Pastor’s Blog

Mothers I Have Known

She would arise in the dark hours of the morning and see to it that my sister, brothers and I awoke to a crackling blaze in the fireplace. While we were not the wealthiest family in Putnam County, we ate like royalty. Biscuits were her specialty, but she was not bad with fried chicken or mashed potatoes either. Everyone in our family called her Nannan – my grandmother. She died just over four years ago and I still miss her.

There is another mother in my life. I have known her for only 19 years, but she is solidly part of my family. Every few weeks I join my siblings along with our own children to return to the place we still call home and share in one another’s laughter, career woes and boast of our children with this special mother. She is my father’s wife, and we affectionately call her Diane.

There is one other mom I should introduce to you. She can spot a fever on a child’s brow days before a thermometer can register one. She organizes the home, puts up with my sophmoric humor and critiques my sermons. She is not bad at making biscuits either! I have known her for more than 21 years – 20 of which we have shared in marriage. My children call her mamma or sometimes just plain ol’ mom. They sometimes get exasperated with being told to pick up their rooms or hang up the bathroom towels, but they never question her deep love and devotion for our family.

There have been other mothers in my life – Sunday school teachers, deacons and teachers – but Nannan, Dianne and especially Amy have been the best. Is it any wonder that loving maternal images come to mind when we think of the self-giving love of God? It was Isaiah who prophesized: As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem (Isaiah 66:13).

Mothers also have to negotiate through our anxieties. When we were children, the mom’s kissed away our “boo-boos” (and less face it, dads are generally lousy at this!); and moms would tell us we don’t have to be afraid of the dark. But what about when we grow up? We still need these mothers in our life to speak assurances and provide comfort. This Sunday take time to share with a “mother-figure” in your life your gratitude for God’s gift in her. This church is full of such mothers, so the task should be an easy one.

Grace and Peace,

Caring for the Poor

Caring for the poor is one of the messages for my sermon series: Here I Stand – Issues the Church Should Care About. Below are statics and links to help better inform the believer on how we can be involved.

• According to the National Association of Evangelicals a ten percent reduction in poverty equals and 30 percent reduction in abortions.
• A United Nations report states that 854 million people in the world suffer from the effects of hunger.
• The organization Bread for the World reports: In developing countries nearly 16 million children die every year from preventable and treatable causes. Sixty percent of these deaths are from hunger and malnutrition. In the United States, 11.7 million children live in households where people have to skip meals or eat less to make ends meet. That means one in ten households in the U.S. are living with hunger or are at risk of hunger.
• Research from the journal Pediatrics shows that preschool and school-aged children who experience severe hunger have higher levels of chronic illness, anxiety and depression, and behavior problems than children with no hunger.
• Golden Harvest Food Bank has served over 140,000 senior adults in this 25 county region. In addition they have served nearly 194,000 children in the same region. During the year it is not uncommon for a child to receive only one hot meal a day and that will be the free lunch they are provided at school. 

To explore how you can be a part of our church’s Benevolence Ministry which includes a food pantry, financial and legal counseling, as well as assistance with utilities, please contact our Minister of Missions and Faith Development, Kelly Hamilton (706) 733-2236 khamilton@fbcaugusta.org or his Administrative Assistant, Susan Perkins (706) 733-2236 ext.208 sperkins@fbcaugusta.org

• The World Food Program (www.wfp.org/english) is the food aid arm of the United Nations whose mission is to meet emergency needs and support economic and social development in the world. 
• Bread for the World (www.bread.org/) is a collective Christian voice urging our nation’s decision makers to end hunger at home and abroad.
• Golden Harvest Food Bank (www.goldenharvest.org) is a locally-supported, nonprofit, charitable food distribution center that provides grocery products to the hungry through our partner agencies, including our own church’s Benevolence Ministry and Food Pantry. Their service area encompasses 30 counties within Georgia and South Carolina
• Compassion International (www.compassion.com) exists as a Christian child advocacy ministry that releases children from spiritual, economic, social and physical poverty and enables them to become responsible, fulfilled Christian adults.
• World Relief (www.wr.org) The Mission of World Relief, as originated within the National Association of Evangelicals, is to work with, for and from the Church to relieve human suffering, poverty and hunger worldwide in the name of Jesus Christ.