December 12 Today in OPC History

In 1771 the congregation of First Church in Merrimack, New Hampshire, was formally established as they were able to secure the settlement of a graduate of Harvard Divinity School, Mr. Jacob Burnap. Mr. Burnap ministered for over fifty years until his death.

However, by the middle of the 20th century, very few members of the church would have understood much less embraced the biblical Gospel. Then in 1965, by God’s overruling Providence, the congregation called the Rev. Francis Huber. His was a troubled ministry, with great opposition, as he preached that the Bible was God’s true Word and that Jesus Christ was the Divine Savior, and that those without Christ would not go to Heaven but to Hell. After two years he and his wife left town, having received harsh correspondence from townspeople who were upset by this old fashioned Gospel. Around this time a business meeting of the congregation was called to vote on a motion which read something like this, “Our Church will not believe in, or allow the preaching of, Hell, but only Heaven”. Though most were probably still unconverted, many hearts had been awakened in some degree by Pastor Huber’s preaching, so that a slight majority defeated this motion. One man, a true believer, stood up and argued the dishonesty of rejecting the doctrine of Hell while believing in Heaven, when the same Book that informed us of Heaven taught us that Hell was a reality as well. At that time many of the minority that lost the vote left and started another church in town, established as a church that does not believe in Hell.

Meanwhile, at this point in the church’s history, the God of grace manifested His infinite mercy and power, by having the congregation call Rev. Bruce Gordon, a minister in the Presbyterian Church. There is no human cause that really accounts for this call, for most of the congregation still were far from embracing the full biblical faith. Rev. Gordon was eminently biblical in his own beliefs and ministry, committed to the Westminster Standards and to the historic Reformed faith. Some eventually left, disgusted by such a serious commitment to the Bible. Some stayed and disagreed and made some degree of trouble for Bruce, but eventually the truth they were hearing permeated their hearts and minds and they professed the true Gospel faith. Many were converted fairly quickly. There was at this time a wonderful work of renewal and revival in the church, as the Holy Spirit made incredible use of the normal means of grace, particularly the proclamation of the Scriptures. Some of our longstanding leaders were either brought to the Reformed Faith or even converted during this time: Ron Downing, Rick Elliott and Lee Turnbull being three among many, who have since continued to support the biblical and Reformed ministry and to make personal sacrifices to that end. Ron had been a believer before Bruce ministered God’s Word to him, but he had been converted as an adult into an Arminian circle. Ron remembers after one of Bruce’s Bible studies trying to argue with his pastor about predestination, and Bruce pointedly looking him in the face and saying, “When are you going to let God be God!” That was a turning point for Ron. Rick was attending Bible study because he was dating a young lady in the church. Early on he said to Bruce, “How can a man as intelligent as you believe such nonsense!” The conversations which followed led eventually to Rick’s conversion, and for over forty years Rick has been teaching this same truth, the so-called foolishness of God that is wiser than men. Lee came to our church because he liked sacred music and our church had the best music in town. He found a whole lot more than just good music after he heard Bruce’s preaching of the true Gospel.

Following Bruce’s thirteen year ministry, which ended due to chronic fatigue in 1980, a fatigue brought on because of his fervent zeal in helping sinners find the true Savior. In 1988 I was called to pick up where Bruce had left off, which was how many of the leaders expressed things to me later, and how I view my ministry here. Bruce’s task was to evangelize, as well as edify the converted. My task has been to edify the converted and help the church be solidified in the biblical and Reformed faith, as well as to do the work of an evangelist. I view my ministry in conjunction with Bruce’s as in many ways like that of a wrestlers’ tag team. I feel like in many ways, by God’s grace alone, Bruce got the upper hand and then I got to come in and do the easier work. Or, like Jonathan and his armor bearer, who just finished the mortally wounded enemies after Jonathan had done the worst of the fighting. Bruce Gordon and his family have been a continual source of encouragement to both the ongoing ministry and the congregation at large.

After 47 years of biblical renewal, this congregation voted to seek union with the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. This was a truly historic event in the life of the First Church of Merrimack. The Presbytery of New York and New England of the OPC formally received the congregation on December 12, 2014. At that time the congregation has a history of 243 years. As we united with the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, we made a more formal commitment to the biblical Gospel and the Reformed Faith, putting ourselves under a mutual accountability with the other churches in the Presbytery. May this be used of God to keep us from ever departing from, or from compromising, the doctrine of God’s Word, and may we be used of God to be a source of encouragement to our sister Reformed Churches, until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again in glory. To God’s grace be all the glory. Amen.

Editor's note: Today's entry was written by the Rev. Allen Tomlinson, pastor at First Church from 1988 to 2021.