Pastor's Blog: "Holy Week"
| | Dr. Wayne Splawn
Beeson Divinity School at Samford University has been an important theological institution in my life. Mary and I moved to Birmingham to attend Beeson soon after we were married, and in the early days of our marriage, the Beeson community was one of the primary sources of God’s blessing in our lives. I will forever be grateful for the people who loved and supported us as we trained to be ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ and embarked on the adventure we call marriage. Many of the people we met at Beeson have continued to be godly friends and mentors over the years.
One such person is Dr. Mark Gignilliat. I vividly remember the first time I saw Mark’s name in print. As you might imagine, I grossly mispronounced Dr. Gignilliat’s last name. The following semester was to be Mark’s first semester teaching at Beeson, so I signed up for his class without having met him. In hindsight, that was one of the best decisions I made during my seminary career.
As I got to know Mark better, I quickly came to see that Mark has a sincere heart for Jesus Christ, a love for the Scriptures, a first-class mind, and a deep desire to equip men and women to be faithful ministers in the local church. I once met Mark’s father at a baseball game and I told him that when I watch Mark teach the Bible, it is clear to me that Mark is fulfilling the purpose for which God created him. Mark has a unique blend of intelligence and personality that enable him to teach deep truths of the Bible in a way that connects with people from different walks of life. In addition to serving as a Professor of Divinity, Mark has also held the position of Canon Theologian at the Cathedral Church of the Advent for several years.
I was excited when Mark accepted my invitation to preach on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, April 11-13, during our Holy Week Services. I can’t think of anyone I would rather have with us during these important days. Per our usual Holy Week schedule, we will gather in the Chapel at noon on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. Each service will be followed by lunch in Heritage Hall at 12:30 p.m. On Thursday night we will have our Maundy Thursday Service in the Sanctuary at 6:30 p.m.
Visit www.mbbc.org/holyweek to find a complete listing of Holy Week worship opportunities and to register for lunch. I hope you will make plans to join us as we prepare our hearts and minds to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter Sunday!