“It is a good and God-honoring thing to look back at what God has done and be reminded of His faithfulness.”
Pastor Zac Reno spoke these words to the congregation at Enon Baptist Church in Morris on Sunday, Nov. 6 as they celebrated the church’s 150th anniversary. The church, founded in 1872, has a history of seeing God’s faithfulness.
The church burned to the ground in 1974, but God was still working. “It’s not the building, it’s the people,” a video narrator said. “A people committed to God and to each other.”
Reno preached out of Hebrews 12:1–3 and encouraged the congregation to remember God’s faithfulness to the generations that came before.
More than history
“But I believe God wants to do more today than just remind us of our history,” he added. “More than just to look back at what He has done, but also to look at what He’s doing now.”
The crowded pews, warm smiles and children of all ages filling the halls are witness to what God is doing in Enon Baptist now.
The message Reno preached to the church was about the keys to endurance. He pointed to Hebrews 12:3 as the most important piece of encouragement to endure: Remember Jesus’ suffering and remember the cross.
“Everything we need to be faithful today is found when we look at the cross and see Jesus’ arms stretched wide as he says, ‘I love you this much,’” he said.
Lonette Berg, executive director of the Alabama Baptist Historical Commission, and Rick Lance, executive director of the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions, were both in attendance at the celebration and presented the church with plaques.
“For 150 years, you’ve been the hands and feet of Jesus to this community and that certainly is cause for celebration,” Berg said.
Lance echoed all of Berg’s sentiments and added, “May we realize that the best days at Enon Baptist can be in the future.”
The church’s anniversary celebration also included a choir special to “Build Your Church,” a historical walk-through exhibit and a video featuring previous staff members congratulating the church on the milestone and reminiscing on their time at Enon.
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