There are many things I cherish about my first pastorate. Pastoring is the Lord's work, but it is the people business. If you cannot deal with people, accept people, love people, admonish people and lead people, do not think you will have an easy pastorate because that is what pastors do; deal with people.
Some pastors would have you believe that pastoring is 95% horrible and 5% rewarding. This is so misrepresented, especially in those smirking comments that some pastors make too often. Men who shouldn't be deacons can kill a pastor and crush a thriving ministry if the pastor runs from them or fails to lead them. True enough, some pastors never truly get a chance to lead because a church is deacon possessed rather than Christ centered and biblically led, by the pastor.
To encourage you,I want to share with you one of the most wonderful mornings I ever spent as a pastor. To set this up, it will sound discouraging to say that I was asked to make a home visit to plan a funeral with a senior saint. She did not want to tell me how to conduct her funeral, she just wanted me to know her story and her testimony. That day, this precious follower of Jesus Christ impacted my life. Some of the younger guys in ministry are missing moments like these and this is a shame. So, I share it here as a tribute to Mrs. Etta Edwards and a reminder to all in the ministry, that we are to be about serving the Lord and ministering to people.
I was invited to sit in the living room, honored to see a picture of this dear lady and myself taken at the church on the day we honored her for sixty years of service to 2 Baptist churches, as a Sunday school teacher. At the time, she was still teaching her class of ladies all of whom loved her dearly.
Ms. Etta, as I called her, began her story in a graceful and dignified manner; weaving a beautiful tapestry of a life well lived. Etta explained: " I was saved at age 13, joined Traveler’s Rest Baptist Church in Baker County, Georgia. I was baptized in the creek near the bridge on HWY 91 down toward Colquitt, by Brother Tedder"
I could see the slight change on her face as she explained how her mother died when she was only seven years old, leaving her older sister the age of 10 and a baby brother just four years old without a mother. Etta continued:" We grew up through the Depression, our family lost everything when I was 9 or 10. My dad farmed on halves, and I worked in the fields: Cotton and Peanuts. I carried water by hand ½ mile for house water."
As Etta sat thinking of the things she wanted to share I realized her story is a great American story of growing up in the south and I am privileged to hear what she had to say. "My grandparents came to help out after mother died and we all moved to El Model, Georgia. That is where I went to school in an one room school house. I was ten years old doing 6th grade work."
I remarked that she must have been pretty smart, she just smiled and nodded in the affirmative. The rest of the story came when Etta explained that after the new school was built up by the highway, the teachers held her back to put in her in the grade suitable for her age. Etta played basketball in school, finished school and went on to business school to learn English and shorthand.
Etta continued; " In 1936 I married Mr. Carl, I remember we farmed on halves on year and got fifty dollars at the end of the year. Carl started working with horses after that."
Etta smiled as she told me about her children: "In 1941, Wayne was born and by 1942 we had Larry, then Delores in 1944 and Gary came along in 1946.Wayne was the good student, he got a scholarship to FSU. Larry was hired to train horses in Mississippi."
Speaking fondly of all her children and sharing various memories, Etta began to talk about her church life. " I started attending First Baptist Quincy,Florida. Gary was a baby, and after I attended for a while, I was asked to be superintendent of 4& 5 year old Sunday School where I served for 6 years before Mrs. Faircloth, who taught a ladies Sunday school class groomed me to take it over and I did." This was the humble beginning of many years of Christian service that we celebrated with Etta while she was still here on the earth.
When we talked about serving in the church, Etta began to also talk about WMU at Central Baptist Church Albany, Georgia. Etta recounted:" WMU. we visited the sick, shut- ins and made real good friends: Mary Sikes, Margaret Knighton, Linda Davidson, Helen Bullington, Sara Stocks, Aileen Spurlin, Lois Varner…and others. We had prayer, visitation and we loved lunch at Ryan’s."
Etta made an indelible impression on my life that day and many other days, like when she would bring her Acts commentary to my Acts Bible study and check me against the commentator. She was never pushy or rude, but would often add insightful comments after each class. Etta left me with a quote that day that spread through our church, especially on the day of her home going celebration, which was a well attended event in the life of our church. You can tell alot about a person and their family by how many people attend the funeral. The only reason more people were not there, at her funeral, is because Etta survived many of them.
That quote was simply this:“The Love of Christ in you will make you want the best for everybody.”-Etta Edwards. This writing certainly doesn't do the life of Etta Edwards justice and certainly there is more to the story. Etta, Carl and their children even survived a collision with a freight train that split their automobile into two halves with no major injuries. In fact the only injury occurred from steeping on broken glass with bare feet, after the accident.
So what is the point? A tribute to Mrs. Etta Edwards, a thank you to God for allowing me to be in the ministry, otherwise I would have never met her. Also, a message of love to Delores, Roy and the Edwards family as well as a lesson to ministers and pastors. Take the time and make the time to know the people and know that they have saving faith in Jesus Christ.
You might go to them in an effort to be a blessing, but you will see the blessing is in knowing them, knowing their stories and knowing the testimony they give to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Another one of those lessons they don't teach in seminary. I will see Ms. Etta again one day and we shall worship the Lord as brother and sisters in Christ for eternity. What about you? Surrender to Jesus today and know forgiveness and the peace that passes all understanding.
To Christ alone be all Glory.
Andy Goode, Acts 20:24
Monday, May 17, 2010
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