Notes from Shiloh's 135th Anniversary Sunday

Today we celebrated 135 years of God’s faithfulness to the Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church. What a church! What a history!! What a God!!!

Our media team prepared a brief video highlighting the history of our church. It was a wonderful testimony to the faithfulness of God to and through this wonderful local church.

Today’s worship was very encouraging to me. I believe our dreams are greater than our memories.

May the Lord be pleased to use Shiloh to spread the gospel and make disciples in a even greater way until Jesus returns!
I am especially grateful today for all our volunteers who serve at Shiloh. Thank you for your service and sacrifice. You make it happen!

Praise God for those who were baptized today.

I led an “old school” number with the choir today, “Rise Up and Walk,” by Rev. Milton Brunson and the Thompson Community Singers. I enjoyed leading in the musical praise and singing with our choir.

All of the music was uplifting today.

Pastor Keelan Atkinson of the Word Reformed Baptist Church of Greensboro (NC) was our guest speaker today.

I still “blame” Keelan for me being at Shiloh (LOL!). He is the one who repeatedly encouraged Shiloh’s chairman to look me up and invite me to preach.

Keelan preached from Jonah 1 during the 8 AM meeting and from Philippians 3 in the 10 AM service. Both messages were timely, challenging, and encouraging.

Praise God for those who were saved and added to the church today.

Today was the first Sunday I have not preached (somewhere) since my installation as Shiloh’s pastor in November 2008. It felt weird at first. But I really needed it. I cannot describe what it meant for me to worship with my congregation today and sit under the word preached with them.

Lord willing, I will resume our study of the Ten Commandments next Sunday with a message entitled, “Making Time for God” (Exodus 20:8-11).

I took daughter Natalie out for a date this afternoon. We had a good time. But she wished her big brother was with us. That’s love!

Thanks for praying for me this past week as I preached the citywide revival in Buffalo. It was a great week of worship, ministry, and fellowship.

Please pray for our Make a Difference Day 2010 that will take place this Saturday. We plan to blitz the city of Jacksonville with good works that will demonstrate the love of Christ (Matthew 5:16).