30 Years In Ministry – Trip Down Memory Lane Continued…First “Full Time” Church
Our first “full time” church was Bethany Baptist Church in Spring Hill, AR. It was a sad day but also an exciting day when Bethany called my family and I to serve there. We loved the church family at Bodcaw #1 so much that it really hurt alot to leave but we knew it was time and that God was calling us to a new church and ministry. When Lloyd Turner and friends pulled into our yard with the moving truck that would take our little families belongings to a parsonage in Spring Hill we were very excited. New town, new church, new people and new life and new ministry. We didn’t know that we were going to be starting a long ministry there and grow to love the people like our own family. The parsonage was so beautiful and the church so welcoming and the community so friendly it was next to impossible to not love the whole new life God had laid before us.
Immediately we started to work at the church and in the community to seek to minister to the church family and reach new people for the Lord and church. It was an exciting time as we began to go into the community, meet people, visit the sick, preach/visit the nursing homes and hospital. We have such precious memories of many of those people who have already gone to be with the Lord. Hugh & Verna Garner, Rinaldo Sooter, Les & Ressie Huckabee, Mrs. Mae Turner and more. We had many laughs and many tears as a church family. We rejoiced at births of babies, souls being saved and lives changed. We cried at deaths, sickness, and tragedy.
We remember “Hubie burgers” (Huburt & Vena Mae Kidd Grocery) and later it was “Mrs. Julie’s Store” – the friend fish, burgers, and more. We remember the school and the first day of kindergarten for Josh – Mrs. Ruth Hicks was his teacher. We grew to love the school and the Spring Hill Bears alot.
We remember “shorty” our little pembroke welsh corgie and how he loved everyone in the community. Everyone around our home fed him. He loved going down to the school which was near the parsonage and getting treats from the c hildren there. He loved the “woods” and the pond out back.
We remember the great VBS each year. Talk about big VBS days!! Kids would come out of the woodworks to come to Bethany VBS. The church vans would run two and three times just to pick them all up! We remember the t-shirts that were given out every year for perfect attendance and seeing those Bethany shirts throughout the year on children at school, restaurants, and in the neighborhoods around.
We remember the world famous “BETHANY QUARTET” that we all loved and enjoyed “back in the day”. lol Churches all over would invite them to come sing and though they might not have ever been on TV or big time radio they sang with all their hearts and blessed alot of people in the area.
We remember revival and great church services. We remember souls being saved and baptismal services on a regular basis.
We remember the way they treated their pastor and family – with love and they did their best to “take care of” us. The “poundings” and more.
I also remember a two year period that I did more funerals in that short amount of time than i had ever officiated and have since officiated. It was during that time we lost some of the best people you could have ever known in the church and in the community. One thing for sure – when death hit Spring Hill – it didn’t matter what church you went to or who your family was – the community pulled together to help and get the survivors through it.
We made memories in that church that have lasted through the years and friendships that still linger on to this day. While I’m sure that Bethany has seen many “great days” and good pastor’s through their many years as a church – it was our blessing and privilege to be a part of their lives for about 8 years.
Thanks Bethany family for the way you loved us, took care of us, supported us and helped us during those years of ministry. Thank you for what you meant in the life of my wife and boys. You sowed some memories into our hearts that we won’t ever forget. Thanks for your prayers and support – even up until this very day. We cherish our time there and we thank God for having been able to be a part of your church ministry.
Wow – we were so blessed and we ARE so blessed…… Pastor James