Last month was clergy appreciation month. Many churches took time out to show appreciation to their pastor and staff by honoring them with a special day. This celebration was not limited to one denomination, but was promoted by many different denominations.
Lynwood Baptist Church went above and beyond the call of duty. I have been in churches that have honored me as their pastor before and I have been in some churches that did not know such a day or month existed. However, I have never been a part of a fellowship of believers that demonstrated their appreciation for their pastor more than Lynwood.
Every day of the month someone did something special for myself and my family. We received cards and letters. We received cups and certificates. But most of all we received love and friendship. We were made to feel that we were a part of something special by a body of believers that we love to call our family.
However, Lynwood does not need a special month to demonstrate how much they appreciate their pastor, they do it everyday in a variety of ways. But here is the best news of all, they love to demonstrate this same type of appreciation for all people. On a typical Sunday morning or evening it is not unusual to see people hanging out after the worship service talking and fellowshipping with one another. They like to spend time with one another. We do not need to plan a formal fellowship for them to spend time with one another, they are just naturally drawn to one another.
There is laughter and there are tears as they minister to one another. Sometimes that ministry requires a listening ear or a warm embrace. Other times the ministry entails words of encouragement and affirmation as well as a challenge to do better. The thing about Lynwood is that we take seriously our Lord's call to love one another.
I am blessed to be the pastor of Lynwood Baptist Church. If you are a member of this fellowship then I want you to know how much I love you and appreciate you. If you are not a member and live nearby I want to encourage you to check us out. We are a simple laid back church trying to live out our faith in a complicated and confused world. We do not admit to having all the answers and do not pretend to do so. We are not perfect and to be honest there will be times that we will make a mistake. We are real people, with real struggles, and not afraid to be real with people.
We also know that God is real and that He is more than capable of dealing with whatever problem or difficulty we may have. Because God is real we try our best to live out His command to the best of our ability. Our desire is to Love God, Love people and serve the world. If you would love to be a part of a fellowship such as Lynwood, I invite you to come and be a part of the fellowship of excitement. God is doing amazing things in our midst.
Though I appreciate the kindness and love that has been shown to my family, it means much more to me to see this fellowship of believers demonstrating the same type of love and kindness to others. God has blessed us so that we can be a blessing. I hope to see you some day at Lynwood Baptist Church so you can bless us and we can bless you.
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