Friday, January 9, 2004
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Friday, January 9, 2004 |
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Doing the next right thing By DAVID EPPS I read that the good folks of the Russell Temple African Methodist Episcopal Church recently dedicated their sanctuary. Evidently, it was a rather large affair. A history of the church was read, a procession of ministers was led into the sanctuary, a county commissioner made a few remarks, a man from the Newnan Ministerial Association spoke a few words, a choir sang, numerous guests were present, and AME Bishop Frank Cummings delivered the keynote message. What made this dedication different from the countless others that occur with great regularity is that the Russell Temple AME sanctuary was built in 1962! My guess, and it is only a guess, is that, following the construction of the new sanctuary 41 years ago, the church was busy with concerns of the ministry. Probably, a dedication was thought about and talked about, but, with all that surrounds the construction of a new facility, plans slipped to the back burner and were forgotten. In any event, I think it's wonderful that the congregation of Russell Temple set aside a special day and celebrated, even if it was four decades later. It just goes to show that it's almost never too late to do the next right thing! George Thompson was in his late 70s when I met him in 1974. A retired coal miner, Mr. Thompson could neither read nor write for most of his life. When he was 45 years old, he became a Christian. At some point, Mr. Thompson tired of always having to depend on someone to read the scriptures to him. So, with great determination, he began, in his late 40s, to learn to read. By the time I met him, he was reading the King James Version of the Bible through at least once a year, was teaching a Sunday School class, and knew the Bible better than anybody in the church, including the pastor! It wasn’t too late to do the next right thing and learn to read. A certain woman in our church was married at the age of 19. Three years later, she had two children and, the year after that, she returned to college. Two years later, she graduated from nursing school with an associate’s degree in nursing. Fifteen years later, after working as a registered nurse in a variety of settings, she decided to go back to school and get her bachelor’s degree. Continuing to work full-time, she accomplished her goal 15 months later. She worked for another year and decided to get her master’s degree in nursing. Two years later, she received her MSN and, three years after that, she received her Ph.D. in nursing. She did all this while working full-time and maintained a perfect 4.0 GPA throughout all her nursing degrees. Today, she is a tenured associate professor at a state university teaching nursing at both the baccalaureate and master’s levels. In the last few years, she has presented her research to professional gatherings in the United States, Canada, Australia, and in the Virgin Islands. It wasn’t too late to do the next right thing and fulfill a dream. This coming Sunday, Tony McGee will preach his first sermon at our church in the 8 a.m. service. Almost seven years ago, Tony inquired into the possibility of being accepted as an aspirant for Holy Orders, which is what people do in our denomination if they are considering a call to the ministry. For a few years now, Tony has been praying at our church every morning, Monday through Friday, at 5 a.m. before he goes to work. If you drive past our church between 5:00 and 5:30 a.m., unless he is sick, the truck you see in the parking lot will be his. In all the 19 years I have known him, Tony has always been a faithful man, a lover of both the Bible and of God’s people, and a man submitted to God’s will. A little over a year ago, the bishop laid hands on him and ordained him to the ministry. Tony is no young kid. He and his wife have three grown sons. Two of the sons are married and they also have several grandchildren. It wasn’t too late to do the next right thing and answer a call to ministry. The truth is that is almost never too late to do the right thing. It’s never too late to forgive a wrong, never too late to say, “I’m sorry,” never too late to say, “I love you,” never too late to repent, and it’s never too late to get right with God. Unless you die first. Then, of course, it’s too late. But while there is life, there is unbounded opportunity! So, God bless the people of Russell Temple AME Church who, 41 years after the construction of their building, celebrated a day to remember. May their example serve as a reminder to all the rest of us that it’s really never too late to do the next right thing! [David Epps is rector of Christ the King Charismatic Episcopal Church, which meets at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. Sundays on Ga. Highway 34 between Peachtree City and Newnan. He may be contacted at FatherDavidEpps@aol.com or at www.CTKCEC.org.]
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