Celebrating Special Days

David G. Roebuck

Yesterday my son, William, and I attended Heritage Day at the Kinser Church of God just outside Cleveland, Tennessee. The church was founded in 1912 and has a rich history of community ministry and distinguished pastors such as F.J. Lee, E.J. Boehmer, and T.L. McClain. Today the church is doing well under the leadership of Pastor Guinn Green. Among other blessings the congregation has just purchased a beautiful baby grand piano.

The highlight of the day was a video telling the history of the congregation in narration and photographs. The video was the culmination of a great deal of research and labor by Marilyn Kinser Kinney, whose family donated the property today’s church buildings occupy. Known originally as the Dunn Tabernacle, the congregation has faced challenges and trials but has a bright future.

I especially enjoyed attending the service with William who is celebrating his 13th birthday today. Now that he is a teenager, his mother and I expect we are facing new challenges and trials just as surely as the parents of all teens do. But William has a great heritage in the Church of God. He has been taught well and has many people who love him. No congregation, family or individual has any guarantee for tomorrow. But we have a godly heritage upon which we can build today as we plan for tomorrow. That heritage, today’s opportunities, and God’s promises are worth celebrating.

If your congregation has recently celebrated an important anniversary write to me at droebuck@leeuniversity.edu and tell me about it. If you have one coming up, write to us here at the Dixon Pentecostal Research Center, and we can help you celebrate it.