Yesterday, our church celebrated our 110th Year Anniversary. Having served as pastor for over forty years, I was asked to provide a brief overview of the church's history. The following represents what I shared:
There is a simple serenity found in the place that we meet for worship. The alabaster -white "board and batten" exterior, metal roof and steeple, along with inviting front door featuring a cross, make it clear that this is a church.
I never enter this sanctuary without experiencing a sense of awe related to its beauty.
The term sanctuary means a sacred place. It also carries the concept of a safe place. It is our belief that both definitions are reflective of who we are as a family of faith.
We are not an antiquated body, but an alive and active group moving toward the fulfillment of God's purposes. God's calling on our lives, coupled with the legacy of those from before us, equip us to continue the work for the Lord that was started long ago.
Paul wrote to the Hebrews: "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,"
The same could truthfully be said of Henly Baptist Church. This church is surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. Ours is a church with a rich legacy that dates back to July 12, 1914.
Initially, Henly Baptist Church was not located at this site. Our church was one of three churches that met in the Henly School. The school was located on RR 165. Our church met on the fourth Sunday of the month. The first Sunday was left open for any service, the second Sunday was for the Church of Christ, and the Methodist took the third Sunday. The fifth Sunday was dedicated to congregations meeting together.
I don't recall the year that the school building burned, but it eliminated church services in Henly. Subsequent to the fire, children went to school in a neighboring town.
Though it was two years in the planning, this church building, which was comprised only of the Sanctuary and a porch, was completed on August 18, 1939.
To be clear, let me remind you that a person's legacy is the memory someone leaves behind in others. It's the impact that remains long after you are gone.
The spiritual and in many cases, the familial building blocks for this church, represents a great cloud of witnesses. All of the original founders are now on the other side of eternity, yet their values and influence continue because of their legacy.
Janet Bradford has chronicled our history in the booklet provided to commemorate this 110th Anniversary celebration. Please pay attention to the details when you look at the booklet later.
Our sanctuary is linked to the past. The beaded ceiling lumber that covers both the walls and the ceiling compliment the wooden floor. Perhaps the thing that stands out most in our Sanctuary are the beautiful stained-glass windows. Most often, the windows were donated in memory of a former church member whose legacy lives on in the memories of those left behind.
When I first came as pastor in 1979, the church had been in existence for 65 years and located in this building for 40 years. I was invited to fill the pulpit toward the end of 1978 while the pulpit committee worked on finding a pastor.
On Monday. following my first Sunday to fill the pulpit, I received a phone call from one of the deacons asking if I could come back the following Sunday. That pattern fell in place over the next couple or three months.
During that period, Treva and Craig had not accompanied me to church in Henly. When the church invited me to come in view of a call as pastor, I felt comfortable bringing them with me. I had no idea how Treva or Craig would respond to a small church. We attended a much larger church in Austin.
Truth be told, I wanted my family to accompany me because I thought they'd give me a level of credibility I could never merit on my own. For one thing, I was only 32 years old. At the time, my brown hair covered down to about mid-ear, and I had a neatly trimmed full beard. I can assure you that never in the history of the church, had a pastor looked anything like me.
Following the morning worship service after the church cast secret ballots regarding their desire for me to be called as pastor, as soon as we got in the car to head back to Austin, Craig (age 7) said: "Dad, you'd be crazy if you didn't want to go to church here." The truth is, I did want to go to here.
I had prayed for that opportunity during the weeks I had filled the pulpit. Craig was insightful and he was right: "I'd be crazy if I didn't want to go to church here." I find that 45 years later, I still do.
Let me also add, the folks who have a stained-glass window donated in their memory were intricately involved and woven into fabric of the legacy we have been given. But it is important to note that those folks represent only the tip of the iceberg in terms of the rich legacy that has been ours.
This family of faith has always been comprised of folks who were "salt of the earth" kinds of people that loved the Lord and had the capacity to love one another. They were not pretentious in any way, but humbly gathered together with a debt of gratitude for God's love.
Everyone who enters through the door is welcomed and valued. There are no unimportant people. Across the years, there have been many who didn't have perfect attendance records. I always greeted them with a warm welcome and affirmed that it was good to see them. Most often I told them that as a family of faith, we are better when you are here.
For a period of time, we had a well-intentioned church member that had a very different approach. He'd see someone who hadn't been in church in several weeks and would almost yell across the parking lot as they made their way to the front door of the church; "Well, look at what the dogs drug up!" I wanted to beat my head into a wall every time I heard him.
I tried to provide gentle redirection. It didn't work. Subsequently, when he greeted folks in the same manner, I wanted to beat his head against the wall instead of mine.
In terms of legacy, where do you fit in:
- If your parents, grandparents or great grandparents where founding members of this church, would you please stand
- If you attended Henly Baptist Church as a child, would you please stand
- If you were married in this church, would you please stand
I know of no other church with the potential that we hold at Henly Baptist Church.
Week after week, I eagerly await our pastor's message and I greatly value his friendship. Just as walking into this sanctuary fills me with awe, the same kind of feeling occurs when I have the privilege of hearing what Pastor Lonny has to share
All My Best
Don.
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