming bored and
twiddling my thumbs.
“I can be a busy as I want to be.”