Which institutions one might be associated with can effect their entire future life. The most important thing a parent can do is attach their children's self value to an institution of real value. Having that value attached to an institution like a church makes the child and later on the adult want to live up to the higher spiritual values that being associated with the religious institution implies to others. There is an old adage that it is at the end of a man's life does he then understand and appreciate how important his decisions were at the beginning of his life. We find ourselves blessed that one of those decisions early on was to associate with and most importantly continue a close association with the First Baptist Church of Richlands NC. Indeed over the decades despite living elsewhere we kept up with the events of this church and continued our shared experience of participating in the many activities either personally or through my father who was a lifelong member.
This Sunday's opening and dedication of the long waited for Family Life Center at the church brings much of these experiences full circle for us. Our long association with this church began as a child in June 1960 almost 54 years ago We were there as a young teenager when the church first considered the cost of building the present church buildings. We were there when the church built and moved to it's current location. We were there when the discussion commenced on building the new Family Life Center back in August 2003.
When the fund raising for the new building commenced the church began using the phrase "equal sacrifice, not equal gifts". At first we had issues with the word sacrifice, because we thought it negative sounding and besides gifts to God should not be considered "sacrifice' but more "gifts". But we have changed our minds about that idea as we now see the importance of using the word "sacrifice" in this situation. This goes back to building and maintaining an institution, in this case being a church. Every once in awhile the best way to keep people together and holding onto the shared values is to have a generational moment of shared sacrifice. The members and those associated with First Baptist Church are indeed having a moment of shared sacrifice and shared participation in the funding and building of this new building. It is not any different that the past generational moments when new buildings were needed and money raised and buildings built. We continued the tradition and bound ourselves together as Christians to make it happen.
It has been almost seven years ago we sat in our father's living room talking about his desire to see his church more forward and build a new needed building. With declining health and advancing years he wanted so much to be a part of the sacrifice and shared experience that brought about the March 23, 2014 dedication of the new Family Life Center. He asked us to take some of what he passed on in life and be sure to do what he would have done financially to make sure this building became a reality. As we have stated earlier we told him to rest in peace that as long we were alive he would be too and we would do as he would have done. So he is part of this moment as well as us since we have shared in the "sacrifice" of erecting this building. Indeed several church members told me Sunday that he would have been pleased I came to be a part of the service. He certainly would be happy to see the Family Life Center become a reality.
We also would like to mention the current pastor Rev. Gary McAbee as something of a God send as well. It takes a special person and someone who has a strong faith in God to LEAD a church to take on such a task as building a new church building. Taking on the debt itself is enough to scare off the most confident person, therefore believing God will find a way and continuing to say so to your congregation takes faith. Through all this Rev. McAbee has been God's good and faithful servant. To that I will add my thoughts of "well done."
We personally have found something more in this shared experience. That being the small sacrifices and participation here has enriched our life more than expected. We find our spiritual values stronger and one of another of my father's long quoted phrases better understood. His use of the phrase "pass it on" is legend and frankly for many years I thought what he was saying to us and others was to pass on some of life's gains and God's grace to others. He did have that in mind, but more too. The shared experience and shared sacrifice of the new Family Life Center is truly a moment where we pass on the spiritual blessings of cementing the younger generation to this revered old church. One day we expect that there will come a time where they too will need to make sacrifices to get something done and they will then hopefully remember this moment, have a healthy dose of Rev. McAbee's faith, get it done and "pass it on' to another generation to continue the shared experience and shared sacrifice of being associated with this church.
In closing let us pass on a conversation we had with Billy Smith after Sunday's service when he walked up to us and mentioned that he had been at the groundbreaking of the older church buildings on this site. The groundbreaking had occurred at a point on the grounds where the new Family Life Center now stands and when the ground was broke Jack Whaley and member of the then new facilities committee had said he knew that one day there would be yet another building placed right where he was breaking ground. We hope those of us who remember Sunday's event will find the younger members now recalling this moment the way Billy Smith remembers one that happened almost a half century ago.
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