Yesterday, I had the privilege of attending a reunion celebrating a great pastor - Dr. Verle Ackerman, and a great church - the First Baptist Church of West Hollywood, FL. I had the privilege of growing up in that church that was once named among the ten fastest growing churches in America. Dr. Verle Ackerman was, without any doubt, one of the greatest pastors of all time. That fact was obvious as we reminisced, shared testimonies, cried, and laughed. It is also obvious by those who found Christ under Pastor A's ministry and are still serving faithfully; and by the number of people who have served and are still serving in vocational ministry.
It was so good to see people that I had not seen in quite some time -- nearly 30 years since I last saw some of them. These people included friends, staff pastors, teachers, bus drivers, children's ministry workers, cafeteria workers, classmates, parents of classmates, former co-workers, a man whose grass I used to cut, and so many more. The surprise of the day was seeing the grown-up "little sister" of a high-school sweetheart. I would never have recognized her without a name tag. I'm sure others felt the same about me, but some people looked exactly the same as I remember them from 30 years ago!
Among the brightest spots of the day was being able to spend time with my parents; and being reunited with people who had put up with, trained, invested in, and prepared me for the ministry in which I serve today. God blessed me with mentors during my teenage years like Dell Lindsey, Guy Melton, Larry Coy, and Pastor Ackerman. If nothing else had happened at the reunion, it was worth feeling that embrace from Pastor A. and hearing him say, "I am so proud of you." I can't even imagine how much better it is going to be to hear our Lord say, "Well done thou good and faithful servant."
First Baptist has been through some difficult times after Pastor A left. Changes in leadership, the community, economic conditions, and even the name have all taken their toll; but God has now blessed that church with a good and godly pastor. I've known Brian and Vicki Burkholder since my days at BUA and I would expect God to do some great things through them.
To everyone who had a part in putting the reunion together -- THANK YOU! It was a great time and brought back many, many wonderful memories.
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