I was not raised in the churches of Christ
and grew up listening to sermons and attending Bible School in Baptist,
Methodist and Community churches.
When I was in college and met the woman who
was to become my wife, I began to regularly attend church with her at
Central Church of Christ in Little Rock, Arkansas. I soon began to
think that every sermon was aimed particularly at me. I responded to
the invitation and was baptized in Akron, Ohio on Mother’s Day 1966,
recognizing my personal need for salvation and that it was being offered
to me by God through His Son, Jesus.
Since then my wife and four children and I
have attended and worked with congregations in Wichita Falls, Texas,
Little Rock, Arkansas, and Newport News, Virginia before coming to
Arlington. All of my children have their own lives, careers and
families now – and all remain steadfast to the Lord, largely as a result
of the love and nurture and admonition they received in various
congregations across the country. I have served as a deacon for eight
years and as an elder on two occasions, once for eight years in Newport
News and since 1994 here at Arlington
The shepherd in God’s church is not a role for
those who would be mighty in the eyes of the world. God has promised
His people that they will be cared for, looked after and protected – and
the shepherds of each flock are those to whom this task has been given.
As a shepherd, I should know where all the sheep are and how they are in
physical and spiritual well-being. This is not possible to know from
second-hand reports or prolonged business meetings. A shepherd must be
available to meet and to talk with any member of the flock at any time
about their needs and to help find ways to meet those needs. A shepherd
must be ‘apt’ to teach – both by being ‘liable’ to find the time and the
venue to teach a scriptural point, but also ‘good’ at the teaching he
does – and the only way to maintain that ‘aptness’ is through constant
study and prayer. And, a shepherd should be hospitable; my home is
always open and regularly hosts meals or discussion groups to further
the work of the Kingdom.