Pastor's Blog: Some Members Are Silver; the Others Gold
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My sister used to have a sign in her room about making new friends, while keeping old ones. The tag line was that some of them were silver and the others gold. I often wondered if one group was supposed to be more cherished than the rest, but I think the point of the poster was that all friends should be valued. Some just come into our lives sooner than others.
That same principle might apply to those of us who belong to Mountain Brook Baptist Church. Some of us have been a part of this fellowship for decades; others of us have come only recently. But all of us are important to our church’s ability to fulfill the mission God has for us to perform. Nonetheless, there should be times when we give attention to those who have indeed been a part of this fellowship longer than the rest of us.
One of those times has to be at such an important occasion in the life of our church as our 75th Anniversary. On next Sunday, September 29, our church will come together for a combined service at 10:30 a.m., preceded by a churchwide brunch in Heritage Hall at 8:45 a.m. Between the brunch and service there will be a display of church archives in Hudson Hall until 10:15 a.m. and then after the service at 11:30 a.m. We anticipate a number of guests being with us that day, many of whom will be wearing silver ribbons for purposes of identification. We also want to take the opportunity on this special Sunday to recognize those members who have been a part of our church for 50 years or more. These members will be wearing golden ribbons. You get the picture: some will be silver; some will be gold.
Of course, there are two rubs. One is that church records are notoriously flawed. In our church’s case, we don’t have a way of tracking those persons who have totaled 50 or more years of membership. In other words, if you joined the church years ago, then moved away (or moved your membership during your college years) and came back, we only have a record of when you returned. So, we need you to let us know if your membership here qualifies you to be a “golden member.” If you think you qualify, please contact Barbara Morgan (Barbara@mbbc.org) or call the church office.
The second rub is much easier. Some of you haven’t totaled 50 years yet, but you are getting close. No worries; we’ll be recognizing a new group going forward every year in September. If you don’t quite qualify on this go around, don’t fret. Your time is coming.
Then there are those of us who are more than likely never to make 50 years. We’re special, too. But it’s our joy to be a part of a church that honors longstanding commitments and takes the time to express appreciation to those who have given of themselves to our witness for such a period of time.
Some of us are silver; some are gold; and all are special. I like that. More than anything, if I never qualify for a ribbon of any color here on earth, I can be certain that my time at MBBC, whatever the duration, will keep me focused on “the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the Righteous Judge, will award to me on that day – and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:8).
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves” (Philippians 2:3).