When I was child, my family and I rarely left Montgomery, Alabama. My circle was small, and I mean it was really small. Outside of going to church, driving to school, and making the occasional trip to the grocery store, we barely went anywhere. Travelling was something my family just didn’t do! It seemed like a big trip when we would load up and travel to Birmingham once a year for a doctor’s appointment. By the time I was 18 years old, I had only left the state of Alabama a couple of times. But in the year 2011, I moved to Pensacola, FL to attend Bible School, and Caitlin and I got married a few months later. Since then, I have been richly blessed to frequently travel to preach the Gospel in various parts of the United States. God has opened the door for me to preach His message in many local churches throughout many states. I have preached throughout Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, Florida, Kentucky, Arkansas, Indiana, Michigan, and Texas. In the first 10 years of my preaching ministry, my family and I have been a lot of places and we have seen a lot of churches. I don’t say any of this to brag, but I mention these things to help you to grasp just how blessed we feel to be a part of the Eastern Meadows family. We have seen so many congregations, but there is no place else we would rather be! We love Eastern Meadows!
Yes, we love this church, but it is not because Eastern Meadows is a picture-perfect congregation. We, like every other congregation of God’s people, have areas where we could be stronger and spots where we could do better. We don’t have a perfect eldership, our ministers aren’t flawless, our deacons are all imperfect men, and nobody in our membership has arrived to a state of perfection. We have our share of challenges, our difficulties, and our weaknesses. We are ever growing, striving to be stronger, and learning how to better be the church Jesus calls us to be as His purchased people. I don’t love Eastern Meadows because we are a perfect church; I love this church despite all of our imperfections.
Even though we aren’t a perfect church, I still feel richly blessed to be a part of God’s family at Eastern Meadows. As I think about this congregation, I see so many qualities of a great church. We are blessed with six godly men serving as shepherds who deeply love Jesus and His church. Our leadership has vision and passion for the future. We are a diverse church with a membership not limited to a certain skin color, nationality, or demographic. We are both balanced and Biblical. We uphold the demands of the Bible, but we are not bound by human tradition. We are blessed with some great families who are committed to Jesus. Our seasoned saints have much wisdom and love to share. We have a growing number of newborn babies, precious children, and young people. We have a large number of very capable and qualified men and women who can teach. Our members are very talented and enrich our worship and church life with their many spiritual gifts. We are blessed with members who willingly offer many fresh and exciting ideas to advance the cause of Je-sus Christ. We are a loving, generous, and kind church. We are involved in various good works both locally and abroad. There are just so many reasons why I love this church!
My family and I have been a lot of places, and we have seen a lot of local churches, but we absolutely love Eastern Meadows! I feel richly blessed to be a part of this congregation. I am so thankful God has opened the door for my family and I to become a part of your family. When I think of how blessed I am to be here, I feel challenged to do everything within my power to serve this church and help Eastern Meadows to have a healthier and brighter future. Do you feel the same way? What are some things you love about Eastern Meadows? Let this love create within you a greater resolve to serve as a member of the body of Christ. You are a special part of this church. Eastern Meadows can continue to be a great congregation of God’s people as long as we come to-gether and work together for the Lord Jesus Christ.
Brandon Baggett is a former Pulpit Minister for Eastern Meadows Church of Christ.
