Author: Chris Luzio

I’ve been reading a very encouraging and insightful book on American history entitled Land of Hope, An Invitation to the Great American Story by Wilfred McClay. It seems to be a very balanced look at our history, and helps understand not only where we’ve come from, but what’s going on today. I found a section detailing the situation in our country after the first World War to be especially relevant.

“All the grand rhetoric from the presidential podium about the nation’s noble war aims, making the world safe for democracy, self-determination, open agreements openly arrived at, freedom of the seas, and so on—all of it now rang pitiably hollow.

“Returning vets eager to get on with their lives found housing, autos, and consumer goods to be in very short supply, causing huge spikes in prices. These changes not only doubled the cost of living from what it had been before the war but led to widespread labor unrest. Some twenty- five race riots erupted in cities around the country, notably a July riot in Chicago that left thirty-eight killed and more than five hundred injured. Although the immediate causes of violence were varied, the overflowing of ethnic and racial tensions in a fiercely competitive postwar labor and housing market was a common theme.

“Often forgotten too amid the general pandemonium of the postwar environment was a public health calamity that took many more lives than the war. This was the 1918 Spanish influenza epidemic, which killed more than twenty-two million people around the world including 675,000 Americans. About 28 percent of the American population became infected. The effects on everyday life were profound and visible: people wearing surgical masks when out in public, closure of stores, theaters, dance halls, even churches and schools. So many people died that the city of Philadelphia used steam shovels to dig mass graves; 528 were buried that way on a single day.”

This was the situation 100 years ago, and our nation survived and thrived. At least it thrived for a time. I’m hopeful that the same will be true today.

God Bless, Rick

No, it’s not a typo! The offering for September 6th really was $53,329.00! Perhaps I better explain.

In our last church paper I shared that the elders had decided to resurface part of our parking lot. I had noted that the bid to do the entire lot was $110,000, but that since $66,000 would pretty much deplete our bank account, the decision was made to just resurface what we could afford.

The next day I received a text from a church member that said a check for $44,000 would be in the following Sunday’s offering, so we could do the whole thing! When I told “Cousin Bill” that we now wanted to do the entire lot, he told me that was really good for the church. To finish the job in several years would have cost substantially more.

When discussing the cost, however, he mentioned that he wasn’t certain, but thought the bid may have been for $112,000. When I checked, he was right, and when I hesitantly mentioned that to the donor, he said not to worry about it. Another $2,000 would be the next offering!

As amazing as all that is, there is even more to the story. You may recall that back in April we had $36,000 given to the church. When I mentioned that we were in need of parking lot repairs, the donor indicated that he really wanted the funds to go to missions. We of course honored his request, and were very happy to make it possible for Theo to buy a vehicle in Jamaica, start a major bathroom project in Haiti, and meet special needs that Kent Paris was facing in his ministry with those facing homosexual and gender issues.

Apparently God honored the desire to meet mission needs before our own, and saw to it that our needs were met as well.

There is still another amazing part to this story. Many churches are struggling financially due to the restrictions in place due to COVID-19. We, on the other hand, have not only been blessed with two amazing offerings, but checks began coming in the mail regularly when we couldn’t meet, and the level of giving has remained above what we projected we might need before the year began!

God is good, and His people are faithful!

God Bless, Rick

When everyone was told to shelter at home due to the developing pandemic, and churches were told to close their doors, we obeyed. We cancelled our services for March 15th, as we had done previously due to weather emergencies. By the next Sunday, however, we were online, and we maintained a purely online presence for twelve weeks.

We wanted to maintain normalcy as much as possible, so the praise team came to the building and recorded praise songs, hymns were recorded from home, communion meditations were videoed, and I continued preaching through Mark’s gospel, in coat and tie, to empty pews.

None of this would have been possible without the hard work and technological wizardry of Chris Luzio. I can’t thank him enough for all he did to make it possible for us to stay reasonably connected.

Then, at a specially called elders’ meeting on June 4th, the decision was made to open our doors on June 14th, and begin offering in-house worship. We put in place procedures we thought would decrease the likelihood of exposure to the virus, and 74 showed up for worship. Chris was also able to provide a live-feed so those who felt they should remain at home could worship remotely with their brothers and sisters. We have averaged 70 in-house for twelve weeks, and nearly that online.

We are now excited to announce that we are transitioning back into a full program of worship, study, and fellowship. The youth group kick-off is scheduled for September 13th, and youth groups and adult study will begin, Lord willing, on the 20th. Children’s worship, Sunday School classes, and a nursery will hopefully be available on October 4th.

A big shout-out must also go to Casey Blakely who is now fine tuning our new sound system. The system has been designed to assure that quality sound will be delivered throughout the auditorium, with no dead spots. If you are able to safely gather with your brothers and sisters, come hear it for yourself this Sunday at 9:15. I’ll be looking for you.

God Bless, Rick

There’s something very special about mountains, and I’ve been fascinated by them since childhood. I used to look at pictures, and dream of actually seeing one. When our neighbors said they were going to the Smokey Mountains for vacation, I looked it up. Those weren’t mountains; they were just big hills!

My first glimpse of an actual mountain took place during spring break my freshman year at Lincoln. A couple of friends and I were heading to California in a Pontiac convertible when we spotted our first mountain in New Mexico. We decided to drive to it, and followed a gravel road until stopped by a fence. It looked like it was just a short ways off, so we climbed the fence and started walking. We never got to it! They’re even bigger than I thought!

Marilyn and I have been to the mountains many times, both with and without the kids. She never liked driving mountain roads in a van, but loved it on a motorcycle, and wasn’t afraid. She could always see the edge of the road.

My Hunley grandkids had seen the mountains of Disney World several times, but had never seen the real thing. With Grace heading off to college, I figured this would be my last chance to get them there. In spite of a tornado that almost altered our plans, we packed eight people in a minivan and headed to Colorado for a week of high country adventure.

The day we spent driving rocky trails in Jeeps was over the top…literally! We danced on the edge with mountain goats! But as much fun as that was, the highlight for me was when Grace looked at the mountains and said she had never seen anything so amazing. Indeed, there is something very special about mountains.

The Bible mentions them almost five hundred times. When God spoke to Moses He did so on a mountain top. And I can relate to the Psalmist when he said, “I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; from whence shall my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”

As amazing as the mountains are, I can’t wait to see heaven!

God Bless, Rick

I found a letter on my desk last week. The sister who wrote it was not happy with me. I had said in church the Sunday before that due to the pandemic I wasn’t encouraging anyone to come to church. I admitted it was a strange thing for a preacher to say, but she insisted it was a wrong thing for a church leader to say. And she was right.

She suggested that some were simply getting out of the habit of coming, or just found watching the service on TV more convenient. I told her I said what I said because I didn’t want to guilt anyone into coming who shouldn’t come. If she’s right, it’s time for me to pull out the guilt card!

Obviously if you are at increased risk, and are avoiding being around others because of health concerns, you should take advantage of the opportunity to worship online for the time being. I certainly would not want to encourage anyone to go against their better judgment and do something that would needlessly endanger their health, or the health of someone under their care. And I realize that by not providing a nursery it’s difficult to worship while trying to corral little ones. But if there is really no good reason for you not being here, you need to be here. And we have done everything we can to make it as safe as possible for you be here.

Every other pew is taped off, and social distancing is encouraged. Doors to the auditorium are left open to facilitate air flow, and to allow people to slip in and out without coming in direct contact with anyone if that is their desire. Those who want to socialize a bit are encouraged to do so in the parking lot. And we do encourage the use of masks. In fact, some, like my grumbling grandkids, have been ordered to do so.

To end on light-hearted note, I have to tell you how someone who happens to share my first name responded when I asked why he had started coming back. He said he had run out of soup crackers for communion.

Rest assured communion will be waiting for you in your pew when you come this Sunday.

God Bless, Rick