Wednesday, March 13, 2002
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Wednesday, March 13, 2002 |
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A message to the ones who took Mac's bench The last Wednesday before Thanksgiving was a typical day for most of the members of the Peachtree City Church of Christ. The work day had ended, and a quick meal had been prepared and enjoyed by most of their number, and they were now on the way to the Wednesday night worship service. This seemed to be just a normal Wednesday evening, that is, until they reached the building. Greetings were being exchanged in the parking lot as the members made their way toward the building. As always, everyone was glad to see everyone else, and all seemed well. Suddenly the flow of people going into the building stopped. The people were just standing there, looking towards the entrance area of the building as if something had happened that they did not understand. Finally someone asked, "Where is it? Where's Mr. Mac's bench?" No one had an answer, and soon all were moving into the building to their respective classes. That night, the evening announcements included a request for an explanation as to who had moved the bench, but none was given. It seems as though no one in the congregation had any knowledge of why the bench had been moved. As the days passed it became evident that none of the members had moved the bench, so the Peachtree City Police Department was called and a stolen property report was filled out. The officers were of the opinion that this was probably just an act of vandalism, and that the bench might soon show up in someone's yard, or be found sitting along one of the many cart paths that wind through our community. The weeks passed, and it became evident that we would not see our beloved bench again. Sadly, we began to accept the fact that our bench had been stolen by someone who had either sold it, or was using it in their own home or yard. It is still hard for us to understand how anyone could take this bench, especially since it had a large plaque attached to it that read, "In loving memory of Brother J.A. 'Mac' McDaniel." The bench that was taken from our entrance way was bought by the people who knew, respected, and loved Mr. Mac. Brother Mac served God for many years, and was a wonderful example to all. The last years of his life had not been kind to him. He suffered many illnesses, including heart problems, and finally had to have a knee replacement surgery that left him virtually crippled. But Brother Mac did not let his physical problems stop him from obeying the call of his first love; that was his God. Mac was always there greeting people as they came in that rear door, even during the days that his pain was the most severe. You see, Mac always gave more than he received. Brother Mac passed away last Aug. 16. The members placed that beautiful bench beside the entrance way where he so often stood. Sadly, Mr. Mac's bench was stolen just before the Thanksgiving season. It is our prayer that the person responsible for the theft reads this article and hopefully understands just how much we loved that bench. Our prayer is that he or she also understands this. Our love for that bench is great, but our love and concern for your soul is even greater. Let us make you this offer. We want you to keep the bench; all we ask in return is that you give us just 15 minutes of your time to [let us] tell you just a little bit about the One that can forgive the sins of us all. I think Brother Mac would even invite you to have a seat on his bench while we talk. We will wait to hear from you; you know where we are. The elders of the Peachtree City Church of Christ 201 South Peachtree Parkway Peachtree City
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