On Saturday, Febuary 21st, we made the trek to Eden, NC–the place of our first pastorate. This day would prove to be a remarkable trip down “memory lane.” On the way, we stopped by the cemetery in Colfax, where Joan’s parents are buried, and thanked our Heavenly Father for them and their lives–lives which helped shape Joan into the Godly woman that she is, and lives who came to mean so much to me.

The visit to First Wesleyan Church in Eden was prompted by a Christmas card from a precious friend in that congregation, Margaret Reeves (pictured at right). She wrote in her card, “My health is failing and I would love to see you one more time before I go to heaven.” Margaret is one of those unforgettable people because of her deep love, kindness and thoughtfulness. She was a pastor’s friend–ours and the ones who came before and after us. When we arrived in Eden in September 1975, she was unable to come to church most of the time because she was caring for her mother and her mother-in-law who were in her home. Nevertheless, invitations to Sunday dinner in her home were frequent during that time. (Remember Sunday dinner?) Eventually her mother moved back to her own home and care was shared among the family members and Margaret became more active at church, and the dinners (or snack times after church on Sunday night) didn’t stop. She was such an encourager and prayer warrior. Margaret prayed for her husband, “Red”, for over 40 years and I remember the Sunday he came forward to receive Christ while a saxophonist played, “He Touched Me.” One night less than two years later, Red went to heaven, dying in his sleep. Following his death and her retirement, Margaret took advantage of the opportunity to travel, including an extended trip to Oklahoma to visit with us. When we moved back to Greensboro, we saw her quite often since Eden was less than an hour away, and looked forward to the homemade lasagna that she would bring us at Christmas time.

Back to the Christmas card . . . I made some phone calls and within a few days, a Saturday lunch was scheduled for us to come and visit with the people of the church and community. It was a delightful time last Saturday and we were honored that people would come by to visit with us. (I commented to Joan that morning that it was certainly nice to go back and see folks and it not be for a funeral.) We arrived a little early and drove around some of the familiar areas, driving by the first parsonage we lived in and then the one that was built while we were there.

We left there 26 years ago this summer, when our children ranged in age from 10 to 2. The people loved seeing the pictures of the children and their families and enjoyed talking about them. I can’t tell you how many times we heard or said, “Remember when . . .” We did some singing around the piano , and then, before leaving, Joan and I (along with a few others) went to the sanctuary. As I stood there, I remembered so vividly the blessings and presence of God during those eight years in that beautiful old sanctuary where I loved to preach. Especially memorable were the more-than-200 salvations during our time there, and the almost 100 baptisms in that old baptistry during that time. It was an exciting place to be. I took the opportunity to thank those present for their love for, and patience with, this young pastor. Margaret and those present represent some wonderful saints of God to whom Joan and I owe so much. I have included pictures of the church which still looks pretty much the same as it did when we left in 1983.  Here is the link for all the pictures: http://www.dotphoto.com/MemViewAlbum.asp?AID=5761171