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''I just really believe God said, 'I need you over here.' So I'm going to Palm Bay,'' says the pastor of Calvary Bible Church in Inverness.
By GAIL HOLLENBECK
© St. Petersburg Times, published February 15, 2003
INVERNESS -- After 17 years of ministry at Calvary Bible Church, David and Lisa Cannon have accepted the call to lead a church in Palm Bay, just south of Melbourne.
"We've been very happy here and with what's been accomplished," Cannon said. "There are some things that are left unfinished, but the Lord evidently has that for someone else to finish. I just really believe God said, 'I need you over here.' So I'm going to Palm Bay."
Mrs. Cannon said the church here has grown spiritually.
"I feel like we've seen the church through its birth, its infant growth years and even a little bit of teenage years -- the turbulent years -- and now I think the church is at its strongest. It's come into maturity as a young adult and it's ready to just move forward. The people are the most unified, they're loving, they've got one mind to work together. To us it's just been wonderful."
Other than concerns that her children might not be happy about the idea, Mrs. Cannon said the decision to leave was easy for her.
"I would voice my opinion and how I felt, pro and con, and I just kept telling (David), "You've got to make sure you know what God wants you to do because you step out in faith to do what God wants."
The children -- Christen, 21, Joseph, 19, and Andrew, 10 -- are excited about the move, Mrs. Cannon said, and she became convinced that her husband was in God's will in making the decision.
"I'm confident he is following God," she said. "David is a man of few words and he hardly ever makes black-and-white statements. But he came to the point where he said, 'I just believe this is what God wants me to do.' "
Pastor Cannon said Grace Bible Church, which is about 40 years old, has been without a pastor for about a year. The congregation is about the same size as the one he led here.
"It's in a part of Palm Bay that has slowly run down and deteriorated. They had the vision a few years ago to purchase land in a new and very prospering and growing part of town -- 5 acres -- and that land has more than doubled in price since they purchased it."
The church sold its existing building, Cannon said.
"A Lutheran church group asked if they were interested in selling the old building. They hadn't even put it up for sale or anything. It just seems everywhere you look, it's the Lord preparing them and opening doors. Somehow, I'm a part of that process."
Mrs. Cannon said her husband is well suited for the task of leading the new church. "They'll be in a new building in a new area of town with a new pastor. It's kind of like starting a church, and I think that's David's strong point.
"He's got that steady faithfulness that he can just stay through thick and thin."
The Rev. Tom Frazier of Clearwater will head Calvary Bible Church in Inverness until the church finds a new pastor. The Cannons' last Sunday will be Feb. 23.
Cannon is pleased with the work that has been accomplished here.
"The chapel is full. It's running about 100 on Sunday," he said. "We've been working with the young people. We had fewer than 10 in the beginning of the school year and now there are 30, so that's shown a lot of growth. The Youth Ranch's new building is completed on the outside. The church is debt-free.
"I think the Lord helped me in communicating the move and why to the folks so that they could accept it. They are very supportive."
During his time here, Cannon also ministered in local nursing homes and prisons and was part of the pastoral program at Citrus Memorial Hospital. Mrs. Cannon led many women's ministries and was one of the pioneer homeschool leaders in this county.
"We love this community," Mrs. Cannon said. "I'm just so glad that my children have been here and could grow here. In all these years we've been here in ministry, God has built up a wonderful track record of faithfulness.
"Even though I don't know what's ahead of us, because of God's faithfulness, I can go confidently, and that has brought me such peace."