I awakened in the very early hours of the morning and was content to be lost in thought until I rolled out of bed this morning a little before 5:00. Sunday before last, we celebrated the church's 110th anniversary. The church, which was organized in 1914, moved into a new building at the current location 85 years ago.
In many respects, the church's sanctuary still has a look of yester-year. It is a good look, and it grounds us to the legacy that has been ours. The wooden beaded ceiling that covers both the walls and the ceiling was fashioned from lumber that came from the University of Texas. They were refurbishing one of the buildings on their campus and graciously passed along the lumber that represents the interior of our church's sanctuary.
I was privileged to first come as pastor 45 years ago. If you do the math, that represents well over half of my life that Henly Baptist Church has represented my family of faith. Even though the walls, ceiling and floor look mostly the same, the church has incurred many improvements that could likely go unnoticed. Take for example, central heat and air conditioning. I'd call that a Godsend.
The first Sunday that I came, was kind of a chilling experience. There was a propane open heater located near the front of the church. It mostly served two purposes. It provided heat for the sanctuary, and it served as motivation not to sit in the back of the church when it was cold.
Most folks who were present when I first came as pastor, are now on the other side of eternity. I can truthfully say that my life was greatly enriched from having the experience of knowing them and loving them. Obviously, they fell into the category of being patient and long suffering. Never have I know such love from a family of faith.
This morning, I gave myself the task of inventorying all the church functions and experiences that have taken place at church in the last four and a half decades and identifying the one I found most meaningful. There are many things that vied for consideration. In fact, it was an impossible task. How do you assign value to things that perpetually contribute to one's sense of well-being? You cannot.
Yet, from a personal perspective, my daughter's wedding ranks very high on the list. Andrea and Kevin dated for a long time before they made a commitment in marriage. Initially, they were thinking of a destination wedding and planned only to invite immediate family.
I didn't cast a vote, but I was elated when Andrea and Kevin subsequently decided they'd prefer a church wedding rather than one on a beach in a faraway place. Perhaps that beginning of life together made Henly Baptist Church and their walk with the Lord one of the focal points and priorities of their life together.
For the past several years they have lived on ten acres a stone's throw from the church. I don't know who was more excited about their building a home in Henly, them or me? During the building process, I went by every day to look at progress. The builder once told my daughter something closely akin to: "You dad is an interesting fellow." Actually, he may have said, "strange fellow."
I am elated that both of my children and their families are actively involved in church. From a parent's perspective, it doesn't get any better than that.
All My Best
Don
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