Did the Resurrection Take Place?

With the Easter season, the debate continues about Jesus’ resurrection: real or hoax? I have listened 

to a few podcasts of pundits arguing about this. I am amused at those who argue, with authority, that 

it was impossible for Jesus to rise from the dead. Since they were not there to watch his grave over 

the three (3) day period and be an eye-witness to whatever occurred, where do they get such authority from which to speak? Interesting. I have yet to hear any of them confess, that with a limited range of awareness about what goes on in the universe, they are limited in their understanding. But as I heard someone say, “Ignorance and arrogance run on parallel tracks.” 

On the other hand, each of us must admit that none of us were there as eye-witnesses. So, what is the driving force behind our belief in the resurrection? One aspect stands out like lightning across the sky: the 180 degree shift in the disciples’ behavior! From Jesus’ arrest until Sunday morning, we observe the disciples scatter and hide, in fear. From all indications, their belief in Jesus, as the Messiah, is in jeopardy, to say the least. They are in a survival mode hoping that they will not be the next to be crucified. But then, to the surprise of everyone, they come out of hiding bold and excited and full of assurance! They are speaking publicly about the resurrection of Jesus from the dead! What was the nature of the shift? They had seen Jesus! He had spoken to them (John 20:19-23). They would never be the same again! 

Now, instead of hiding, in fear, they were willing to risk their lives to tell the world about the Messiah Jesus. Therefore, this radical shift in the disciples gives us the evidence that we need to believe in this miracle of Jesus’ resurrection. Nothing less that Jesus’ resurrection would account for such an exponential change. Their witness still reverberates today. So, we too, can join them in their celebration.

In His Service,

Ron McCaskill

What gods Are We Serving Now?

After my father came home from World War II bitter, broken and addicted to alcohol, we experienced several lean Christmases. The most painful though, was his absence. My mother had our little Christmas by ourselves, because my father was somewhere unknown with his friends. I could see the pain etched in my mother’s face even though she worked hard not to show it. It muted most of our Christmas joy. What further pained us five (5) children was to know that our father preferred to be with others rather than his own children. He had other gods in his life. 

I will be forever grateful for those three (3) men, with Bibles in their hands, who came to our home to visit with my daddy. These men had the aura of angels! By the surprised as well as humbled look on my father’s face, I could tell that, he too, felt the presence of the Lord through these men.

My father turned to us children and told us to go to the back bedroom and stay there until he came to get us. Since I had been praying for God to send someone to speak to my dad about Jesus, I was too excited to stay in the bedroom long. Being overwhelmed that God hears the prayers of a little five (5) year old, I sneaked around the end of the house to hear what these men were saying to my dad. I eased the kitchen door open to see these three (3) men kneeling around my dad who was seated on the couch. They were looking intently at him, with open Bibles, reading Scripture to him. I could see only half of my dad’s face, but what I saw caused a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes. The Holy Spirit was convicting my dad! I watched long enough to hear my dad pray for God to deliver him from the god of alcohol and to help him be a better dad and husband. Then, I stealthily closed the kitchen door and ran back to join my siblings trying to look innocent. 

In a few minutes, my father retrieved us from the bedroom and marched us into the living room. We sat on the couch and my father got on his knees in front of us and told us that we were all going to start attending church beginning this Sunday! 

The next Christmas, our father joined us, in the wee hours of the morning, as we celebrated that Santa Claus had come! As I looked into my father’s eyes that Christmas morning, I celebrated, with unbridled joy, that Jesus had come to our house that Christmas! 

As an adult, with my own, now grown children, I am reminded afresh that Jesus is indeed, the reason for the season. My heart hurts as I observe all of the secular holiday tradition that has pushed Jesus to the back of the room. It seems that we are serving other gods than the One who came to save us from our sins. 

My wife and I have a retired missionary friend who has traditionally bought only one Christmas gift for each of his children and grandchildren. And then, after the gifts are opened, he reads the Christmas story from the Bible. Afterwards, they sit around and talk about the magnitude of such a heavenly gift wrapped in immeasurable love from heaven. And they pray together as a family! Wouldn’t it be wonderful if every Christian family practiced this rather than letting other gods squeeze in and squeeze Jesus out? 

May all enjoy a Christ-centered Christmas!

Ron McCaskill

The Reality of the Resurrection

Easter is when Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave. Some skeptics like Frank Morrison have researched this phenomenon and ended up a Christian, as reflected in his best selling book, Who Moved the Stone. Others however, have come away with different ideas. I have listened to one scholar share his views, on YouTube, that he used to be a Christian, but he is not any more, because he no longer believes in the resurrection. He bases his decision to leave Christianity based on 1) his research abilities and 2) his range of awareness. Given the fact that all of us can decide what we believe and then make the Bible say what we want it to say, let’s examine two areas.

First, is our own skill set in establishing our level of research abilities. Our discipline, intellect and our patience will establish how good our research abilities are, generally speaking. Most of us have the propensity to make up our minds before we know all the facts. Or, we decide what we believe before all the facts (known and unknown) have come into our view. Second, each of us possesses a limited range of awareness. We commonly make the mistake of making decisions within our own range of awareness. The mistaken assumption is that all the facts are within our range of awareness when they are not. The harsh reality is that each of us operates out of a very small range of awareness of all the knowledge that is available to us in this universe. For example, I was listening to an earth scientist speaking on NPR who said, “One can now say confidently that we know about one percent of all life-forms living on and in the earth.” When speaking about the spiritual dimension, we probably know even less. 

So, when some people and scholars say that they do not believe that Jesus Christ rose from the dead, they are depending on their own unique skill-set level of research as well as their limited range of awareness. One Medical Doctor said to me, “The more we know the less we know.” Now, that is a person in touch with reality!

So, how can we solve this complex debate? My answer is that I depend on my own experiences. Specifically, I have experienced two times when a voice spoke loudly to me saving my life. Once when I was six (6) years old, and once when I was forty (40) years old. So, I can say confidently that Jesus is real and the spiritual dimension is real.

We know that history documents that there was a real Jesus and that he was crucified. He died. Yet, I know, from personal experience, that He lives! I do not depend on my own limited research skills or my shallow range of awareness of the visible and invisible world around me. I depend on personal experience. 

This Easter season, I invite you to ask Jesus to reveal Himself to you as only He can. Don’t let someone else make up your mind for you. Seek Him yourself and see if your Creator does not give you a personal experience that will remove all doubt.

His Servant,

Ron McCaskill, Pastor

Christchurch Cairo

Keeping Promises

I am told that the Afghans who helped the military were promised that their families would be safely evacuated if the Taliban won the war. Now, America is keeping its promise. Afghans are coming to America, because they saved American lives during the war. Our ecumenical ministerial association, in our county, voted to receive an Afghan family in Grady county and to care for them until they could get on their feet financially. Unfortunately, because of our rural and somewhat isolated location, we will not be receiving a family. But our “Plan B” is attractive! The International Rescue Committee, in Tallahassee, has requested assistance in the resettling of Afghans relocating to Tallahassee. Our ministerial association is coming together to send money and various supplies. Christchurch Cairo voted to send $1,000.00 to the IRC. We are delighted to help these people who risked their lives to save American lives. We understand that many of these Afghans left their country with nothing but the clothes on their backs. So, their needs are many. What an honor it is to help these precious people find a new life in a safe environment. 

If you feel led to help, then please type in “International Rescue Committee” in your search engine to find their home page. You will find the appropriate information. And most importantly, please keep these Afghans in your prayers as they find their way in a new country.

Love in Christ,

Ron McCaskill, Pastor

Ignorance and Religious Zeal Form a Bad Combination

This article, by The Reverend Tony Cartledge, Ph.D., spoke to my heart. I pray that it will speak to yours as well. This article, which is found in the September-October issue of Nurturing Faith Journal and Bible Studies, p. 52, is reproduced with the permission of Good Faith Media and Nurturing Faith Journal.

Thinking About the Lenten Season

As you know, Lent is the forty (40) days before Easter when we Christians ponder the price that Jesus of Nazareth paid for our salvation on the cross. Following these last forty (40) days, in Scripture, is quite interesting and puzzling. For example, Dr. William Willimon said, “The gospel of Mark records the demons obeying Jesus while His disciples did not.” One instance of this is in Mark 8:31-38 where Jesus tells the disciples, plainly, that He must go to Jerusalem and die at the hands of the Jewish religious leaders. The gospel of Mark tells us this immediately after the disciples have acknowledged Jesus as the Messiah. So, it is quite surprising and puzzling that the disciples rebuke Jesus for telling them the truth about what is going to happen in the near future concerning His life. And yet, here is this amazing paradox staring us in the face. 

What do we do with this? The first hint of understanding comes from a couple of insights:

1. We are all happy to be called Christians as long as the Lord does what we want. The moment that He does not agree with our ideas and desires, we become exceedingly unhappy, even to the point of rebuking the Lord.

2. Crises always reveal our character as well as our true motives.

Like the disciples, we too probably have a secret agenda for following Jesus. When things don’t go our way, we let the Lord know about it.  Of course, this story is a valuable teaching moment for all of us. As we evaluate our faith during the season of Lent, do we see a hint of selfishness in ourselves? Most of us could be with the disciples urging Peter to rebuke Jesus for not doing what they(we) wanted. In principle, we acknowledge that selfishness not only drives a wedge between us and God but is the root of destruction in the human race. We readily see, at a distance. But do we see it up close in our own hearts? 

For me, Lent is a season of self-examination. I pray that it is for you as well. I am learning that the Holy Spirit can do a holy work in me only when I am honest with Him. May we be honest with Him about our motives.

 Walking With the Lord and Listening,

 Ron McCaskill

Thinking About 2021

We have all heard “Happy New Year” from our friends and loved ones several times over. I wonder how many of us have stopped to think about what will make, or have the probability of increasing, our happiness for the new year? Someone said, “Thinking the same way and doing the same things and expecting different results is a good definition of insanity.” So, where are you in your “Happy New Year” quotient?

For Christmas, one of my sons gave me the book, Limitless, by Jim Kwik. I am learning from this book that if I want my 2021 to be different from the past years, then I must undergo some changes in my thinking. This author asks the question, “Where is your limit?” And then, he responds with this thought: “Most likely, you’re experiencing a limit in your mindset, motivation, or methods…” (p. xii).

So, if I want my 2021 to be more productive, then I must change my mindset. While speaking with a person who kept putting off a life-goal, because he felt that he couldn’t do it, I responded, “Can’t never could.”  And then, I had to confess to myself that I had some negative thoughts that were defining my mindset and thus setting limits. I found it easier to tell the other guy how to pull up his boot straps than to pull my own up. Reason? An attitude; a poor perspective; negative self-talk? Each or all of these mental “poisons” will keep us from moving forward. By now, I am sure that you have noticed that productivity is determined by motivation which is determined by mindset which is determined by one’s attitude (positive or negative) which colors one’s perspective.

Thus, having a “Happy New Year” is not determined by different circumstances coming into my life but nurturing a more healthy mindset. And then, I just might see my circumstances differently. As I change my perspective, then my mindset, motivation and methods will take on an exponential shift which will most likely result in a happier year.

Wishing you God’s richest Blessings!

Ron McCaskill, Pastor

Christ Church Cairo

Showing Our Faith By Our Actions

Some time ago, I was visiting with a retired church growth consultant with the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. I was bemoaning the research that predicted that, by 2050, half of the churches in the United States would be closed. After listening to me, he surprised me with his response, “That is not necessarily a bad thing,” he mused. “Because only the real Christians will be in the churches; and our society will get to see what a real Christian looks like.” 

  After giving some thought to my friend’s assessment of the American religious landscape, I agree that it is not a bad thing at all. The churches that practice segregation and lean towards racism and white supremacy will, most likely, be  the ones to close their doors. The reason: the younger generation sees the obvious inconsistency between what we say and how we act; and they are not impressed. My own children have given me a picture of the inconsistencies that their generation see in the Church. They see homophobic, xenophobic, and racist attitudes permeating the church within our denomination. They see the American flag flying over the Christian flag on some church campuses, and they remark, “Doesn’t the Ten Commandments say something about, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.”? I got brave enough, temporarily, to address this with a deacon whose church had the American flag flying over the Christian flag pointing out this Commandment. His response? “I don’t see anything wrong with it myself.” The obvious inconsistency is some white nationalist Christians say they believe the teachings of Holy Scripture and then act the opposite. The younger generation has taken note and, by and large, abandoned the Church looking for something more real.

On the positive side, some churches are loving people like Jesus taught us to love, and the young people are being drawn to these churches. So, there is hope! Christianity is still alive and well in some parts of our country.

  Let us hope that the peaceful demonstrations taking place in our country against racism and injustice will give us pause and invite deeper analysis of self and the Church. May we realize that consistency between what we say and how we act is a very important part of our witness as a Christian.

Starting and Staying with Jesus,

Ron McCaskill

A Faith Crisis?

All of us are aware of the protests in our country. We have different opinions as to its cause. Because I am a Christian first and a pastor second, let me share some thoughts from my Christian perspective.

I grew up in a Fundamentalist Baptist church full of loving people until it came to race. I saw another side of these loving people when they voted unanimously, in the 1960s, not to allow black people to worship with us. They used some vague scripture about the curse of Cain to justify their actions. I was told, “This is the way things are.” As I got older, I realized that they were referring to culture and not to the teachings of Jesus.

When I completed my master’s work at seminary, My wife and I were called to a large church in the southeast to serve on their staff. This church was integrated. When I compiled a youth choir trip to New Orleans, I called some of my pastor friends in southern Mississippi to host us in their churches. They were excited to have us. About a week before we were scheduled to leave on the trip, it occurred to me that since our youth choir had black youth in it, I had better call these churches and let them know. I did not want this to be a problem. It turned out to be a problem. I was told, “This is the way things are.” Again, it was agreed that this was not the teachings of Jesus but of culture.

Some years later, I became Senior Pastor of a church that was not integrated. When a black child, who had been attending our children’s program on Wednesday night, prayed to receive Christ and wanted to be baptized, it took three (3) deacons meetings before they would allow me to baptize this child. I was told, “This is the way things are.”  This black child would come to the pastorium crying saying, “Why do people at church say bad things to me?” As time passed, this child dropped out of church. At the age of seventeen, he committed suicide. As news of this traveled through our church family. Some said, “Pastor, you can’t change the way things are.” 

Well, the time has come to change the way things are. For Christians, we must stop living by cultural mores and prejudices and start living by the teachings of Jesus.

I overheard a pastor say to a prospective members class, “You can’t be a Christian if you don’t live by the teachings of Jesus.” That’s the way things really are!

Your Servant in Christ,
Ron McCaskill, Pastor
Christchurch, Cairo

Wishing You A Merry Christmas!

Like most families, Christmas is our favorite time of year. As a child, we gathered at my mother’s parents (Mama Lula and Daddy Kellis) to enjoy a festive meal, hunting and a lot of good fellowship with relatives. What an immeasurably joyous time that was for me as a child.

When I was approaching High School, my oldest brother joined the Air Force during the Cold War. He was trained in intelligence and assigned to Germany. Because of the nature of his work, he was not allowed to return home for four, long years… my entire High School career.

My family was very involved in athletics, and we always supported each other. My oldest brother, a running back on our school team, taught me how to evade tacklers and fight for extra yardage by keeping my legs pumping. I loved my brother, and I loved to have him at games watching me. So, it broke my heart that he was in Germany for the entire time of my High School playing days.

During Christmas at the family gathering, my oldest brother was sorely missed. It hurt to look at the empty place at the table. Finally, he came home! This renewed our family gatherings and much laughter returned. My family stills tears up when the song, “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” is played. We remember the pain of separation and the joy of reunion!

Many years have passed since the Cold War days and those painful days of separation. My family still enjoys getting together at Christmas, even though many are in Heaven now. There is just something magical about being together and listening and singing Christmas carols, as it brings back so many childhood memories.

 So, as your family gathers this Christmas, may you too enjoy a very special time with each family member. And, rejoice in that Christ our Savior has come to save us from our sins so that we might have a family reunion in Heaven.

Merry Christmas to you and to yours!

Celebrating His Birth,

Ron

Remembering

In our religious life, do we lean more on indoctrination than revelation? What about Jesus? Which way did He lean and what did He teach?

As Jesus was instituting the Lord’s Supper, He encouraged the disciples to “Do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19). What does Jesus want us to remember? First, that Jesus came to earth to renew His personal relationship with His children. But Jesus was resisted aggressively by those who insisted on rules and regulations over a personal relationship with God. So, in other words, Jesus is saying remember why I came.

Jesus also said, in effect, remember what I have done. What did He do? He paid the once-for-all sacrifice for our sins to give us a home in heaven. Further, He demonstrated, for us, how to live in a personal relationship with God as opposed to living by a set of rules. Rules do not grow us closer to God but a personal relationship does.

To demonstrate this truth, we see, in the Bible, those who lived by rules were the ones who were threatened by Jesus and plotted to murder Him thinking that they were doing God a favor. Jesus came to change the way that we relate to God and to each other. For how we relate to each other reveals how we relate to God. Herein lies the challenge for us today. The generation aged 18-34 watch how we treat each other and are very unimpressed with Christianity. So much so that approximately 93% of this age group have said, “No” to Christianity, and resultingly, are unchurched.

So, Jesus calls us to remember! Remember what He has done for us! And remember what He wants to do in us. Remember that He is always with us, through His Holy Spirit, to: guide us, daily, into all truth and to bring to our remembrance everything that He taught us while He was still with us in the flesh. The remembering process calls for us to stay in constant contact with God; so that He may continue to nurture us to grow us to be more Christlike. This process of continual connection with Him directly affects how we treat each other which is a powerful witness. And our witness reflects how well we remember.

With this current generation turning away from the Church tells us that we are having trouble remembering what Christ has done for us and in us and what He want to do through us. God wants us to be a visible reflection of the invisible God. In other words, we are to be His love with skin on.

Observing the disciples’ lives before they understood, they lived selfishly. After they understood,, they lived sacrificially. Before Saul understood, He persecuted Christians. After he understood, he became the persecuted. But his new personal relationship with Jesus more than made up or it. In his new relationship, he penned these words. “What this means is that those  who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun! All this newness of life is from God, who brought us back to himself through what Christ did. And God has given us the task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. This is the wonderful message he has given us to tell others. We are Christ’s ambassadors, and God is using us to speak to you. We urge you, as though Christ himself were here pleading with you, “Be reconciled to God!” (2 Corinthians 5:17-20 NLT). And describing his own life, the converted Apostle Paul said, “I myself no longer live, but Christ lives in me. So I live my life in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). Obviously, the Apostle Paul’s relationship with Jesus transformed him.

As we remember Jesus, may we also be transformed continuously into His likeness.

Your Servant in Christ,
Ron McCaskill, Pastor
Christchurch, Cairo

Living for Jesus

In 1917, a small handful of men set out to start a world-wide revolution following a man named Lenin who said, "We must train men and women who will devote to the revolution, not merely their spare evenings, but the whole of their lives." Within a few decades, Lenin gathered between 6-8,000 individuals to help bring Communism into reality. They would build an empire that held one third of the world's population (100 million people) in its grip. How did it happen?

As least in part, the answer lies in their devotion to a cause and their willingness to sacrifice their lives for that cause. Their mission and the outcome of their efforts wee undeniably evil. Yet, the rise of the Communist Party is one of the most striking examples in history of the meaning of total surrender. 

Now, where did Lenin get this idea of total surrender? I believe, Lenin was a student of history and possibly read how Christianity spread rapidly in the first three centuries after Jesus ascended, because those who believed in Jesus Christ were totally surrendered to the cause.

In his perverted way, Lenin took this idea of total surrender and applied it to his evil cause. Lenin was able to recruit these individuals to make Socialism the center of their existence. Even the Devil knows how to have good strategies.

But evil makes promises that it cannot keep. And Lenin's empire eventually failed. 

This spurs us to look again at the root of Christian history and to examine ourselves. Jesus called His followers to total surrender (Mark 8:34-38). And as  long as they did, Christianity spread rapidly, converting half of the known world by 270 A.D. Then Constantine legalized Christianity and lessened the requirements of being a Christian. And Christianity has been losing ground ever since.

In this day of Christian decline in America, it is important to ask, "As a Christian, is my relationship with Jesus Christ the center of my existence?" 

Martin Luther King, Jr. said,

                                 "A man who won't die for something is not fit to live."

Living for Jesus,  Ron McCaskill

Making A Difference

Even though our mission-church family has been hard-hit by sickness and surgeries, our fifteen members were able to give $3,002.00 to the CFB Global Missions offering! I am so proud of our people who gave sacrificially. We are a mission-minded group of Christians who believe that we cannot out-give God.

We also believe that God is much more active in our lives than we suppose😊. One example of this happened not too long ago. I was busy getting ready to travel to Thomasville to visit the hospital when my phone kept ringing. My time-line kept getting tighter and tighter with every additional phone call. My frustration level began to rise when I realized that I was not going to make my personal time-lines that I had set for myself that morning. I was running late, and I did not like it! Finally, after several attempts, my wife and I finally got out the door and on the way to the hospital. As we were entering the elevator at the hospital, I looked up and saw a woman walking rapidly toward me waving her hand enthusiastically. I kept the elevator door open for the young woman to join us. As she walked closer, I recognized her! She was one of my “spiritual children” whom I had baptized when she was nine years old.  Now, she was grown and married and working in the medical profession at a large city several hours away. After we hugged, I asked her, “What are you doing here?” She responded, “I have been here with my grandmother. She is dying, and she was asking us to find you. We did not know how to get in touch with you; but here you are! How amazing!! I am on my way to my grandmother’s room. Can you come with me?” I said, “Of course!”  (even though we were there to visit several other families). We walked together to her grandmother’s room catching up with each other’s lives as we went.  All three of the grandmother’s children were in her room when I arrived. Tears were shed. When she was able to talk, the grandmother shared with me the reason that she had to see me before she died. The reasons were personal and confidential. (Sorry I can’t share it here). But it was a beautiful cleansing time spiritually.

After we left the hospital and were on the way home, I wife and I began laughing at our own shallowness about not realizing how God was working so I could run into this young lady; and thus, have their family prayer answered that they would find me in time. If I had left the house one minute sooner or one minute later, I would not have run into this granddaughter. This “elevator meeting” would not have happened.

So when things happen that throw us off our schedules, my wife and I just smile at each other and say, “I wonder what God is up to now?”

Praying for increased listenability,

Ron McCaskill, Pastor

If We Will Just Cooperate!

For sometime now, I have been reminding our congregation that God is much more active in our lives than we suppose. The literal rendering of Psalm 23:6 is “surely and goodness and mercy shall pursue me all the days of my life.” Jesus said it a little differently but no less powerfully when he described the work of the Holy Spirit in John 14:26. “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”

A latest obvious activity of God in my life took place a couple of weeks ago. My car was in need of mechanical repair and maintenance. So, I set an appointment with a mechanic while clearing my calendar to be able to drop off my car at the designated time. When I dropped off the car, he asked me, “Do you have the transmission kit?” I replied, ” No, You didn’t order it?” “No,” he said. “I thought you did.” I begin to feel my frustration rise as we went into his office to order the kit. “It will be here at 8 o’clock in the morning, ” the mechanic said cheerily.  I responded a little less cheerfully,   ” Then I will be here at 8 o’clock in the morning.” I mumbled to myself as I shared with my wife how we would need to change our schedule yet again to get my car repaired.

At 8 o’clock the next morning, I walked into the mechanic’s place of business and saw Ben, now an adult with a family, whom I had baptized when he was nine years old. “Brother Ron!” Ben said enthusiastically. We embraced and began catching up with each other. Then he turned somber and asked, “Will you go see my Grandmother? She is real low. She is not eating anymore. Just down to liquids and bedridden.” I assured him that I would visit her. He gave me his mother’s phone number, and I called as I left the mechanic’s garage. Elizabeth, Ben’s mother answered. After she greeted me joyfully, she said, “You will not believe this! We had a family meeting last night about Mother, and Irwin said, “We need to call Brother Ron. Does anyone have his number? None of us did, and we were asking around how to get in touch with you. And hereyou call the very next day!” And I responded, “God is much more active in lives than we know.” Elizabeth responded with enthusiasm, “He sure is!” We set a time to meet with the family that night. Since then, my wife and I have laughed several times recalling this incident at how God orchestrated this meeting with Ben.

God is, indeed, an amazing God, ever looking for ways to bless us and to guide us if we will just cooperate!

Trying to cooperate more,

Ron McCaskill

A Price Paid: A Price to Pay

On this past November 13, Christchurch Cairo enjoyed Dr. Bruce Gourley as our guest. As a Baptist historian, Bruce had stories! One story that touched my heart was how the Baptists were treated in Virginia when it was still a colony. The Anglican Church was the state church. As a result, taxes supported the church and its clergy. Because Baptists not only opposed a state-sponsored church and actively taught the separation of church and state, they refused to pay taxes. They also refused to baptize their infants into the state church. This put themon a collision course with the law. Baptists were persecuted. They lost jobs and property. They were also jailed, especially the preachers. Dr. Gourley told a story of how one Baptist preacher was grabbed by the hair of his head and dragged out of his pulpit and off to jail. Another story Bruce shared was how “thugs” were hired, by those who opposed Baptists, to taunt the preachers. Some even urinated on a preacher while he preached.

As I pondered these stirring stories, I was filled with a mixture of deep respect, sadness and resolve. Sadness, because so many of every-Sunday-attending Baptists, in my community, stare blankly and irritatingly at me when I talk to them about historical Baptist principles like separation of Church and State, soul-competency, priesthood of the believer, and autonomy of the local church. Deep respect, because Christchurch Cairo not only teaches these Baptist principles but offered a “Baptist Principles’ seminar to the public which was taught by the renowned Baptist scholar, Dr. Buddy Shurden. And resolve, to keep telling the Baptist story understanding that there is a price to be paid.

Christchurch Cairo is working hard to keep Baptist principles alive. Even though it is challenging, in our subculture, it is a challenge worthy of our best. Thank you for praying for us as we strive to be found faithful. Perhaps future Baptists will speak of us, one day, with the same reverence that we remember our spiritual forefathers who were willing to pay a heavy price for our principles.

In Christ,

Ron

Dr. Bruce Gourley Visiting

Sunday, November 13 at 4:00 P.M.

I am excited to announce that Dr. Bruce Gourley, Ph.D. will be speaking at Christchurch Cairo this Sunday, November 13 at 4:00 P.M. Dr. Gourley is a Baptist historian who is currently online editor and contributing writer for Nurturing Faith Journal and executive director of the Baptist History and Heritage Society. His latest book, Baptists and the American Civil War: Crucible of Faith and Freedom, will, no doubt, be a topic of lecture as well as discussion during his visit to our church.

For those interested in the changes in Baptist life as well as Baptists' role in American politics and history, should be highly interested in listening and conversing with Dr. Gourley. Everyone is cordially invited to this stimulating conversation next Sunday!

Grace and Peace,
Ron McCaskill, Pastor

Feeding the Hungry

We are all painfully aware of the displaced people and families as a result of war and bad weather. People are going hungry to the point of starvation. As our Tuesday night Bible Study group was talking about this, we received an invitation from Ann Horne and her husband to help pack meals to feed the hungry children in these deprived areas. The Hornes have a ministry named “Kids Against Hunger.” They began this ministry about fifteen years ago and have enjoyed continued growth. In response to the crisis in Haiti, they recently sent several thousand meals to feed the hungry children there. Tracking their ministry, they have sent pallets of packed meals all over the world to keep children from starvation.

This past Tuesday night, our group eagerly accepted the Horne’s invitation to help pack meals for “Kids Against Hunger.” Six of our group worked for two hours and packed meals to feed 324 families. With October being World Hunger Month, we were glad to be a part of something significant to help those in need.  As we worked with Ann Tuesday night, I learned that each meal has the minimum daily requirements of nutrients and minerals. And, each meal cost 25 cents! So, for a quarter, I could feed a child for a day! How rewarding it was to know that we were helping a hungry child somewhere in the world.

James 2:15 has something to say about doing nothing to meet physical needs. It is very hard to listen to someone tell you about Jesus when you are hungry. First, feed them and then share the Good News! Then they can listen a lot better as well as believe that you genuinely care about them. So, Tuesday night, our group found rich meaning in showing our faith by our deeds.

Sharing the Bread of Life,
Ron

A Lot Has Happened!

A lot has happened since my last post. Let me share a few exciting events that we have experienced.

1. We just completed a seminar studying the eschaton. Presenting the biblical study of “Last Things” was Dr. Jim Wyatt, a retired library dean from the University of Rochester in New York. Before pursuing a career in Library Science, Dr. Wyatt pastored for a period. This academic approach presenteda depth of study that our people had not been exposed to previously. This level of exegesis was stimulating and refreshing.  No doubt, Dr. Wyatt is popular among our congregation, and we are thinking of additional ways to use him since he has retired to Cairo.

2. Our mission is being commissioned as a new church start by the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship at the annual meeting in June! We are so proud to have enjoyed the help that CBF has given us in finding new ways to reaching people for Christ.

Since some of our church leadership attended a “Dawnings” conference sponsored by the new church start department of CBF, our people have grown to love deeply the spiritual depth of CBF. We find immeasurable meaning in being a part of such loving, inclusive people whose one agenda is to reflect the Spirit of Jesus Christ.
 
3. We continue to focus on international missions as our main goal of being in existence. The first eleven percent of the offerings given to our mission go to the following mission efforts: 1) Baptist World Alliance, National Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, Georgia Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, and McAfee School of Theology at Mercer University. We also support the local indigent fund of the Ministerial Alliance of Grady County (Cairo, Georgia).

4. Our mission has also joined the local Chamber of Commerce thus reflecting our desire to serve the community as well as to be a part of the community events.

5. We also have a new worship location! We are now worshiping at The Tired Creek United Methodist Church site located on the Upper Hawthorne Trail just north of Cairo (about one mile) on highway 112. The church closed in 1995 and the building was sold to Woodmen of the World. They allow us to rent the church building. The church altar which was built in 1840 is still being used by us! It is truly a sacred place of worship.

6. We continue to enjoy our discipleship study on Tuesday nights at 6:00 P.M. at 1900 Lakewood Drive SE in Cairo. We have enjoyed up to five(5) different denominations studying the teachings of Jesus with us. The atmosphere is very warm and inviting; and we are growing together in the Lord!

If you have any questions about our ministry, please call Dr. Ron McCaskill at 229-220-3618. We are an inclusive congregation, because we believe that Jesus loves everyone and everyone is welcome at the feet of Jesus (John 1:12).

In His Service,
Ron McCaskill

A New Home for Our Church Family!

Wow! We actually have a church building to meet in now. We had been looking at this building for several years, but did not pursue renting it. Finally, after one of our members drove by and realized that the building had been freshly painted, he decided to look into the possibility of us renting it.

Let me back up and give you a little history. A group of Methodist Christians built this building in 1840 close to the Tired Creek. So, they called themselves "The Tired Creek Methodist Church." In 1875, they relocated to the present site. This Methodist congregation flourished for many years. But as the cycle of many churches go, the membership declined and finally closed several years ago. The Woodman of the World bought the building around 1995 and began using it for their monthly meetings as well as renting it to groups for special occasions. They replaced the roof, air conditioned the building, did some rewiring and added a kitchen. As you can tell from some of the pictures, they left the church altar in its original place. Also, some of the original pews from the 1840 church are still there. The church building is simple but beautiful. To run one's hands over the kneeling rail at the altar and realize that you are putting your hand on something that was hand-made in 1840 for the purpose of people praying and caring all their burdens to the Lord leaves you with a sense of reverence.

So, we worked out a rental agreement and began worshiping at The Tired Creek United Methodist Church this Sunday past. We rededicated the building as a church and shared Holy Communion thus beginning our new journey at our new worship site. This is an exciting time as we explore the opportunities before our church family.

Living In His Presence,
Ron

We Have Moved!

Our church has moved to a church building! New Beginnings Baptist Church, located at 290 2nd Avenue NE, has agreed to rent us spaceat a cost of $150 per week. Our meeting times will remain the same for the time being. Tuesday night Discipleship Study will continue at our home. We are so delighted to have this extra room. As we focus on young married with children, we will have Bible Study space to teach them. Moreover, we had a piano given to us by the First Presbyterian Church in Bainbridge. I had it moved to New Beginnings this week. They did not have a piano. So, now both congregations can use a very nice piano!

Please remember to be with us each Sunday at 3:30 P.M. at New Beginnings to continue our New Church Start sessions which will last through the last Sunday of September.

We have exciting days ahead!

With You in His Certain Victory,

Ron