Guest
blog Steve Grinnell
Baptist
Temple Church has given me so much. Our Baptist Temple ancestors
gave wholeheartedly to build this church on this corner so we (who
were not even born) could study God’s Word and hear His voice of
truth. For the past 100 years, members of this church family have
faithfully given to make sure that future generations have a
beautiful place to worship and a functional place to do ministry and
bring others to a saving knowledge of Christ.
Linda
and I joined Baptist Temple in January of 1982; I actually joined the
choir before we joined the church. It wasn’t long before we were
teaching children’s Sunday school, helping with VBS, and going on
mission trips. I’ve learned much from this church family:
When
life seemed like giant waves were about to crash down on me, Jerry
Beauchamp taught me that God will carry me through. When I was
saddled with a responsibility that I knew I didn’t have time or
expertise to accomplish, Bill McCoy and Elton Dudley just showed up,
quietly guided me through, and taught me to not give up. When I faced
opposition that made me feel like I was battling a giant with only a
handful of rocks, Woody Woodall said “stand your ground and fight
fair.” Boyd White taught me to pray, and when I was finished, to
pray some more. Max Brunnemann taught me to stay faithful and pay
attention to the preacher because he is the man God has sent to lead
us.
The
former plant superintendent, Jim Fancher, guided me through this
entire campus and gave instructions on maintaining the systems to
peak efficiency so that people can study God’s Word and worship Him
without the distraction of something that is broken. I learned to
show up on work days to honor God. I am putting into practice the
things I have learned here at Baptist Temple, and I continually
praise God for the people of faith who taught me to listen for God’s
voice.
I have
been taught to tithe and to give beyond my tithe so that God’s
voice can be heard into the next century. So I want to give
wholeheartedly of my time, talent and treasure to the Lord. I want
to be Heartstrong
for CHRIST. That is the theme of our new stewardship campaign.
I believe in this stewardship enrichment campaign and am fully
committed to it. Linda and I have been praying about how we can
honor God with our gifts, and I’ve been praying every day for all
of you, by name.
When we
hear God’s voice and follow in faith those crashing waves of doubt
become ripples in a pond. When we follow his leading, that handful of
rocks are perfect for slaying the giants that attack us and keep
telling us that we can’t do this. When we follow God faithfully our
consistent gifts honor Him and become more than enough to accomplish
His will.
For such
a time as this God has called us to be strong and do His work. We are
instructed to not be discouraged or afraid for God is with us. The
Bible also tells us to obey Him and to pass on our inheritance to our
descendants forever.
These
buildings are a part of our inheritance, built on a solid foundation,
and we need to keep them up and not allow them to crumble. It is my
heart’s desire to step out in faith and give beyond our tithe so
that this church will continue to be a lighthouse in the community –
leading people to Christ well into the future.
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