Anniversary

Well, as you know as a church we are celebrating 137 years of Crawley Baptist Church tomorrow. There isn’t anyone alive who was there at the start. But it’s still going. I haven’t studied the history of the church carefully, but as far as I can tell, and certainly within the more recent history of the church, it is a church that has a good history. What do I mean by good? I mean it’s not a church with a history of disagreements and splits. Sure, there have been times when there have been difficult and honest conversations. Sure there have been times when decisions taken have left some people unhappy or upset. Sure there have been people who have left the church because they don’t like what’s going on or the direction they think the church is going. I know all of that’s true because all of it’s happened in my time as the minister. And, being honest, it’s never easy when any of this kind of thing happens. But, the church is a church with a good heart. It’s a church with a desire to work things out. it’s a church that finds a way through. People will always leave churches for all sorts of reasons. That’s true of every church through the whole history of the church. And yet, here we are. Celebrating the 137th anniversary of Crawley Baptist Church. As I reflect on the history of the church, with all it’s triumphs, all it’s failures, mostly I want to say thank you to those who have walked before me. I want to say thank you to those who have paved the way for me being able to do what I am doing today. You see, without those people, I would not be who I am today. We would not be who we are today. I am grateful to those who had the courage to walk their journey of faith, in the best way they knew how, over many years, shaping and guiding the church. We know times are always changing. The speed of change is the thing that’s changing most. And we’ve seen many. many changes to the way we do church even in the time I’ve been n the church. We are always looking to see what can and should change. I am amazed at how many books I can read on how I should be doing church today. Thing is, it seems to me God is creative and innovative God and he can work with pretty much anything when we do it with the right hear. Anyway, the point is this: thank you to those on whose shoulders I now stand. Thank you for walking your journey of faith in the best way you knew how. Thank you for laying the foundations for people like me. Thank you for enabling me to minster in your wake. Thank you for serving God well. Thank you. As we celebrate our anniversary tomorrow, it leaves me wondering what I am leaving for those who follow? What are we leaving? What will those who follow us be able to say about our time? I hope they’ll be able to thank us for walking our journey in the best way we knew how. That would be enough for me. And you?