Condolences to Baker Family ( 1 2 3 ... Last Page)

Greg Baker and His Family ( 1 2)

Greg Baker has passed away..

Internet Message Boards- an Occasion to Sin

Most of you have probably heard of the tragic death of Pastor Greg Baker, pastor of Faithway Baptist College and president of Faithway Baptist College in Whitby, Ontario. Much prayer is needed for the pastor and family. It does appear that he committed suicide, which only multiplies the tragedy.

If you were to check in on some "fundamentalist" message boards, like Fighting Fundamentalist Forum, you'll find some discussion on Bro. Baker. Most of it is Christian, but there will always be some troll who will rejoice in the fact that a pastor killed himself. There is actually such a person at the FFF. I won't.... (check out the rest on his page)

Pastor Roy McLaughlin's family speaks out

by Laura Angus | Swartz Creek News

Friday August 01, 2008, 2:30 PM

SWARTZ CREEK, Michigan - The Rev. Roy McLaughlin's family wants him to be remembered for his 36 years in the ministry and not the last few moments of his life.

The pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church was found dead on July 16 in Holly Township from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, as reported previously on mlive.com.

Pastor Roy McLaughlin

"We don't know why this happened," said McLaughlin's wife, Neva McLaughlin. "We're baffled. We're hurt, and we're lonesome."

She said she speculates he had a moment of weakness and wasn't thinking clearly when he shot himself on the side of the road that morning.

"I really don't think this was something premeditated," she said.

She said he left the house that morning and kissed her goodbye like he always did.

He was visiting church members at Genesys Regional Medical Center and Hurley Medical Center that day. Both were in the hospital for surgery.

Neva McLaughlin said he was planning for the future even the night before he killed himself.

He had notes and plans for upcoming services and church events, and about 30 minutes before he died, he called his secretary and left a message to tell her when he would be in that day.

"He was talking to (my) mom the night before about giving me some socks," said McLaughlin's son, Jason McLaughlin of Swartz Creek.

The family is speculating why he had a gun, why he was in Holly Township and ultimately why he did it.

"We're all speculating, but we don't have the answers," said son Matthew McLaughlin of Swartz Creek.

Neva McLaughlin said his gun was in his car most likely because he was taking it to the church to lock it up. He didn't want it in the house with their grandchildren, she said.

The family also thinks he may have missed his exit on the way to Genesys, something he did sometimes and something he might have beat himself up about.

"He had gotten forgetful, which really bugged him," said Neva McLaughlin. "He just got to the point where everything was a big deal."

He left a note, but Matthew McLaughlin said the note he left was quick and not well prepared.

Neva McLaughlin said he wrote that he loved them all, and it wasn't their fault. He just couldn't handle the details anymore.

"I think there was an opportunity and he took it," she said. "I think he saw life as more than he could handle."

She said her husband had suffered from health problems for many years, and she found out after his death that depression ran in his family.

He suffered from migraines since he was in his 20s, and he had headaches every day.

"It was varying in degrees," said McLaughlin. "He kept going, but he always had a headache."

He also had heart trouble and doctors said there wasn't much that could be done to correct them, she said. He had been to Cleveland Clinic in May for a second opinion.

She said he was quieter and more withdrawn in the last month of his life, and that was the only indication of anything different.

"I just think that he was overwhelmed with helplessness," she said.

She said her husband was always working at the church, only taking two vacation days this year, and was overburdened in his role there.

"He took on everyone's burdens to the detriment of himself," she said.

In spite of this, she said her husband loved people and wouldn't want any member of his church family to blame themselves.

"He loved his church family very much and he considered them part of our family," she said.

The people he loved felt the same about him, she said. His family received more than 200 cards, hundreds of messages online and 45 pages of signatures in the register book at the funeral home.

The cards and notes were from people who considered Roy McLaughlin a blessing in their lives, she said. Some people reminisced about him being at the hospital during the birth of their child, or staying all night with someone as they struggled through a spouse's battle with cancer.

"He was always ready to help," she said. "He was a very giving man."

McLaughlin's sons remember their father for being someone to turn to and always caring.

"He was not only our dad and our pastor," said Matthew McLaughlin. "He was my best friend."

Larry Barker, director of North American operations at the Baptist Missionary Association of America, knew McLaughlin for about 20 years through that organization and Cornerstone Baptist Church, and said he found the news hard to believe.

"It's one of the most shocking things in my life to be honest with you," he said.

He said McLaughlin's relationships with his wife and four sons were ideal.

"His family, in my opinion, is the picture of how a family ought to be," Barker said.

Neva McLaughlin said she wants to research pastor burnout, because pastors are quitting the ministry and suffering from stress.

In spite of his "one moment of weakness," she said she believes her husband is in heaven.

"No, that's not God's will," she said. "But God also knows that we're human."

McLaughlin was senior pastor at Cornerstone Baptist since 1992, according to information on the church's Web site. He is survived by his wife, Neva, sons Matthew and wife Dana of Swartz Creek, Jonathan and wife Rachel of Flint, Michael and wife Kelly of Flushing and Jason of Swartz Creek.