Pastor's Blog: A Tale of Two Anniversaries
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This Sunday morning in both worship services our church will mark our 77th Anniversary with two commemorative events, the presentation of the refurbished Sanctuary Bible that was given to the church at the dedication of our Sanctuary in 1967 and the unveiling of a historical marker, designating Mountain Brook Baptist Church as the oldest house of worship in continuous use in this community.
When the Church Sanctuary was being built, the church’s leadership wanted the theme of the architecture and its furnishings to be: “Proclaiming the Word of God.” Consistent with that theme, our church’s pastor, Dr. Dotson Nelson, Jr., came across what he thought would be a special commemorative Bible and purchased it for regular display and use in our church worship. Over the course of time, the Bible had become too worn to remain in view. But as a part of our 75th Anniversary, the family of Dr. John Mills agreed to fund the restoration of this special Bible. Though a dentist by profession, Dr. Mills had a hobby of bookbinding and antique book preservation. Hence, his family enthusiastically stepped forward to help with this restoration in his memory. We had intended to dedicate this restored Bible at the 53rd Anniversary of our Church Sanctuary in March 2020, but COVID required us to suspend in-person gatherings and we chose instead this year’s September anniversary date as our time to re-present this sacred text, which we will begin to display on our communion table as an ongoing symbol of our commitment to carry on our church’s vision of “Proclaiming the Word of God.”
Likewise, the church’s historical marker came from the work of the church’s 75th Anniversary committee. Members of that committee went through the process of making application with the Jefferson County Historical Association and providing the pertinent information to gain approval for such a designation. The fact that so few churches have received such designation shows how highly our congregation is esteemed by this community and respected for our years of service.
As you are surely aware, this weekend our nation will also commemorate the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attack. While we normally focus on the devastation that took place at the World Trade Center in New York, you’ll remember that there was a separate attack on the Pentagon and another attack that was thwarted by brave passengers. It was a day that did away with our nation’s assumption that we were safe from the type of attacks that we saw in other places. That tragic day when, if we were alive, we could remember the precise place we were when the news came our way.
As a baby boomer, I always struggled to relate to my elders who thought the same way about December 7, which is the anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. It was only when I had the opportunity to go to the harbor and see the submerged USS Arizona did the reality of that moment hit me and I finally understood the deep remorse that so many older Americans felt at the time. I also had the chance to visit the World Trade Center rubble about a year after its destruction, and the same remorse washed over me, especially as I walked up the street to St. Paul’s Chapel, an Episcopal church only 100 yards from where the Twin Towers collapsed, which gave it the name, “The Little Chapel That Stood.”
You will no doubt see many programs commemorating the 9/11 attacks, each of which will be important for us to see. As hard as it will be for me to watch the footage, some of which has not been seen before, I will do so as a way of remembering the tremendous losses so many experienced that day, and the blow our nation’s psyche took in the process. As the early 20th Century Spanish philosopher George Santayana was to have said: “Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it.” Even Santayana’s words are most sobering in light of the rise of terrorist cells in Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen, and other places we may not yet be aware of.
However, let’s take courage in the perseverance of St. Paul’s Chapel and as believers in Jesus offer a witness to a nation marked by fear and uncertainty that God holds the future and His grace will be sufficient for every need. Let’s bear witness to our hope in the Risen Christ, whom the powers of death and darkness could not overcome. Let’s point others to that divine power that can bring something marvelous from rubble and something glorious from evil.
Perhaps it’s providence that these anniversaries would coincide. Our church began toward the end of World War II. Our Sanctuary was constructed in the middle of the Vietnam War. Hudson Hall and other additions were being built in September of 2001. May these anniversaries remind us of how our church must ever be committed to “Proclaiming the Word of God” at all times, especially in times when our community and our world need the encouragement God has called us to provide. Such is our heritage, our heart, and our hope.
“As for God, His way is perfect: The Lord's word is flawless; He shields all who take refuge in Him” (Psalm 18:30).