Recently, I was honored to attend and preach at the 200-year anniversary celebration for Providence Baptist Church in New Bloomfield, Mo. It was a special occasion for multiple reasons, but I was particularly impacted by two observations. I’d like to reflect for a few moments and share about my experience.
During the service, Director of Missions Preston Thompson provided a thoughtful historical overview of the ministry and associational involvement of Providence Baptist. At one point, he asked if there were any members present who were direct descendants of the 20 charter members. Initially, no hands went up, but we later learned that Mrs. Patricia Ellen Murphy was present, and she is a direct descendant of the church’s first pastor, James Suggett. It was an absolute honor to meet and speak with Mrs. Murphy, and I was excited to get a picture with her!
Here’s what impacted me: almost everyone in the sanctuary that day owed a debt of gratitude to a previous generation they had never met, never known, and to whom they had no relation. A previous generation labored, sacrificed, and served to provide what the current membership presently enjoys.
I immediately pondered what we might be leaving for the next generation. Two hundred years from now, what will they say and write about us? In an incredibly challenging context, the faithfulness of those early Baptist pioneers was/is inspiring. I pray what we leave behind blesses the next generation and provides a solid foundation for gospel proclamation.
After the celebration service, we went to the initial site of the church for a brief ceremony. The original foundational rocks of the small church structure are still visible. As I stood there looking at where the church used to meet, it was fascinating to consider that it’s also where the Missouri Baptist Convention began in 1834!
According to an article by J.M. Peck (1842), what we now know as the MBC was originally called the Baptist Central Convention of Missouri, and then later the General Association of United Baptists of Missouri. Interestingly, it was reported in 1840 that the convention had $342 in the treasury (the equivalent of approx. $13,000 today), and four missionaries were appointed. In the midst of an anti-missions controversy, I’m so thankful we were sending missionaries!
Here’s what impacted me: a small church, in a small town, with limited resources, was the origin of what we now know as the Missouri Baptist Convention – a ministry that serves our state, North America, and the nations. I love how God uses what may seem small and inadequate to accomplish something massive.
Although our founders likely never imagined what would one day be, they believed in gospel cooperation – they believed we were better together – and they were absolutely focused on reaching the lost.
Those who founded the MBC never fully realized the fruit of their labor. They planted trees in whose shade they knew they would never sit. They selflessly prayed, planned, and labored for the future.
In Philippians 3:13–14, Paul writes, “But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
Just as our founders, may we strain forward to what lies ahead to provide the next generation an even stronger foundation for gospel proclamation!
