From The Pastor's Desk

Dearly Beloved…
 

Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank God upon every remembrance of you.

“Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.” -Joshua 1:7

As we celebrate our 99th Church Anniversary, we express our profound gratitude to God for his great faithfulness. Our faith is vital because, our great need of Christ has been met. In him we have personal salvation, forgiveness, reinforcement, power, and the voice of an unseen friend. Also, our gratitude is great. It has been said that “gratitude is the mother of all virtue”. Our faith keeps all its parts and from its consummations looks back with gratitude and love to its beginnings. This is so in our personal lives as well as in the history of our church.

As Christians and as a church we dare to, and love to, look back and remember our humble beginnings. As a church we love to remember how God’s steadfast love has brought us from O’Brien Street to Hastings Street and now Justine Street. This leads to a great compulsion. As Paul wrote: “After these things were ended, Paul purposed in the spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, After I have been there, I must also see Rome.” Acts 19:21. Christ has taken hold of us. Therefore, as his people we are under a powerful inner compulsion. This inner compulsion creates the conditions of new growth, makes new growth possible. God’s work goes uninterrupted, which our theme “Preparing to Cross Jordan”, and our 99 years of church history makes so clear and vivid. When Moses (the Man of God), was buried in an unmarked grave on Mount Nebo, the leadership mantle fell to Joshua. The work goes on. God does not change but, his methods, his message, his ministry, and missions are always progressive. Let this day be a profound day of joy. For the joy of the Lord is really our true strength. As pastor, I have a deep sense of love and appreciation for the Shiloah church. We thank God for our chairperson Sis. Rachelle Stewart and her committee for doing a yeoman’s job with our 99th anniversary. Shiloah you are the beautiful people.

 

In His Service,

Rev. Ronald Webb, Pastor