Honoring Heritage

The following testimony took place on the date indicated below.

February 13, 2011, Sunday

Last week I spent some time reminiscing over faded photographs of beloved friends from the youth group and academy of Heritage Baptist Church. Combined with my sentimental nature, and the flood of memories they evoked, I wound up doing a good bit of crying. But, it wasn't all for me. I look at the faces of people, who other than my parents and sisters, meant more to me than words can say. They were my family. They were my closest, dearest friends. Our daily lives were intertwined, and though we had spats here and there, in the end we all got along. It was hard to look at those beautiful faces and not wonder if their lives have turned out as they'd dreamed they would.

When you're a teen in a church with hard preaching, there are lots of sermons that move you to make decisions and promises to God and man. Whether it was just the emotions of the moment, or God's calling is not mine to know.

As a child, then a teen, I was sheltered from any problems behind the scenes in the church. We were blessed to have Pastor Hummel, and Mr. Griff, then Mr. Reid, as youth directors, who truly cared for us individually. They loved the LORD Jesus enough to sacrifice their money, and time, and a portion of their lives to us on a regular basis.

What I remember about Heritage, are happy times, some of the happiest of my life.

25 years later, I see things differently. And, it all started with a photographic trip down memory lane with old friends on facebook .

When Mr. Griff told me that the the owners of the property, formerly Heritage, intend to tear down the old building, I cried. Oh! If those wall could talk, the stories they would tell: cries to God for help, mercy and courage; soul stirring singing, heart changing preaching, lives eternally altered at the altar there.They'd chuckle while telling about the joyful noise of children shout-singing "Father Abraham", giggling through "O Once There Was A King," and competing, screaming, "Hal-le-luh, Hal-le-luh, Hal-le-luh, Hal-le-lu-jah! Praise ye the LORD!" My! My, how those old walls would laugh describing the hilarious games of our youth activities, and our after church basketball games!

I wonder how many souls are in heaven now, how many people know they are going there, because of that old church building. It really wasn't the building, or course, but what it stood for, and God's people and God's Word.

It will really be something when we get to Glory. God will pull back the veil, to reveal to the full, the far reach of a little baptist church with a heart for souls, that loved His word, and that didn't compromise to have big numbers.

Special, and monumental moments in the history of Heritage Baptist church, and it's people, took place in that old building, and how those walls must now heave and grieve, knowing it's glory has left, and it's fate is sure.

Well,after a week of reliving the past, I was listening to the Haines Family. (A few years ago, my husband converted all our cassettes to mp3.) Whew! More memories! More tears! It was like being back in the auditorium listening to them singing their hearts out to the LORD. It's hard to believe the words to those songs just came back to me like it was yesterday. Every time I listen to them singing those songs, the LORD ministers to me.

While I was listening, I just started to cry. Suddenly, a wave of grief swept over me. I had to confess to the LORD how sorry I was that I didn't appreciate what He'd given to me, and where He'd put me, all those years ago. Without a doubt we had the best church around as far as preaching and teaching goes, and it breaks my heart that I took it all for granted. I never considered that one day it would all be gone.

Then I started thinking about the old building being torn down. That building was the foundation of Heritage when it began as Warfieldsburg Bible Church. With the Haines family singing in my ears, it occurred to me that the devil hated Heritage so much that he had to destroy it. He couldn't bust it up with new "bibles" or loose standards of music and dress, so he did it another way. He split it! And even that wasn't good enough! Now the last bastion of Heritage is being torn asunder, and he thinks he has won. He is tearing it down to the very foundation. He keeps thinking he can one-up God.

There I was, finally mouring the demise of my beloved church, when my husband asks me, "Do you know who this is?" He was listening to a preacher on the radio over the internet. The voice was so familiar, but I didn't answer. I couldn't answer, I was overcome with emotion. My tears were more than 2O years overdue! He kept on listening. Between my cries of indignation over the revelation that Satan had set out to destroy Heritage and he'd succeeded, and sorrowful tears over what was lost on a very personal level, I kept listening. When he asked me, "Your pastor was Hummel, right?" Then I knew who it was. It was Pastor Hummel! What comfort! How amazing.

As cliche' as this sounds, words cannot express what I felt at that moment. God had given back to me a brief glimpse of my beloved church. It was like getting to be at Heritage again, for just a few minutes, (sort of like Scrooge in the" Christmas Carol" without all the eeriness). God had pulled me up on His lap, laid my head on His gentle breast, and soothed me with sweet music and preaching from"my preacher." How could I not be comforted! It was like being handed a gift so precious that you are almost afraid to believe that you really have it in your hands.

My husband didn't know until a few hours later that I had just finished listening the the Haines family, and was grieving for Heritage, when he got my attention about Pastor Hummel. Wasn't that the LORD? Glory to God!

I'm sure that looking through the eyes of a child to a young woman of 20, my vision was clouded by my youth, and that love for my church, my pastor, and my friends, covered a multitude of sins, but I will always be thankful to the blessed LORD JESUS CHRIST for making me a part of the best church in town, under the best Bible preaching and teaching in town, with the best people in town, who loved the LORD JESUS, and served Him with their hearts, from their hearts.

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PS: Pastor Hummel was preaching a wonderful sermon on Christians who cannot get victory over doubting their salvation and they cannot rest in the eternal security that is ours in Christ.