We must navigate with courage and fortitude

IT IS with a deep sense of pride and gratitude that I make these expressions on this the occasion of the 125th anniversary celebrations of the Exchange Baptist’s existence and witness in the Exchange community. I make these expressions on behalf of those whom I have had the pleasure of accompanying as pastor for the last 23 years of this one and a quarter century of ministry. Our pride and gratitude are informed and inspired by the sense of joy and privilege we feel for being part of this which, by any standard, is an impressive journey. As the theme suggests, we are mindful that we are in receipt of a legacy that should be valued, cherished, and built upon, so that we can pass it on to those who come after us.

To say that these celebrations are taking place in unusual and uncertain times is an understatement. The global pandemic that the COVID-19 virus has visited upon us is the single most defining event of our generation. I say defining in as much as it has served only to accentuate certain realities with which the community of creation has been struggling over time. Issues such as inequity, oppression, exploitation, discrimination, and the many other life-denying experiences, which disadvantage the weak and vulnerable, are antithetical to the values of the Kingdom we proclaim.

But we are really facing nothing that those before us did not encounter, and navigate with courage and fortitude, as they bore faithful witness to the Kingdom of God. It is to their courage and fortitude that we owe the legacy they bequeath us, and the said courage and fortitude should be seen and valued as part of the legacy that they have left us. It can only be with that courage and fortitude, born out of our unyielding faith in God, that we will navigate these times to faithfully pass on that which we have received.

REV JOHNATHAN HEMMINGS Pastor Exchange Baptist Church