From Your Pastor's Heart - 01/15/2018
There were not many opportunities to drive on snow and ice when I was “Growing Up On Dump Ground Road.” Our winter weather in Central Texas usually amounted to 1-2 inches of white stuff about once a year. It would cover the ground in the morning, but be gone by noon. The ground temperature was generally high enough to prevent it from sticking to the roads, thus avoiding hazardous road conditions. The closest thing that I experienced in my youth to driving on slippery surfaces was the red clay and gravel road in front of our house.
As you know, things are quite different for those of us living in the Mid-South. We are prone to an occasional rain/sleet/snow storm, like we just experienced this past weekend. I don’t care in what region of the country you were raised; no one is prepared to drive on icy roads. The safest place to be at such times is at home with your family.
It is for that reason that we made the hard decision to cancel our services this past Lord’s Day. This is a conclusion that is not reached lightly by your Pastor and Deacon Chairman. However, when we weigh the need to gather for worship against the risk of serious injury to one of our members, the answer is very clear. I would much prefer to have our people miss one Sunday and be able to rejoin us in worship the following week, than have someone fall and be hurt to the point that they would never again be able to come to church. So like many of our neighboring congregations, we canceled our service to protect our people from harm.
Aside from the obvious loss of worship and fellowship time together, there are some other problems that result from missing a Sunday. One primary consequence is the lack of offerings on that week. Our small church depends upon the generous giving of our members and other supporters in order to maintain our facilities, pay our staff salaries, and meet our other financial obligations. Let me encourage you to either send your contributions by mail or bring them with you when you come next week.
By now, most of you have heard the sad news about my brother, Roy. He is battling cancer in his lungs, liver, lymph nodes and lower back. I am spending this week with him and his family in Pasadena, TX. Please join me in praying for the chemo to be effective and for God to bring healing to his body. Above all else, we pray for God to be glorified through this experience. Much like driving on treacherous roads, our confidence is in the Lord and His ability to guide and protect us until we are safely home.
Serving in love,
Bro. Jim