The congregation sang “Happy Birthday” to all members with May birthdays.
We wish Cliff “Buddy” Wooldridge a happy day on 5-21. Jim Leatherwood and James Sage both celebrate a birthday on 5-29.
Travis and Melba Rasberry have an anniversary on 5-21 and we send them congratulations.
More congratulations are in order as Cole Leatherwood is getting married in Hearne, TX this week. Cole’s parents are Eddie and Effie Leatherwood. We wish much happiness for Cole and his young lady.
There were many guests in church on Mother’s Day. Jim and Laura Leatherwood had their children, the children’s spouses and their grandchildren with them. Nancy and Buddy Wooldridge had their daughter visiting them. The young woman said she had been having a lot of fun with her mom. Doris Morton sat with one of her grandsons and a great-grandson.
We enjoyed four other guests from Stephenville and Dublin who were not related to members.
Pastor Ken Lunsford had a contest for the oldest and youngest mothers attending church on 5-11 and Doris Morton won for the oldest! Megan Leatherwood won for the youngest mom present. Both ladies received a Bible from Pastor Ken on behalf of our church.
Pastor Ken presented little pins to all the mothers present. The Moore brothers, Cole, Brady, and Conner handed them out to the ladies.
Laura Leatherwood gave the children’s lesson and she brought a picture of her mother to show. She told a large group of youngsters that her mother was in heaven. Laura said if you have a mom what kind of gifts can you give her. The answers were hugs, flowers, gifts, scratch her back, and do your chores. Laura said you could make her happy if you obey the rules, pray to God, read the Bible and look for Jesus’ words in red letters. When you know Jesus’ teaching you can obey Him. Then she gave all the children a back scratcher for their moms.
The congregation extends profound sympathy to the family of Megan D’ann Horry. Megan is the granddaughter of Dean and Ruthie Bradley.
Rev. Ken Lunsford’s sermon was “Mothers Day!” The scripture read was Romans 16:1-13 but Pastor Ken took meaning from many other places in the Bible that gives credence to women.
In Paul’s letter to the Romans he singles out 26 people for a personal greeting. Six of these were women. I think this shows the influence that women had in the early church. In the male oriented first century Palestine, it is telling that Paul could not describe the church without mentioning the significant role of women.
There are a lot of important jobs in the world today but not one is more important than the job of being a mother. I would like to salute all of the mothers who are with us today.
First Mothers have tenacious love. As I go around and make hospital calls I see that sick rooms wear out fathers a whole lot quicker than they do mothers. Fathers get impatient and go in and out, but moms stick it out.
There is an obscure story in the Old Testament about Rizpah. She had two illegitimate sons by King Saul. The sons participated in a conspiracy which resulted in many deaths. When David took the throne he had these men hung on a public gallows.
Rizpah goes to the site and begins a sad and lonely vigil beside bodies of her two sons. We are told she drove away the vultures by day and the jackals by night. When King David heard of this mother’s vigil and tenacity he was moved to compassion. He went to Gibeon personally and had the bodies given a decent burial.
The highest tribute that we can give our mothers is not to praise her, or give her a gift, not to pay a visit, or to come to church with her on her day. It is to be the kind of person that she, and our Heavenly Father, want us to be.
Last Monday, May 12, was a cold and wet evening but we had warm and cordial Trustee Board meeting. Progress was made and they hope to move forward on improvements for our building.