Zion celebrates Pastor's Anniversary: Remembering Godly Leaders
It's Sunday church and a very emotional one for me and everyone else who holds a membership in that place on the corner of what is now Lemon and Cherokee Streets, and soon to be named Zion Boulevard and Cherokee Streets as envisioned by our retiring pastor, the Rev. Dr. Harris T. Travis. While each of us was in our appointed places this morning worshipping God in His House and celebrating 23 years of visionary service by this man of God, we all felt a sense of a final curtain call, an end of an era. You know what I mean. Truly pastor has earned his rightful place on "easy street/retirement," but there will be a void there for some time to come. We will love our pastor through it all from the depths of our hearts.
Our Call to Worship was presided over by our Minister of Music, Rev. Sharon Watson. She encouraged our praise and led us into a celebratory Praise and Worship with the following Selections: 1. I Lift my hands to Praise; 2. Nobody Greater than you, and 3. Sing Praises to Your Name.
The links below are provided for your personal Devotion:
Worthy is He
Pass Me Not
This Place
Our Mistress of Ceremony for this momentous occasion was our Chairperson for the Old Zion Heritage Museum, Sister Lamuriel Adams. She provided us the order of service after which she gave us a couple stanzas of "This Little Light of Mine." She then when on to explain that the signs of a good man ordered by the Lord are: He preaches the Gospel, Lives the Gospel, and Loves the Lord. The pastor's wife has a role of her own in relationship with God. Our First Lady, Mother Georgia Travis is our Esther, Priscilla, and carries an attribute dominate in the Apostle Peter's wife, she is "quiet."
The Processional was like a beam of light that came down and plopped on our heads; it's really happening. This is pastor's last anniversary celebration with us. He and the lovely Mother Travis were escorted into the Sanctuary by Deacon Don and Mother Eva Johnson.
The Anniversary Choir, donned in their black attired accessorized with gold flowers, delivered a powerful Selection, "Look what God has done; How far we've come" as the processional came to a close.
The Welcome was delivered by Deaconess Angela Hunter who encouraged our visitors to participate and embrace the service and to know that we celebrate a man who has trained us from Genesis to Revelation and has provided for us a glimpse of that place he has coined as the land of No More. She closed with Blessings from God and promoted the visitors' expectancy to receive their Blessing. Glory to God!
The Anniversary Choir delivered a powerful Selection "He is the Great I Am."
The daughter of our pastor and first lady, Sister Verdonna Malone, provided us with the Occasion. The common thread in her delivery was laced with the love she has known and personally witnessed by her parents to God, one another, their children, and to their beloved Zion Baptist Church. She expressed her validation of the 23 years her parents have devoted to Zion and served it well. She affirmed their obedience to God and closed her assignment asking us to recite along with her "Love you from the very depths of my heart."
The Responsive Reading was led by Rev. Marie Emerson from 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 which we read in unison. She prefaced our reading with "I got Joy, what He's done for me."
Deacon Gary Crawford led the Selection "Worthy is He." That song delivery made the walls cry out in worship to the Lord.
Our Mistress of Ceremony reminded us of Brother Goode's not too distant beginning at Zion as our drummer. His first tool set to beat the drums was two pencils, then he graduated to chop sticks, and now he is 13 years old and using drum sticks. Oh, how the time waits on no man.
Our Drummer, Brother Taejah Goode, led the Altar Call praying for all of us in the sanctuary and for himself and his family. Just precious - thank you Taejah.
The Dance Tribute was performed to "This Place." Beautifully executed.
Deacon Philip Patterson Introduced the Speaker, but not before sharing with us how he came to know Pastor and Mother Travis and attributes his journey as a Christian and his chosen career field to this Godly family. Our speaker, Rev. Jeffrey L. Tribble, Sr. PH.D., is a disciple of Jesus Christ. He is a mechanical engineer by trade, married to a longtime friend of Deacon Patterson, and has one child, a son, who is an attorney. He currently serves as Associate Professor of Ministry at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia
Our minister of music delivered an arrangement of "Pass Me Not" that left us all in tears. Pastor cried like we have never seen. That is his absolute favorite song and there is no doubt in my mind that while listening his entire journey with God at his side flashed before his eyes including the LOVE that has poured out of Zion Baptist Church over this past year in tribute to a job well done. It's finished! Rev. Watson - girl - girl - girl. Look at God; just look at God! Family if you are struggling as a Believer in Christ Jesus and you have been at Zion and witnessed the events of late, you should never question the love of God ever, I mean ever...
Sermon Topic: Remembering Godly Leaders
Sermon Text: Hebrews 13:7-8
Supporting Text: 1 Thessalonians 5:13; Exodus 34:6-7; Isaiah 42:1-4, 50:4-9, 53:12; Matthew 16:15
The speaker, Rev. Jeffrey L. Tribble, Sr. PH.D., began by acknowledging our pastor, his service, and those involved in his invitation to speak with us today. He elaborated on the significance of the invitation to speak at the final anniversary celebration of a notable shepherd. He stated that this is the kind of opportunity any pastor would flee to. Praise God! He also shared that his short time with pastor in his study before service was not what he was expecting. Admittedly he thought he was invited to deliver a word to Zion, but instead he received a word from pastor in his study. Rev. Tribble began his message noting that there is strong biblical rationale for celebrating and Blessing a pastor. The first query we should have set in our minds is how his life has transformed us. Consider the man beyond his retirement, if the Lord says so. We are to meditate on how he has taught us. There is a high standard for leadership (blameless). There is a greater accountability for those who preach the word of God. In the scripture text Rev. Tribble points out the verbs: remember, consider, and imitate (NIV). He charged us to recall as much as we can of Rev. Travis' life and how it touched us. What we have seen, heard, felt. He digressed and said that while he was in pastor's study he opened up the national hymnal and read the covenant which instructs that we are to find a place of worship when we move. He confessed that he has never, not been, under the care of a pastor. He went on to state that Pastor Travis is a man after God's own hear. A man of vision. He said a man without a vision will find that the people in the flock will do anything. Good pastors seek those who are lost, seek righteousness. The value of remembering versus dismembering is convicting, and he provided a number of adjectives regarding the two. Namely, to Remember is encouraging, Dismembering is divisive. Remember Godly leaders consider the outcome of their way of life. Don't just look at the aesthetics like the size of the ministry or the structure. Consider the way the leader lives life from the inside out. Only what you do for Christ will last and be counted in the end. If a preacher's life is a hot mess that is not who you want to preach the word of God. A leader should be someone whom you imitate their faith and reliance on God. A Godly leader will pursue the righteousness of God, not their own agenda. Remember nothing stays the same, but Jesus. Earthly leaders come and go, but Jesus remains forever. His nature is unchanging. There is consistency with Jesus found in the Old and New Testament. He's the master teacher, our present help in the time of trouble. From Everlasting to Everlasting. God's merciful, gracious, slow to anger, steadfast in faithfulness. Rev. Tribble urged us to remember Godly leaders who have modeled the character of God. He noted that the Bible provides a number of examples of Godly leaders. There are those from who we can garner generational wisdom as with Abraham and Isaac. He digressed and spoke of his personal experience with those who led the way in his earthly family tree, and he clearly remembers a grandmother who passed down these words of wisdom: "Never mind the Lord will make a way, get in the way that the Lord has ALREADY made." In the new testament Jesus asks Peter who do you say I am. Peter said you are the Christ; the Anointed One. Jesus had to rebuke Peter because he was being influenced by Satan in not understanding the death on the cross. This is the outcome of the lack of Faith. The whole point of a pastor, said Rev. Tribble, is to help us better follow Jesus. Stop placing our hopes in things the moths will come and eat away. Imitate the kind of faith and sacrificial love by making Jesus our choice. Life is full of choices. He noted a gospel favorite: "Silver and Gold." Some folks choose silver and gold, but choose Jesus over those things. Decide to make Jesus our choice. In the Name of the Father, Son and the Holy Ghost."
Awesome word Rev. Tribble.
Deacon James Hargett led us in the Offertory Litany and Prayer.
Closing Remarks by our event leaders Deacon Chesley and Deaconess Ramona McNeil. If enough hadn't happened already to celebrate our spiritual leaders, well. This dynamic duo (the McNeils) closed out by presenting the Travis' with a trip to Tahiti. It turns out that in a conversation with pastor he revealed this as a desired destination. They took that tidbit and acted on it which is the same way they learned neither had attended a Prom. Way-to-go! As Deacon McNeil intimated, if you enter into conversation with pastor and attentively listen you will learn a lot.
Pastor and Mother Travis graciously thanked everyone from the choir to our door keepers for the love bestowed. Pastor expressed how he has never been at a loss for words in his life until now. He did tell us he loves us from the depths of his heart.
It has just been an awesome weekend, and I am certain I will treasure what I have seen, felt, and heard for years to come. Thank you my Zion Baptist Church family.
Mother Bernadette Keitt
