OSWEGATCHIE — A state Baptist group is recommending the ordination certificate of the Rev. Merton E. Parks be revoked.

The former pastor of Oswegatchie First Baptist Church was charged last week with possessing child pornography. The church is a member of the Empire State Fellowship of Regular Baptist Churches.

The fellowship, which is composed of about 170 Baptist churches statewide, is assisting the congregation with fill-in pastors for services until it finds a replacement. The Rev. Mr. Park's revocation can be done only where he was ordained, which was being researched Monday.

"He has disqualified himself and he won't get a recommendation from us for another assignment," said the Rev. Craig Golden, the state representative for Empire State Fellowship of Regular Baptist Churches. "I always thought he was pure of heart and has a lot of good qualities, but this is something we don't condone."

The Rev. Mr. Parks, 60, of 469 Oswegatchie Trail Road, was charged Thursday by St. Lawrence County sheriff's investigators with possessing a sexual performance by a child, a felony. He was arraigned in Canton Town Court and the case will be presented shortly to a St. Lawrence County grand jury.

The Fine resident is accused of downloading child pornography onto a computer. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Cyber Crimes Unit, part of Operation Flicker, reportedly tracked him using his credit card to buy child pornography from several Web sites and download it on a computer inside the church.

He had served as Oswegatchie First Baptist Church's pastor for about three years and worked previously for about five years in the same position at Hermon First Baptist Church. He also taught for about 17 years in private schools in New York and Pennsylvania before entering the clergy.

He admitted to sheriff's investigators that he downloaded pornographic images of young female teens to excite him for his wife because he suffers from erectile dysfunction.

"Over the next month or so, the congregation will need some healing," the Rev. Mr. Golden said. "It's a sad situation. It should have never happened."

Fellowship Baptist Church in Watertown is providing fill-in pastors to Oswegatchie First Baptist Church, church officials said Monday.