Worthy of the Call

by Terry Shanahan, Northeast Regional Minister

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. (Ephesians 4:1)

One of the joys of my position is to join with churches and pastors as they celebrate a significant event in the life of their church or ministry. One such event happened on August 11 of this year. The Rev. Dr. Eleazer Carver celebrated his fiftieth anniversary as an ordained minister of the gospel. Parishioners, family and friends filled the activity center at the Salem Haven Skilled Nursing Care Facility for this joyous gathering. “Leaz” serves as the staff chaplain at Salem Haven in addition to pastoring Faith Bible Chapel in Salem, New Hampshire. It was my privilege to present a plaque, bring greetings from the CCCC and to comment on the impact that a call of God can have on one’s life.

The following is a brief bio of Leaz that was shared with all of us.
“Rev. Eleazer Carver, ‘The Singing Pastor,’ was born in Milo, Maine. He accepted Jesus Christ as his personal savior and dedicated his life to serving the Lord. He attended Gordon College as a music major with plans to teach music, but within a short time, it was evident that the Lord had called him into the gospel ministry. For God has said, He has saved us and called us with a holy calling — not according to our works but according to His own purpose and grace which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began (2 Timothy 1:9). In 1963 Rev. Carver entered the gospel ministry, in which he has served as pastor of churches in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Cape Cod and the Merrimac Valley. Currently he is an ordained minister with the Conservative Congregational Christian Conference….

“Rev. Carver is married to Mary Lou (Holland) and they have three sons, one daughter and four grandchildren. Rev. Carver received his D.Min. degree from Southwest Bible Seminary. He is listed as a pastoral counselor with the American Association of Christian Counselors. He served as New England District Superintendent for the Primitive Methodist Denomination. He has authored several inspirational articles in addition to “Open Your Bible,” a weekly article which appeared in local periodicals. Rev. Carver released two Gospel music recordings which have since been transferred to CD format.”

Certainly Leaz has lived a life worthy of the calling he has received as he continues to answer that call.