Robert J. Collinge, or Pastor
Bob, as he is known around the church, formally accepted his calling to the
ministry in October of 1993. Pastor Bob has always been active in the church
ever since his mother began taking him as a child. He accepted the Lord as his
Savior at a young age, and has allowed the Lord to lead and guide him ever
since.
That leading led Pastor Bob to
join the army after graduating from Exeter High School in 1979. Upon completing
training for the Signal Corps., in Fort Gordon, Ga., Pastor Bob had three
choices to choose from as to what he would do next. He could become a hometown
recruiter for a few months, and come home and recruit for awhile. He could
choose to attend Officers Candidate School, which he was being considered for,
or he could accept the orders that he had already received and go to Germany for
three years.
After a lot of prayer, and
calls home to his youth leaders, Bob made the decision to go to Germany. While
serving in Germany, he became a member of the Kleber Gospel Hour service in
Kaiserslautern. It was there, under the care of Pastor Darryl J. Benjamin and
his wife, Elder Gloria Benjamin, that he received valuable training in the Word
of God and in the workings of the church. After five years Bob returned to the
states to his home church in Newfields, NH, in 1984. Bob’s work as a Sunday
School superintendent and as a Deacon would prove very valuable in his future
work for the Lord.
It was conceivable that God had
been calling Pastor Bob for a long time, a calling that Bob chose to ignore for
years. “It’s about time.” Pastor Benjamin told him when he called to tell him
the news in 1993. The following year, Pastor Bob was led to start the Christian
Faith Church. By the grace of God, the CFC continues to be blessed and
continues to grow as we seek to serve Him more and more. Pastor Bob continues
to grow as well, and is seeking to earn a BA degree in Bible/Theology.
Bob married Diana
Heath on April, 6, 1991, and they have had two children, a daughter, Karianne,
born in 1992, and a son, Bobby, born in 1993. The Bible is clear on the
importance of the family, especially to those in the ministry. Pastor Bob is
very thankful for the love and support that he receives from his family, as all
are very active in the church.
