By Marilyn Hicks
Ever since Ron Carter announced that he was moving on, my head has been spinning with so many memories—not just of Ron’s ministry with us, but also of over 62 years of personal experiences I have had at First Christian Church. My husband, Bob, and I have been members of this church since the 1940’s. His family moved here in 1941, mine in 1943, and we have been actively involved here consistently ever since.
Because of this, I have asked permission to write a series of articles focusing on the faithful. We have so many wonderful Christian folks here at First Christian who have steadily, faithfully attended, served and “hung in there” through “thick and thin”—these are encouraging examples for each of us as we now go through yet more changes during this current transition.
As I prepared to write this introductory article to my FOCUSING ON THE FAITHFUL series, it has been amazing to recall just how many changes we have experienced. I would like to take you “down memory lane” with me and maybe we will stir up some precious memories of your own to reflect upon.
We have “been here before”—changing leaders. In the over 60 years I have been at FCC, I can count 9 times. Some of our leaders were long-term—namely most recently, Benson, 12 years; Fogleman, 5 years; Pense, 16 years; and Carter,19 years. These long-term ministries speak well of stability and continuity of a church. Moreover, we will survive this transition—as before!
As I reflect upon just a few of the various changes through the years, it has been interesting to recall and note how our culture plays into the church and how it functions. We’ve gone from hard wooden pews to cushion “theatre seats” to cushioned pews to cushioned individual seats. We have had brown hymn books, rust-colored hymn books, green hymn books and then to no hymn books at all and “singing off the wall.” (This started with the overhead projector, advanced to slides and now is Power Point with beautiful pictures). The church has progressed from a one staff leadership (minister) to multiple staff and secretaries. We started with worship with one piano, to piano and organ (which we prayed for, sacrificially saved for and finally were able to purchase), to various instruments including guitars and drums. (Eventually the beloved organ just “disappeared”).
Here’s a test for you long-term “old-timers.” Do you remember: Sunday School Superintendents, Sunday School opening exercises, singing “Sweeter As The Years Go By” as friends put their birthday pennies in the missionary globe bank, the board on the wall posting attendance and offering of the day, cross and crown perfect attendance pins, annual watch-night service on New Year’s Eve, elders/deacons filing by twos up the aisle to pray before serving communion and taking the offering (all in suits and ties), Daily Vacation Bible School every morning for two weeks each summer, choir in robes in the loft and singing a special every Sunday morning, Sunday night services, Wednesday night prayer meetings and Bible Studies, evangelistic meetings,
Christian Endeavor, all-church potluck dinners, Ladies’ Missionary Society, and on and on.
These above mentioned items are all part of our history as well as in some cases, a cherished past. Yes, lots of it is outdated and for a former time (and perhaps, culture), but remembering does bring a feeling of nostalgia to those of us who experienced it. Churches change, but the message, I am happy to state, is the same: Jesus Christ crucified and risen again, is the basis of God’s gift to us—redemption and eternal life. The purpose of the church is to get this message out to all, and because this message is still being taught every week, I am still here. We have work to do.
And this brings me to my goal of the coming series of articles. I am so encouraged as I look around at church and see so many of my faithful, Christian friends who have shared their church past with me and are always here, continuing to attend, raising their children and grandchildren to serve and growing in the Lord. Some folks I’m going to write about experienced “the good old days” with me even in the downtown building at Pearl and Randolph Streets long ago. Others came along later, but still have decades of faithfulness, we’ve shared together. I’m anxious to share with you, my readers, some thoughts from these dear folks of just what motivates the consistent faithfulness we see in their lives.
The following song by Steve Green titled “Find Us Faithful” keeps ringing in my heart and mind and says the thoughts that I want to convey as we look at the lives of our fellow believers, as well as our own, beginning in next month’s Connection. Meditate on these words:
FIND US FAITHFUL
by Steve Green
We’re pilgrims on the journey of the narrow road,
And those who’ve gone before us line the way
Cheering on the faithful, encouraging the weary
Their lives a stirring testament to God’s sustaining grace.
Surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,
Let us run the race not only for the prize,
But as those who’ve gone before us,
Let us leave to those behind us
The heritage of faithfulness passed on through Godly lives.
CHORUS:
Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful,
May the fire of our devotion light their way,
May the footprints that we leave lead them to believe
And the lives we live inspire them to obey,
Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful.
After all our hopes and dreams have come and gone,
And our children sift through all we’ve left behind,
May the clues that they discover and the memories they uncover
Become the light that leads them to the road we each must find.
Chorus again—Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful,
May the fire of our devotion light their way,
May the footprints that we leave lead them to believe
And the lives we live inspire them to obey.
Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful.
**Look for articles on Faithfulness starting in November. |
