From The Pastor’s Desk

On March 12, 2012, I had one of the greatest privileges in my ministry. I had the honor of baptizing Mr. William Wyatt Hammond and his daughter, Vicki Jones. Mr. Hammond was 96, and over his lifetime, he could recall many memorable events: friends, his time in the war, jobs and football games, and experiences with his “boys” (he was a longstanding coach in the town). He recalled family life, especially the day he gave his life to Christ. However, the one event that he did not have a story to share was the day he was baptized.

He does not ever remember his parents telling him that he was baptized as a child, and he knows that as a teen or as an adult, he never came before the church and God and was baptized. So, as he says, “While studying and in preparing for the final”, he asked me to come to his home and to baptize him.  What an honor to sit before this stately man who had served God his entire life; he told me that at the age of 15, he gave his life to Christ at a camp meeting. I asked him about his beliefs and his promises in his faith. I then baptized him in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  It was a high and holy moment.

To add to this most incredible occasion, I watched a proud father smile as his daughter answered those same questions because she was never baptized. She was now baptized on the same day as her father. Laughing, she said she missed that step somewhere along the way, but she never missed a step with Jesus. This brought it all full circle as father and daughter made this commitment, and the covenant was made together. 

I am truly blessed to be a pastor and to be able to serve God in such a way as to have sat with this family in the presence of God and know that I was a part of that day. Oh, let me tell you, I genuinely love what I am doing, and I am doing what I love. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to serve in this capacity. THANKS BE TO GOD.

Come Grow With Us,

Misty