PASTOR BOB MARTIN’S RETIREMENT
After twelve years of faithful service as senior pastor of the First Missionary Church, Fort Wayne, Rev. Robert W. Martin will retire from vocational ministry at the end of May.
After his call to the ministry in 1977, “Pastor Bob” began his career at the age of 20 at Bell Brethren Church as a youth pastor in 1978. He and his then girl friend Karleen Kurzweg were both students at Biola University, in La Mirada, CA. They also served in the youth ministry at Whittier Area Baptist Fellowship before getting married in June, 1980. Bob attended seminary in Portland, OR at Western Baptist Seminary, earning both the M.Div. and Th.M. degrees, while serving in 2 Presbyterian churches, and helping to launch New Horizons Community Church, a Missionary Church. They moved to Valencia in 1985, where Bob and Karleen started New Hope Community Church, which also helped to start Lake Hills Community Church. He was ordained in the Missionary Church in 1987. In 1990 he accepted the call to pastor Camino Real Community Church in Boca Raton, FL, where they also launched the Brazilian Missionary Community Church (1990-1996). They then served on the mission field for three years in Budapest, Hungary with the Alliance for Saturation Church Planting (1996-1999). Bob was then called to lead the Bible League’s European ministries, and they made their home in Chicago, IL (1999-2007). Bob and Karleen moved to Fort Wayne in 2007.
Bob is the author of a number of books, including Jesus Christ: The Final Wise Sage of God (1985), Mentoring Guidelines for Church Planters (1998), The Omega Course (5 volumes, as a co-author), Portraits of Jesus (2005), Parables of Jesus (2010) and Personal Encounters with Jesus (2015). The last three books are now in 14 different languages.
Karleen has been Bob’s faithful spouse and ministry co-worker all these years, starting her career in radio, teaching piano, serving in music ministries and working in public schools. They will have been married 39 years this June, and have two grown children- Daniel and Eliana.
They will spend their retirement years renewing ties with family & friends, travelling & camping, serving in various Christian settings, and enjoying their beautiful retirement home in the Blue Ridge Mountains of East Tennessee.
Their retirement celebration is slated for May 18 from 2-4pm at First Missionary Church, 701 W. Rudisill Blvd. Fort Wayne, IN 46807, (260)745-4994.
ou are invited to attend. Please RSVP the church. If you would like to send a greeting to the Martin’s you may send it to the church or email the office administrator at summer.knight@firstmc.org.
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