My church travels:
Ron and I had come
home to Montgomery from Demopolis, AL; I believe just for one purpose, our
salvation. We had been attending for a few months and our hearts were ripe for
harvest. We walked the aisle of First Assembly of God and accepted Jesus Christ
as our Lord and Savior, May 18, 1980. It was after the guest speaker, Betty
Baxter, gave her testimony of how God healed her crippled body.
As baby
Christians, we were soaking up the Word of God, the presence of the Holy
Spirit, and learning to grow in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ.
By Christmas 1980, we were on our way to New Jersey for Ron’s employment. Although we visited a few churches while there, we never plugged in anywhere before moving back south (MS) seven months later.
Cedar Lake Christian Assembly, Biloxi, MS ~ Dr. Kenneth Broadus
We attended Cedar Lake for a few years (1981-85). The children were involved with Youth Group and Royal Rangers. I was really being fed the Word of God. Worship was awesome and I was lost every Sunday in the presence of God. The Holy Spirit baptized me with a prayer language and I grew…and grew…and grew. This was the first time the Lord specifically directed me to leave my place of worship.
Grace Christian Church & Academy, Ocean Springs, MS ~ Pastor Jack Williams
The children were
enrolled at Grace Christian Academy for school attendance and I worked in the
church office to satisfy their tuition. I was now attending Grace Christian
Church (1985-86) since I was already working in the office there.
Although they were a nondenominational church, having split from a Baptist church, their beliefs were still Baptist. Since I got saved in the Assemblies, I couldn’t understand why God would send me to a Baptist Church.
There was one particular Sunday night He gave me a word for the congregation and I just couldn’t give it. I was still a new Christian and not confident or bold enough to obey. The service dismissed and I went out to my car and cried and cried. I told the Lord I would do my best never to disobey Him again. I have since gained that boldness but still wait patiently for Him to confidently confirm His promptings to me.
After my failure to speak at Grace, I became miserable staying at a church that needed to hear a “reprimand” from God that I couldn’t give. There was gossip and lack of confidence in the pastor. I talked to a friend who told me to pray and ask God if I should leave. I was released but had no idea where to worship now.
Grace finally dissolved, a prime example of the damage done from gossip and backbiting.
Fountain of Praise, Gautier, MS ~ Pastors Bob and Anne Tolar
A friend told me about a new charismatic church just established. I knew I had found a home the first time I visited. We stayed a few years and I volunteered in the office typing the weekly bulletin and sometimes doing the overhead. We grew and eventually moved into a bigger building.
I worked in the office at Vancleave United Methodist Church during the week, a paid position, but my heart and loyalty were at Fountain of Praise, where I was being spiritually fed.
So why did I wake up one Sunday morning totally confused as to where I would attend church? It was like I had been rowing my boat toward Fountain of Praise for so long and now I was sitting dead in the water. All of a sudden, I had a vision of my boat changing course and I started rowing toward Vancleave Methodist. Fountain of Praise was growing faint in the distance. What was God doing?
Vancleave United Methodist, Vancleave, MS ~ Pastor Bobby Barton
Now I was in a Methodist Church, a denomination I hadn’t attended since childhood. The people were great and the sermons were scriptural but there was no “fire of the Spirit” that I was used to. I only attended for a short time when my husband accepted a position in Japan and we were to leave in a few months. I wondered why God would move me out of a church I loved just to move me again a few months later. Why didn’t He just leave me where I was?
Hario Chapel, Japan ~ Chaplain Jerry Gonzales
I thought I would be lost in Japan but we had access to the military base so I made Navy friends and attended the Hario Chapel just fifteen minutes from our home in Kawatana. I learned quickly that God is not limited by geography or denomination.
I soon met a visiting evangelist, LaVonne Hira, who gave me insight as to why God moved me from one church to another back in MS. She explained it was really His mercy that came into play. He knew how difficult it would be to leave Fountain of Praise to go to Japan but not difficult at all to leave Vancleave Methodist to go to Japan. We stayed there five years and then I rowed my boat across the Pacific and back to MS.
Vancleave United Methodist, Vancleave, MS ~ Pastor Randy Robbins
Returning to the community we had left was an ideal homecoming. Fountain of Praise was no longer active so I revisited Vancleave Methodist. The new pastor was not of the denominational cookie-cutter tradition and I was pleasantly surprised.
Unfortunately, he didn’t last very long because of this and so while we were in the midst of building our home, I stayed out of church for almost three months. Very soon I realized being absent from the presence of God and from fellowship with God’s people was a huge mistake. I was fading spiritually. My boat was in a storm so I began to make waves in search of another church.
Vancleave Assembly of God, Vancleave, MS ~ Pastor Bennett Coker
Even though I had gotten saved in an Assembly of God, I did not immediately gravitate to the local A/G church. For several weeks I visited churches in Ocean Springs and Gautier. Strangely enough, it was a sermon in a Gautier church that sent me back to Vancleave A/G. When I entered in the middle of the pastor’s sermon, his message confirmed that I was home. My boat had docked again.
The death of my husband in 2003, however, capsized my boat and I found myself in a huge tidal wave of confusion and uncertainty. I decided no move was the best move and so I stayed in still waters for eighteen months.
Then God up-righted my life and moved me closer to my daughter and family in Bartlett, TN. I climbed back into the boat and my rowing commenced. I put into port a few different places until I docked at Bartlett First Assembly. I was home and with a church family again.
I didn’t know how long I would be here for God makes waves and directs our course but for right now I’m . . . steady as she goes.
Napa Valley Baptist Church, Napa, CA ~ Pastor Ron Driscoll
Steady as she goes lasted nine years before it took me to Napa, CA in March 2013. I moved temporarily to help my sister as caregiver to my mother and brother-in-law. I found a nice church just down from my mother’s house and was warmly welcomed into the fold. I don’t know how long I will remain in Napa because home is still Memphis and I will return there eventually. For now, I’m happy to just cruise around the wine country.
I stayed in CA as caregiver until June 2015. My brother-in-law passed away April 15th and my mother moved in with my sister April 22nd. Caregivers were lined up for mother 24/7. I was burned out and needed some rest.
Bartlett First Assembly of God, Bartlett, TN ~ Pastor Johnny Byrd
I returned to my home church and settled in again to be with my family and church family. I was content for three years and then God, in His infinite wisdom, began to remove my affection for Bartlett First Assembly. I loved my church, my pastor, my friends. The sermons were awesome and I had a place and purpose. God used me there.
So, I asked..."Why are you messing with me, God? I’m happy here,” but He didn’t relent.
After finally making the decision to be "obedient" to the call, I spoke to my pastor through many tears and told him God was moving me again. He gave me his blessing and agreed I needed to be obedient.
First Assembly Memphis, Cordova, TN ~ Pastor Tom Lindberg
In seeking out where God
wanted me next, I began visiting around and finally found a home at First
Assembly Memphis. I found my niche in a wonderful Sunday school class of
75 members. I loved the sermons and the worship. I have since discovered God’s
reason for moving me here. It was to meet Sara Garrett who would introduce me
to Moriah House, a recovery residential program for women, where I volunteered
at the front desk and provided taxi service as needed.
I felt an unsettling in my spirit again and just as I was preparing to attend Sunday school and church at First Assembly in person (post pandemic), I had the distinct impression God was preparing me to move again. He spoke clearly, “Go to Legacy.”
Legacy Church, Bartlett, TN (formerly Bartlett First Assembly) ~ Pastor Johnny Byrd
June 6, 2021, I obeyed God’s direction and attended Legacy. I walked in to be greeted by many friends. It seemed as if I'd returned home since I was a member of Legacy about thirteen years before moving my membership.
My mother (101) had passed away June 1st and I hadn't cried until that morning when Pastor Johnny led the church in praying for me. The Holy Spirit was so strong within me and I prayed in the Spirit for the first time in a long time.
Lord, am I home now for good or will I move again? Just let me know. I always want to obey your promptings.
After church, I sat down at my computer and wrote my pastor and Sunday school teachers at First Assembly Memphis. I always want to explain why I leave a church. I don’t ever want them to believe it is for anything other than obedience to God. They gave me their blessings.
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