Atlanta Reformed Presbyterian Church

           The following is a first-hand account of the events of Pastor Smith’s last few weeks:

Those who lived through the 1960s and 1970s probably remember a classic British comedy troupe and its TV show, Monty Python’s Flying Circus.  In a 1970 episode, there were several skits which utilized the catchphrase, “Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition.”

Well, forget the Inquisition—nobody ever expects a quadruple bypass surgery.

Back on October 10^th, I had mild pain in my left chest, which went away after about ten minutes.  When the same happened the next day, it was time for action. A call to 911 swiftly brought the EMTs.  They were able to administer an EKG, which revealed nothing amiss.  Nevertheless, to be on the safe side, I went on an ambulance ride to the local hospital, where several more tests also revealed nothing alarming.  The ER doctor was certain that this was a muscular-skeletal issue.  But she also recommended that I call a cardiologist.  Before doing so, I wanted to check with my primary physician, with whom I had a routine checkup scheduled a couple of weeks later.  That doctor recommended a stress test, primarily because I had been experiencing slight shortness of breath.

So, Monday, November 13^th, found me on a treadmill.  Everything seemed fine.  But, in point of fact, all was not well.  The next day, the cardiologist’s office called, saying that he wanted to see me that day or the next.  When I saw him on the Wednesday, he showed Penny and me the EKG from the stress test, and that there was an abnormality on it.  So, a catheterization test was scheduled for Friday, the 17^th.  The expectation was that either it was a false positive on the EKG, or, at most, perhaps a stent or two would have to be placed right then and there.  Instead, following the procedure, and while I was still lying on the table, the doctor doing the test was able to show me on a big monitor that I had several serious blockages.  It turned out that there were five blockages: one at 100% (in which the artery was totally severed), two at 90-95%, and two at 50%.  The situation was regarded as extremely urgent: some of the medical personnel made comments like “amazing” that I was still alive, and that I was “one lucky chap.”  (Obviously, the word “lucky” was used in a Calvinistic sense.😊)

This development was a shock to the system.  When we began the day, we never expected . . . open-heart, quadruple bypass surgery.  Penny and I were taken that afternoon by ambulance to the hospital that does heart surgery. (I remember looking out the back of the ambulance, all strapped in, and commenting how it reminded me of being in an observation car on the back end of a train where one could watch the tracks as the miles clicked by, though in this case, the view was that of roads cluttered with cars during rush-hour traffic.)

We were put in an observation area of the hospital, which is used for patients arriving by ambulance.  Being in the basement, there were no windows.  As a matter of fact, I would not be able to look outside for the four days I was in that room, awaiting surgery.  But there were no rooms available on the upper floors, and therefore we were stuck where we were.

By the way, the food was excellent!  Kudos to the chef!

Over the next day or two, it was determined that, although it was urgent, it wasn’t the emergency that it was initially thought to be.  That is because, over the course of years, as the blockages built up in the arteries, my body manufactured its own bypass by using veins around the heart!  This is what kept me alive.  Aren’t our bodies incredible?  God’s magnificent design.

On Tuesday, November 21^st, I was prepped and taken for surgery.  The procedure started in the early afternoon and was finished by around 5 o’clock, at which point I was taken to Cardiac ICU.  Coming out of the anesthesia, I experienced a nightmare.  I felt so totally helpless, as I couldn’t do anything, being strapped in and all that, and I couldn’t even cry out for help.  It was terrifying.  In reflecting on the experience later, I deduced that it was like being in hell, where a person is always dying and yet never able to die.

The next day was the worst, in which I was totally miserable (and was making loved ones and nurses miserable, too), and I really thought I was going to die.  Thankfully, things started to get better on Thanksgiving Day, as tubes and wires were beginning to be removed.  On the Lord’s Day, November 26^th, just five days post-op, I was discharged, and our son drove us home.

Overall, I have been doing very well, though there were a few hiccups here and there.  But, to quote one of the doctors, I have made “excellent progress.”

I have also progressed spiritually, though, as in physical progression, that development does not come easily nor automatically.  I have been reminded of various Scripture passages, particularly from the Psalms.  King David laments: “I am weary with my groaning; all the night I make my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears” (Psalm 6).  He also confesses: “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee” (Psalm 56).  Asaph asked, “Will the Lord cast off for ever? And will he be favorable no more? Is his mercy clean gone for ever? Doth his promise fail for evermore? Hath God forgotten to be gracious?  Hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies?” (Psalm 77).  Heman the Ezrahite sinks into despair: “Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps.  Thy wrath lieth hard upon me, and thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves” (Psalm 88).  And an anonymous songster says: “for my days are consumed like smoke, and my bones are burned as an hearth.  My heart is smitten, and withered like grass; so that I forget to eat my bread.  By reason of the voice of my groaning my bones cleave to my skin.  I am like a pelican of the wilderness: I am like an owl of the desert.  I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the house top.”  Indeed, his distress has come about because of “thine indignation and thy wrath: for thou hast lifted me up, and cast me down” (Psalm 102).

As witnessed by these psalmists, the struggle is real; the salty tears can be tasted; the fear is palpable.  At the same time, these men did not lose their faith in God, that He would never leave us nor forsake us and that He would use what may seem to be crushing providences to shape us, and ultimately to bring us home.

It is one thing to be able to affirm the promises of God.  It is another to be forced to put those verities into practice.  I know that many of you have likewise experienced those dark days of being overwhelmed by circumstances, including serious health issues—even to the extent of having to face the fact of your own mortality.  Others of you perhaps have not been plunged into such depths.  I am still alive and able to bear witness to the truth of Scripture that we who belong to Jesus really do have a Shepherd who walks with us in the valley of the shadow of death.

Going through this experience has led me to thanksgiving in several ways.

First, I recognize the hand of Providence.  God’s timing was perfect—including the fact that the little chest pains I was having, which may or may not have had anything to do with my clogged arteries, nevertheless started me on a medical journey that discovered the danger I was in.  His having ordained from all eternity that I would have to go to the other hospital for surgery was a blessing, in that our son and his family live only 15 minutes away from it.  And I cannot say enough about the excellent care given me by doctors, P.A.’s, nurse practitioners, nurses, technicians, and others.

Second, I am grateful for the strength the Lord has given me and for the good progress in my recovery.  Even though I gain a little more strength every day, I still have much internal healing to go and am restricted in my movements.  I will not be back to normal until about six weeks after the surgery and I am not going to rush getting completely back in the saddle, so to speak, until I am really ready.

Third, we came across a number of other believers, including at least one from a Korean Presbyterian church, and another from a conservative Dutch Reformed background, who blessed and encouraged us both greatly during the most difficult times in the days following the surgery.

Fourth, there were opportunities to witness which I would not otherwise have had.

Fifth, I have discovered a truth that I really did already know, viz., that with regard to the church in Atlanta, I really am not indispensable.  Indeed, the church folk have stepped up to the plate, taking on responsibilities that otherwise Penny and I would be doing.  I must especially mention my assistant, Elder T.J. Pattillo, who has done a great job of coordinating various matters as well as preaching himself.  Succor has also come from outside our little flock: a PCA minister filled the pulpit on December 3^rd, while there has been the offer of help from an OPC congregation.

I believe that God has something more for me to do, and I look forward, Lord willing, to returning full time to the ministry, even though that will probably not materialize for several months.

So, please pray for us as I recover. Pray for the members and friends to continue to demonstrate their commitment to the congregation.  Pray that the Lamb, through the manifestation of His tender mercies, would build His church in Atlanta, for He “shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes” (Revelation 7:17).

In the December 31, 2021 issue of Penny’s Pen, we told you the story of Larry Kerr (though not by name).  He had professed his faith and joined the church from a hospice bed in July 2021.  At that time Pastor Frank was told by the chaplain that it was anticipated that Larry would pass away within a couple of weeks.  Instead, two weeks later, he checked himself out, caught a bus and then a MARTA commuter train, and went back to his apartment.  However, it is my sad duty to tell you that he has now passed away.

After checking out from hospice, Larry attended church as he was able. However, he also showed some signs of backsliding at times. On October 20, 2022, as a result of a traffic stop, he was arrested down in Newnan, Georgia, and eventually transported back to Atlanta to face several charges (mostly, we believe, trumped up by one or more persons who wanted to destroy him). On November 23, 2022, while in custody, he passed away of an apparent heart attack at the age of 66.

The memorial service was held at our church on December 11th in conjunction with our regular worship service, and it was a very moving time. As Pastor Frank recounted during the sermon:

In his sixty-six years, he lived a colorful and, in many ways, a difficult life. He was a cracker-jack mechanic. He was an automobile racer. He was one who fell afoul of the law and served time. He had a rough edge to him at times, but he could also be sweet. He was well respected for his honesty and telling it like it is. For the last year and a half, he was living on borrowed time. We all expected him to die in July 2021 when he was in hospice. It was during that time that he was able to profess his faith and join the church while on a hospice bed.

Larry, with his sister, Helen, showing off his membership certificate

But a couple of weeks later, he showed his courage when he got up from his hospice bed, hopped on a MARTA bus and train, got picked up by his daughter at West Lake station, and went home. He told me he was tired of being around people who were dying—he loved life! And, while in prison years before, he read through the Bible about four times—which leads us to our text for today:

Psalm 119:71-72.  It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes.  The law of Your mouth is better to me than thousands of coins of gold and silver.

After speaking of the word-oriented nature of Psalm 119, Pastor Frank presented the first major point, viz., the Role of Affliction. Affliction could entail many things, including loss in relationships, and also being imprisoned, whether justly or unjustly. Whatever form it may take, affliction is not fun—nobody wants it.

But the psalmist speaks of the goodness of affliction. Why? For at least six reasons.

1. Because it reflects the sovereign will of God who is good.

2. Because it enables us to understand the horribleness of our sinful nature.

3. Because God uses affliction to get our attention.

4. Because affliction is used by God to make us more dependent on Him.

5. Because affliction enables us to see beyond this life to life eternal.

6. Because affliction teaches us as to what is actually important

What is being learned through affliction? God’s statutes; God’s commandments; God’s law; God’s word.

Among the things that would especially be learned and believed and kept are, negatively, to keep away from the horrible greasiness of sin (v. 70); and positively, to honor God as He should be honored: listening to His word; respecting His worship; honoring His Sabbath; believing His gospel; and living for Him.

What is being taught in v. 71 was Larry’s experience. He knew that he’d been disobedient and hadn’t been living like he should’ve been the last several months. He referred to jail as his ‘house of correction.’ And he started to read through the Bible once again. This is why he really wanted reading glasses, so he could read without difficulty. This is why he wanted his own Bible. . . . He was able to internalize the word through this affliction.

In commenting on The Preciousness of the Law, the preacher noted the value which the psalmist places upon this law. It was better than thousands of gold and silver coins.

There is in this text a rejection of materialism and an affirmation of spiritual blessings. More than that, we learn many things from God’s revelation to us.

It tells us who we are, creatures made in God’s image. It reveals who God is. It informs us as to the history of mankind. It speaks to us of God’s love. It gives us rules for living. It serves as the conviction of sin. It points the way to salvation. . . . We all have rap sheets demonstrating our condemnation in God’s courtroom. Yet we also have a Savior who has paid the price for those crimes against heaven. And we have the certainty of our own resurrection someday and our being in heaven forever. [Indeed, God’s revelation] provides comfort to the soul.

[And] it is precious because you can take this truth with you into eternity. Death is a great leveler. We’re all going to die; every one of us will someday experience the coldness of death.

Larry didn’t have a lot of possessions; but, every person, rich or poor, will not be able to take any material things into the next life; [speaking of a rich person, the question was asked,] “How much did he leave?”, and the answer was, “He left it all!” . . . But you can take the certainty and the promises of God’s word with you into the grave and beyond.

This preciousness of God’s word was what Larry experienced in the last month of his life on earth. By his own statement, he was ‘eating it up.’ His enthusiasm and desire for and interest in and love for the word of God put me to shame. Psalm 19 refers to the law of God being sweeter than honey to the lips.

And then Pastor Frank said,

Let me share with you something that happened a week and a half ago. On Wednesday, November 30^th, late in the afternoon, I got a phone call out of the blue. It was from a lady who told me that her son had been a cellmate of Larry’s at Rice Street [Fulton County Jail]. This fellow had heard that Larry may have died and he wanted to see if that was true. She said that her son had been reading the Bible that Larry had left behind; and her son wanted her to  contact me, as he knew that I was Larry’s pastor, and he gave her the contact info from what Larry had written down. I was able to confirm that Larry had indeed passed a week before; I thanked her for the phone call and said that I was sure that Larry would be glad to know her son was reading Larry’s Bible. About 40 minutes later, I had a sudden urge to call that lady back: I had not really gotten her name and I wanted to follow up with her. Lo and behold, when I called, she was on the phone with her son at the Fulton County Jail, and we were able to have a three-way conversation. The son shared with me how Larry had counseled him and another fellow in the jail. And then, he read to me a letter that Larry had written to Miss Penny and myself but hadn’t been able to send [though the post card on which he wrote this message was finally mailed and received]; this letter had to have been written very shortly before he died—perhaps even the same day. And here it is!

Greetings: Pastor Frank and First Lady Mrs. Penny:                                                    May the grace of our Father and Lord Jesus Christ in heaven be with you all.                   I thank you for my glasses. Very much. Amen.                                                                “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me: because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tiding unto the meek:  he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound.”—Isaiah 61:1.                                                                                                                                     For me and you and T.J. [Pattillo, the elder at our church], Amen.  I’ve never seen so many people [who want] to read the Bible.                                                                           Happy Thanksgiving.  Our Lord Jesus’ love be with you.

This, we can say, is Larry’s last will and testament.  It expressed his own faith and his desire that others have it, too.  Larry had a rough life—but, you know, it doesn’t matter how you begin, but rather how you finish the race. 

Larry had one daughter, five grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren. What a legacy! To these family members, and others (sisters, brothers, nieces, cousins), we at ARPC offer our sincere condolences, as well as to his friends and acquaintances. Please know that we at Atlanta Reformed Presbyterian Church also grieve—we loved him, and he loved us.

The message that I have for all of us here today is simple: Follow the example that Larry Wayne Kerr left for us. He delighted in the word of God and found his comfort and joy in it. And the reason why he was able to benefit from it, was because that word pointed him to Jesus, his Savior. Christ is the only Redeemer of God’s elect—paying the price not with silver and gold but with His precious blood. Jesus Christ not only died for Larry’s sins but rose again from the dead. Larry looked to Jesus by faith, trusting in His sacrifice at the cross and  believing in His resurrection. And Larry knew that Jesus would some day raise him from the dead, too. You, too, can have that same hope and assurance by believing in Jesus, just like Larry Wayne Kerr did. And so I call upon you to treasure the law of God and appreciate its preciousness, far above thousands of fine coins of silver and of gold.

I don’t think there was anyone in the congregation who was not deeply moved. It was a solemn and serious occasion, and a very poignant one, but also one filled with the hope of the resurrection, too. We will miss Larry. Though we rejoice in his release from the trials of this life, physical and spiritual, we still grieve.

 

Allow me to begin with an apology for the many months that it has been since I last wrote, and to bring you up to date with an account of some of the Lord’s blessings as well as some of the difficult issues with which our mission church has been challenged so far this year.

First of all, looking back, the new year started off with an unexpected problem, when, on the first Lord’s Day, we arrived at our church building to find that vandals had tampered with our locks and we couldn’t insert the keys, meaning that we had to call for a locksmith. While waiting about an hour and a half to get in the door, we enjoyed some cheerful fellowship in mild weather and sang a few Psalms.  Even though we had to cancel Sabbath School, we were able to hold the service, after which Mrs. Nancy Pattillo purchased and installed new locks for us.

                          We also began the year with a couple of tough and somewhat tricky issues on our plate, namely that we were coming close to having to conduct disciplinary action against one of our members, and were unhappy with the behavior of one of our regular attenders which we had to find some way to deal with.  This took a lot of our time and energy and was, honestly, quite distressing while still having to deal with the other aspects of a very difficult ministry.

Pastor Frank was really exhausted by spring of this year to the extent that many people told him (and me) that we HAD to take some time off.  So, it was agreed that we should take a 5-week sabbatical, with our Sunday duties being taken over by our intern TJ Pattillo and his wife, Nancy, and our weekday duties taken over by a newly formed benevolence committee made up of four members of our congregation led by our intern.  The sabbatical was due to run from May 25th to June 30th.  Frank was to “maintain radio silence” and we were to leave everything to other people to deal with.

The day after our sabbatical started, however, we and our intern and his family came down with Covid, and the following Lord’s Day the service at ARPC had to be cancelled because there weren’t enough staff to open the building or coordinate transportation.

Meanwhile my kitchen and part of the dining room had flooded because the instant hot water tank under the sink had leaked.  It seemed at first that the only damage was to the flooring in both rooms but, nearly a month later, it was discovered that the bottom cabinets were damaged beyond repair and there was a buildup of mold on them and the wall.   Thankfully, our homeowners insurance company agreed to cover the costs of repair and renovation, starting with drying everything out and killing the mold. The kitchen was tented, loud equipment which exhausted a lot of heat was brought in, and the temperature in there was 94⁰ for a week.  Then everything was ripped out and it took until late September to rebuild it.  Going through something relatively minor like this has given me more empathy for the people who not only lost homes during the recent hurricane but for those who, while not losing their entire home, have had to deal with much more extensive water damage than I did.

Early on in the sabbatical, Frank learned that his contract with Georgia Gwinnett College where he had been employed for ten years would not be renewed.  Effectively, he had lost his job and, as we learned later, our health insurance as well.

One bright spot, however, was Frank’s participation in the joyous occasion of the installation of Drew Poplin as associate pastor at First RPC Durham, North Carolina, on June 10th.

                                                   Pastors Drew Poplin and Frank Smith

There were a number of additional challenging issues that the Lord brought into our lives during our sabbatical resulting in my not being able to accomplish any of my personal goals and in Frank only being able to work on one of his.

It was a blessing, however, that, on four of the five Lord’s Days during that period, we were relieved of having to make the difficult and occasionally horrendous journey into Atlanta.  Also, if we had not been on sabbatical during those five weeks, the various challenging and time-consuming providences would have been even harder to handle.

Maybe more importantly, as a result of our experiences, there have been times of deeper prayer.  What we went through brings to mind Psalm 119:71: “It has been very good for me That I was humbled low. It through affliction was that I Thy statutes came to know.” And so, we thank the Lord for His goodness to us and His preserving of us.

Since the end of June, we have been putting extra effort into our church building which was originally a broom factory built in 1947 and has been in serious need of repair and renovation ever since we started meeting there in October 2019.  Not least of our problems is that we have suffered a number of flooded areas following heavy rainfalls.  We know we have had a moisture issue because of a musty aroma when we first come into the building.

We had been seeking professional help from a variety of tradesmen in our area of Atlanta but were unable to find anyone reliable.  By God’s grace a number of men from White Oak ARP Church in Senoia, Georgia, spent a day with us in July 2020, demolishing the baptistry and removing a great deal of unusable/unneeded/trash items that the previous church had left behind.

In June of this year, and again, in September, men from Covenant Presbyterian Church (OPC) in Buford, Georgia, assisted by several of our church members, removed the water-stained acoustic tiles and the track on which they rested, floor tiles which had become loose and dangerous, along with more unneeded/unwanted items, and demolished three unwanted rooms made of two-by-fours and panelling which were not original to the building.  They also removed the old panelling from the worship area.

That wonderful volunteer work has left us with a much clearer idea of what is left to be done.  We have been talking to a mold and mildew expert about removing the mold and preventing it from returning and are also working to get a roofer to fix roof issues and a carpenter to replace rotten wood in the ceiling. Those are the most important priorities, and will be followed by drywalling, bulletproof windows, panic doors and electrical and plumbing issues.

                          

Thank you to everyone for your prayers for our ministry.  I hope that this article has given you a helpful update on the challenges and blessings that the Lord has providentially brought our way this year.

Praise the Lord for the following blessings:

• The addition of two new members
• The faithfulness of our core group of members and adherents
• The encouragement of several members of RP churches around the country attending worship with us as they passed through Atlanta
• Progress on the renovations to the building particularly by volunteer workers
• Answered prayer with regard to events during our sabbatical:
  – A speedy recovery from Covid
  – A promising offer of an online teaching job
  – New health insurance obtained
  – A brand new kitchen, a truly unexpected blessing

Please continue to pray for us, however, specifically for the following:

• That many more people would be attracted to our worship services and find salvation in Christ
• For outreach, specifically the possibilities of a prayer table in front of our building or in the new park two blocks away from us
• That the Lord would bring us an experienced deacon or two—firstly to help us deal with many difficult issues that arise as we minister in this area of Atlanta and secondly to help Pastor Frank with plans, phone calls and meetings with tradesmen as we move forward with the work on our building
• Reliable, competent workmen to carry out the repairs and renovations to the building

And we know that: Unless the Lord build the house they labour in vain that build it.  Psalm 127:1.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The year 2020 brought with it a number of challenges with which we are all familiar, but throughout them all, the Lord guided, preserved, and prospered our congregation.

As you are already aware from an earlier article, we had moved into our current location in October 2019, renting it from a church which, as a result of its aging population, was in the process of disbanding.  This, Pastor Frank thought, might give us the opportunity to purchase it in the upcoming months if the Lord so willed.  The ministry had begun nearly ten years earlier, and all through the intervening years, he maintained and pursued his vision of our owning our own building and planting the flag of King Jesus in the heart of this great city of Atlanta in which we minister.

And, as you now know, in June 2020 the purchase was made, but that wasn’t the first milestone that we hit in 2020.  Having been established the previous year as a mission church rather than a preaching station, we were able to celebrate our first communion service on February 16th.

Not long after that, of course, COVID hit, and we decided that, given the unusual number of members in our congregation with pre-existing health conditions, some of whom were significantly immunocompromised, we stopped meeting in person in late March.  We figured out ways to get together using video conferencing with those who had access to the internet and phone conferencing with those who did not.  At least, thankfully, everyone in our group has a phone even though few have a computer.

We resumed meeting in person on May 10^th, and less than a month later the papers were signed giving us ownership of our church building.

Even though we began meeting again in person a lot earlier than many congregations (most African-American churches in Atlanta are still meeting virtually), we had only one case of COVID in the congregation, and that was not discovered until after this man, who has significant underlying health issues, had recovered from it.  The Lord has been very gracious to us.

In order to create as little physical contact as possible at our gatherings, we met only for worship to begin with and didn’t start Sabbath school again until the first Lord’s Day in October.

We have been very excited that, during the months since we started meeting again, a number of first-time visitors have returned and keep coming back.  They are telling us now that this has become “my church”.  One person looked us up and started attending after watching the hour and a half long documentary Spirit and Truth:  A Film About Worship, in which we were featured.

In early summer, ARPC started a bi-weekly men’s meeting on Wednesday evenings led by Elder TJ Pattillo.  The men read and discussed a Matthew Henry book, Building a God Centered Family: A Father’s Manual.  It was put on hold for a while following Andrew Jubera’s tragic death in late June and resumed later in the year.  The number of men attending has grown since that time.

In spite of the pandemic last year, we averaged an attendance of 25 people per week.  This year we are averaging 27 so far.

Please continue to pray for us as we move forward into the new year:

1. We are in serious need of a deacon and are hopeful that one of the local men already attending the church will be able and willing to assume this role.

2. One of our issues is our inability to start the worship service on time because of the number of people who need to be picked up, and it would help enormously to have a church van (our old van has died) and driver so that the pastor and elder do not have to do the driving and can perform their duties at the church building.

3. That we can take care of the needed repairs and improvements to the building.

4. That the Lord would send a quiet spirit to the children in the congregation as we encourage them to show respect and reverence during the worship service.

5. That more men, women, and children in this needy area would come seeking help, and that their hearts and minds would be open to receiving the Gospel.

Thank you all for your continuing interest in this ministry.

May God bless you and keep you safe.

 

The months of February to June 2020 will go down in the annals of church history as containing a number of milestones in the progress of Christ’s kingdom in Atlanta.

Pastor Frank and I had been ministering in an impoverished area of Atlanta since April 11, 2010, starting with a sidewalk Bible study on one of the most dangerous intersections in the country.  Now, almost ten years later, here we were, with a core group of faithful attenders, baptizing adults and children, and preparing for communion the following week.

Plans for this day had begun months earlier, when Pastor Frank started preaching a sermon series on baptism and the Lord’s Supper, so that everyone would understand the biblical basis for, and the important ramifications of, these precious sacraments.

As already reported, in March 2019, Great Lakes-Gulf Presbytery had voted to promote Atlanta Presbyterian Fellowship, as we were previously known, from a preaching station to a mission church.  This meant that we would be offering church membership and administering the sacraments.  Pastor Frank and members of the TGB (temporary governing body, acting as a session) took their time in preparation in order to make sure that these new privileges were undertaken decently and in order.

The first thing was to invite anyone in our congregation who was interested in becoming a member, to attend mid-week evening classes on not only the rights and privileges of membership but also the duties.  They needed to understand what they would be doing if and when they took membership vows.

Pastor Frank held eight sessions, the first one being an introduction and overview, and then seven sessions, each one covering one particular vow.  The participants had “homework” to be completed during the week, answering questions which he had written on the meaning of the vows.

On February 9^th, we witnessed the baptism of two adults and five children.  Pastor Frank officiated, assisted by Pastor Steven Work (TGB Moderator) and Elder T.J. Pattillo.

In conjunction with the baptisms, the two adults along with three people who had been baptized in the past took communicant membership vows, with the children becoming non-communicant members.

One other person, Andrew Jubera, had been scheduled for baptism but had been involved in a serious bicycle accident nine days prior to the date, had been hospitalized for several days, and was not able to be there.  However, he was present the following week, the day of our first celebration of the Lord’s Supper, at which he took membership vows, was baptized, and partook of communion all in the same service.

Taken during fellowship time following the baptismal service:

 

In mid-March it became obvious that we may have to put a temporary hold on holding worship services in person.  Apart from the federal, state, and local coronavirus guidelines, we were concerned about the low quality of health of many of our local folk, including kidney disease, HIV, and other immunocompromised issues. There were other concerns, too, such as the impossibility of maintaining distancing while transporting people in our cars. Accordingly, we made the decision that we would not meet the following week, March 22^nd.

Pastor Smith encouraged people to listen, on that day, to Dr. Joel Beeke’s sermon on dealing with the pandemic, and also to call each other so that some form of fellowship could be engaged in.

By the following Lord’s Day, Pastor Frank had emailed or texted people with the information to call in to a telephone conference call at 3:30pm.  We engaged in a cheerful time of fellowship followed by Pastor Frank bringing a short message on Psalm 56.  We followed the same format the following Lord’s Day and then, on April 12^th, started meeting by Zoom video.  Times of fellowship and spiritual exercises continued on in this way for a further three weeks, with either Elder T.J. Pattillo or Pastor Smith bringing the message.  We were encouraged by the number of participants during this time, ranging from 14 to 21, with an average of 17.

On May 10^th, we met in person for the first time in eight weeks.  We decided that, for the first time back, we would meet outside on our porch and grass.  Even though the temperature was only 72⁰, the sun was shining directly onto the porch and there was precious little shade, so, one by one, people moved inside, to a cool spot from which they could still hear the preaching.  We had fifteen people join us in person, with another four listening in and participating by speaker phones.  T.J.’s family listened on his phone, and church member Jimmie Snider listened on my phone, and, as he told me afterwards, sang the Psalms with gusto (“. . .could you hear me?”, he asked me later).

There is another exciting piece of news, which has to do with the purchase of the building that we had been leasing since October.  At the beginning of December, we had just a bit over $15,000 in our building fund. In my article towards the end of that month, I noted that we then had $20,000, and I asked your help to raise at least a further $30,000 in order to have a 25% down payment on the $200,000 building.   Well, the Lord was more gracious than we could have thought or imagined.  By the end of May we had received over $75,000, and had been granted a 3% mortgage by the Trustees of Synod for a loan of $150,000.  On June 1^st we had all of our paperwork in hand (title insurance, proof of property insurance, etc.) and were able to close on the building.  In addition to the loan, Synod awarded us a $10,000 grant at closing, increasing the total amount of building fund moneys to close to $86,000. This means that in six months, we had raised more than $70,000!

The day of the closing, however, was not without drama.  There were technical issues regarding getting the mortgage loan funding actually transmitted to the attorney’s office.  By God’s grace, however, the money arrived as we were actually in the process of heading down to the closing, and from then on everything went smoothly.

Because of the gracious giving, the extra donations will allow us to do some much needed repairs, improvements, and even a new sign.  We would also like, by means of future donations, to be able to pay off the 20-year mortgage ahead of time.

So, a big THANK YOU to you all for your most kind and gracious gifts.  We stand amazed at the Lord’s blessings, and look back at His awesome providences in bringing us this far.

We now have three big causes for celebration, deserving of a party when we are able to do so!  The first is one that had been planned by Michele for her young Sunday School class of 5 to 10 year olds, on March 22^nd, for having memorised the Ten Commandments—not a summarised version, but the entirity of Exodus 20:1-17.  And that turned out to be the first day that we did not meet for church in person.

The second is the ten-year anniversary of our ministry in downtown Atlanta which would have been celebrated on April 12^th.

The third cause of celebration, will be in gratitude to the Lord for the finalisation of the purchase of our own building, planting, more firmly, the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ in the heart of this great metropolis.