Picture the first century church with me  “…..they received… with glad and generous hearts”,”…. and having favor with all the people”,”….. great grace was upon them all”,”….when he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad.”  This all according to the book of Acts.

Picture the 21st century church with me “…..they received…with glad and generous hearts”,”….and having favor with all the people”,”…..great grace was upon them all”,”….when he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad.”  This all according to the experience of this Pastor.

The month of October has been Pastor Appreciation month, not sure what official body of authority established this or how it is to be observed but our local church and the church at large has surely shown it’s appreciation for this  Pastor.  CHCC honored us with a gift of a large hand made quilt featuring a stitching of the church and the name of each member.   What a treasure!  It will proudly (I mean proudly in a ‘Christian’ sense) be displayed in our new house.  It truly is a heart felt gift both given and received.

The church at large has displayed grace, generosity, and love to us in our recent move from one house to another.  What a wonderful example of Christ likeness is the body of Christ  as it finds itself both recipients and givers of ‘great grace’.   We often compare ourselves as the contemporary church to the first century church, mostly in a negative light.  And at times we do fall short in areas of discernment, depth of doctrinal understanding, and commitment to proper worship of a Holy God. But when it comes to showing grace within the body of Christ  Center Hill and our friends at First Baptist of Clarion, First Baptist of New Bethlehem and Zion Baptist excel.  This has been proven time and time again over the past years as the Body has risen to extend favor where favor is not deserved and certainly not earned, the very meaning of grace.   What a privilege to be a part of the church today.  Thank you Center Hill and friends for being Christ to my family and me.

soli deo gloria