Sandy Valley Baptist Temple is, in a word, bold. The charm of the building and the quaintness of the sanctuary is mirrored by that of it's surroundings: Magnolia, Ohio, the archetypal American small town. The sanctuary is small, between 10-15 rows of pews stretching from a center aisle out to windowed walls, which glowed with spring's sunlight on the houseplants in each window sill. A painting of a tree on a hill behind the baptistry was reminiscent of the growth and renewal coming from a changed and transformed heart. A cornflower blue spills over the entire room, from the pew-coverings, to the carpet and the small stage, where the standard of heritage stand unchanged for who-knows how long; piano on the left, organ on the rights, pastor in the middle leading hymns from the hymnal. Everyone knows everyone (not a difficult feat when the congregation topped-out at 40 in attendance), so there was no "sneaking in the back" as visitors. Pastor Matthew quickly asked us to introduce ourselves and expressed his gratitude for our joining them. "Visitors are God's way of showing us He loves us," he said, "so you're being with us this morning is His giving us a hug."
His sermon was fiery, boldly challenging his congregation to not let troubles and burdens wear us out, but to see them as "exercise equipment," meant to strengthen and stretch us. He preached powerfully, passionately. With an openness and honesty to be admired. So honest, in fact, that he wore his brokenness on his sleeve, so to speak. It breaks my heart to think about the wounds that must exist within a man who rails against larger churches with "rock bands" and "gimmicks." Are they not, also the body of Christ? And is Pastor Matthew not also an equally called leader of the body of Christ, alongside others who have chosen to do things another way? I left challenged by his words, his strong biblical preaching, but also hurting for his heart, and the hearts of his congregation, who seemingly refuse to reach out to their community, to the body of Christ around them, or those lost living withing their neighborhood, simply because they do things a different way.
To put in in a word, Sandy Valley Baptist Temple is bold. They refuse to give, even an inch, on any one issue. And as stated on their beliefs page, they "make no apology for their conservative beliefs in many areas."* They gather boldly, dressed like "citizens of heaven."* They sing from hymnals, read the KJV, and preach the Word of God boldly and unabashedly, and are not afraid to offend or upset those around them. Many contemporary Christians would find their service uncomfortable, especialy with vendetta preaching against outside "liberal" churches, but then again, Christ didn't call us to be comfortable, and perhaps a reminder of the way things used to be is exactly what the church in America needs.
As a member of the body of Christ, Sandy Valley Baptist Temple boldly gathers and worships, just like they have since 1961. They're venerable, like a grandparent. You can't tell them they're wrong and nothing is going to change their minds, and that's okay!
*Both are references to the "What we Believe" page on SVBT's website, here
It is refreshing to me to know that there are churches out there that are still willing to stand bold in their faith and not waiver in their beliefs due to our ever-changing, tolerable Christian society. It seems we are so afraid of offending people, whether of faith or not, that we sometimes lose sight of what God has called us to do here on Earth. We are to preach the Gospel unequivocally. He has prepared us to fight the good fight in Ephesians 6 stating to be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power, to put on the full armor of God, so that when the times comes, we can stand are ground, that we are to Stand Firm. I admit, I do not always stand firm and wrestle with a lot of the "current issues" plaguing the church today, more so in regards to where do we draw the line? I don’t think there is any easy answer, however, it seems to me that we are slowly ripping out pages of the Bible to make it work for where we are at in our lives. We are not willing to give up our lifestyles and only hold truth to those Scriptures that work for us.
ReplyDeleteGood blog. I laughed at some things and was saddened by a couple of remarks. There is a place to stand on the truth and not waiver but there is also a huge need to meet people right where they are and to help move them onto God's agenda - not onto our agenda.
ReplyDeleteI think that is where I go wrong so often. I want people to see things my way and to do things my way and to think my way.
What I really should be excited about is when they see things God's way and do things God's way and think God's way. Sadly - that is not what most of us get excited about.
Thanks for the thought Tim.
Bold. Tim, you are bold. Keep up the good work. FIL.
ReplyDelete