Rev. Bill Jenkin III, President of Continental Baptist Missions,
Rev. Nathan O. Osborne, III, Former pastor of Faith Baptist Church, Winter Haven, FL.
Dr. Richard C. Piatt II, Fellowship Baptist Church, Lakeland, FL.
Dan Riksen, Former deacon, Heritage Baptist Church, Beverly Hills, FL.
Personal References
"As I was thinking about what I wanted to say about Pastor today, I could have easily talked about his many accomplishments and accolades. All his years of service and dedication in the different places he's served the Lord through the years. But as I thought about what Pastor has meant in my life, what stood out was being a great preacher of the Word for sure. But also the time he has personally invested in me and my whole family through the many years. How he's been intimately involved in my life, not only my growth in the Lord, but also the struggles and tragedies that all of us go through as people living in this fallen world...
Pastor Hamilton is my spiritual father, we're gonna hang out in heaven together for eternity...all of our parts will work fine, we'll both be thin...thanks Pastor for introducing me to the Savior, who as promised has given me life and life more abundantly. Thanks for modeling grace to me, being non-judgmental, and oh so patient, there for allowing me to be honest, genuine and real. I'm so glad I met you, I'm so happy to say I call you not only Pastor but friend."
Ed Calcagni, parishioner. Excerpts taken from a speech, 10/23/11.
I have known Pastor Dave Hamilton personally since about 1987. We lived about 8 miles apart and ministered in different churches during the following years. I consider Pastor Hamilton to be a good friend. We came from entirely different backgrounds and yet we enjoyed one another's company. His church was an established congregation and mine was a mission congregation. He was a gentleman and spent time praying for us, coordinating youth activities together with us, and having joint choir cantatas with us. I always considered Pastor Hamilton to be a pastor's pastor. He never forced himself upon me as a pastor and yet he readily came alongside and encouraged me in all the work. Pastor Hamilton is a good preacher. He captured many of the good traits of his father who was also a good preacher. He liked variety in ministry. His way of introducing things to the church was gentle and generally well received. He also knew how to back down and away from things that were not well received. Pastor Hamilton was involved in the community by teaching in a local Bible college, through hospital ministries, special evangelistic outreach to a large Jewish population, personal Bible studies, and was a good personal counselor encouraging people who had special problems in the community. I believe that Pastor Hamilton has the capability of adapting to new situations readily. For those who are willing to accept direction, Pastor Hamilton has broad experiences which can be beneficial to many.
Rev. Stephen Haasch, Pastor Missionary
It is with joy that I can recommend my dear friends Dave Hamilton to you. I have seen the true "Pastor's Heart" in David Hamilton. I have seen him weep over illness and death. We have prayed together and I believe him to be a true man of prayer. He loves to preach. He is a people person with a genuine, persevering love. I believe that David Hamilton is uniquely prepared to serve the Body of Christ in this ministry. He is the kind of Pastor that can be trusted, "Blameless". He loves Christ supremely and has always demonstrated a "Christ-like Spirit" even in difficult circumstances.
Dr. Richard C. Piatt II, Fellowship Baptist Church, Lakeland, FL
It has been a blessing for me to grow and serve God under the ministry of Pastor Hamilton for over thirteen years. He is a man of integrity, gifted as a pastor/ teacher and led by the Holy Spirit. He is a student of the Word and sound of doctrine, a leader that leads by example. He is a Biblical counselor with great love for people.
His wife, Ruth, also loves the Lord and is a student of the Word. She thought it not beneath her as a Pastor’s wife to clean the churches restrooms as part of her ministry. I believe that any church or pastor that takes advantage of the Hamilton’s ministry can leave with confidence, knowing that their pulpit and congregation are in loving and capable hands.
Dan Riksen, Deacon, Heritage Baptist Church of Beverly Hills,
I served the Lord with Pastor Dave Hamilton as Assistant Pastor at Heritage Baptist Church until 1/1/12 when he left to begin this new ministry and I became the new senior pastor. We worked together for 20 months during which I got to know him and his heart fairly well. I can say that his first love is to glorify Jesus in his preaching and counseling. He is a man of high integrity who would be devastated if he ever thought he had brought shame to Christ and the cause of Christ. His second love is Ruth; their exemplary marriage is a marriage that brings glory to the Savior.
Rev. Barry Simmons, Heritage Baptist Church of Beverly Hills, FL