The church at which I am one of the ministers is 321 years old. Okay, by the standards of some parish churches that is not so old, by when you consider that Baptist churches are only just 400 years old, it’s pretty good.
To mark our church being 300 years old in 1989 one of our members wrote a book that tells what happened in the first three centuries. It makes fascinating reading (and copies are still available from our church). For me, one of the most significant parts of the book is a chart in the back that reveals our family tree (yes, that’s what the picture is meant to represent). Starting with Colchester Baptist Church in 1689 you can trace the planting of 33 other churches. We have daughter churches, granddaughters, great-granddaughters and so on through to great-great-great-granddaughter churches. That’s quite a heritage!
Last night at our church prayer gathering we reflected on people who had been an influence in our journey of faith and thanked God for them.
Putting those two things together I find it amazing that God uses so many people to bless, encourage, inspire and teach us. The good news of Jesus is faithfully passed on from generation to generation. That’s the way God planned it, and he has no plan B.
So who will give thanks to God for you when they consider their journey of faith? Who may trace their spiritual heritage back through you? Who can you bless, encourage, inspire, or teach about Jesus today?
Be blessed. Be a blessing!
Granddaughter joke:
A grandmother was telling her little granddaughter what her own childhood was like: “We used to skate outside on a pond. I had a swing made from a tyre; it hung from a tree in our front yard. We rode our pony. We picked wild raspberries in the woods.”
The little girl was wide-eyed, taking this in. At last she said, “I wish I’d got to know you sooner!”
nukelearfishing 
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