Memories of Frank Barker
Jeff Smith
“The memory of the righteous is blessed…” Proverbs 10:7
During my first visit to Trinity Baptist Church in January 1980, I met Pastor Frank Barker. He warmly greeted me after the morning worship service on that Lord’s Day, inquired about my life, and then invited me to come to his home for dinner that afternoon. I realized from his accent that he was British and began to understand how different British and Americans could be! However, I also experienced an unmistakable oneness of heart as we conversed, a oneness which was ours as Christians. To reflect upon God’s sovereign providences is always an edifying experience. I never could have anticipated on that Lord’s Day in January 1980 that a friendship of over 40 years had commenced!
As I was soon to leave the military in June 1980, I sought Pastor Barker’s counsel regarding my future and a career. He conversed with me to learn more about my education, experience, and skills and gave wise and biblical counsel to me which included suggesting that I apply to work at the medical equipment company for which he worked. I followed his counsel, applied for employment in that company and began to work for Frank. Several years after this, Frank left that company and began his own sales and marketing company representing several European medical products companies in America. Two years later, Frank approached me and interviewed me for a position in his nascent company and for the following 18 years we worked together growing this company by the blessing of God. During these years, Frank and I ‘rubbed shoulders’ daily, as well as during numerous business trips throughout America and Europe. I saw firsthand the wisdom, skill, diligence, integrity, determination, perseverance, warmth, people-skills, humor, and faith of Frank. Lessons were learned by me, not only from Frank’s instruction, but from Frank’s life.
Because Frank and I worked together, we were able to have lunch together and we would, at times, discuss the all-important matter of whom I should marry! His counsel was wise and challenging and as I followed his counsel, I found the Lord blessing my relationship with a young woman named Julie. In God’s providence, Julie had also been regularly seeking Pastor Barker’s counsel regarding a variety of matters and consequently, it was easy for us to ask Pastor Barker to marry us, which he did in 1982.
In 1990, Trinity Baptist Church recognized me as one of its pastors. Thus, in addition to working with Frank, I then became a co-pastor with him and the other pastors of TBC. Our weekly elders’ meetings were held Thursday nights and I would drive to Frank’s home and together we would travel to these meetings. Edifying pastoral conversations were always the order of the day in the car, a sort of ‘mini’ counseling session for me every week which I savored! During the elders’ meetings themselves, I again observed Frank as a man of biblical truth and principle as we wrestled as pastors with weighty spiritual and practical matters. As pastors, we often referred to Frank as ‘the British bulldog’ due to the fact that when he saw a particular issue with which we clearly needed to grapple, he would not let go until we had thoroughly discussed the matter applying biblical principles to the issue at hand.
Throughout these decades, Frank and I shared many heartfelt experiences, for God continued to weave our lives into a tapestry which displayed His sovereignty, grace, wisdom, faithfulness, love, mercy, and glory. We shared times of joy and sorrow; health and sickness; triumph and trial; clarity and perplexity; indeed, we shared the full range of gospel dynamics in our 40 years of friendship. Frank’s words and life – as a Christian man – impacted and molded much of my Christian life to the praise of the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Frank lived as a sinner saved by the grace of God and he died trusting in his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. In the providence of God, I was able to visit with Frank in his earthly home in Pennsylvania a few days prior to his homegoing to glory. I asked Frank if he would like me to read from the Scriptures, to which he replied, not surprisingly, ‘yes!’ The portion of Scripture which I read was John 11: 1 – 44. I told Frank that he would soon be in the presence of his Savior whom he loved and that as the Lord loved Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, so He loved him, also. As glorious and wonderful as Frank’s entrance into glory would be, his body would rest in the earth until the final day of resurrection. Did Frank believe this? Without hesitation Frank affirmed his full confidence in his Savior’s love, grace, and power. We prayed together. We said our good-byes. We wept. And I said to Frank: “We will meet again. We will see each other again on the other side of the river in glory!” Frank said “Amen!” We parted and in a few short days Frank was in the presence of his Savior whom he loved and served faithfully throughout all the changing providences of God. Indeed, “the memory of the righteous is blessed!”
Pastor Jeff Smith
Trinity Baptist Church, Montville, New Jersey