From Your Pastor

1998 was an interesting year. In our nation, John Glen returned to space. Basketball fans were saddened that Michael Jordon retired. In baseball, Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa both broke Roger Maris’ home run record by hitting 70 and 66 home runs respectively. Bob Barker aired his 5,000 episode of The Price is Right. The first Harry Potter book came out. Nationally, Bill Clinton’s presidency was marred in scandal while his popularity soared to an all-time high at 76%.

You may remember all of these things or none of these things. In a more personal way, Walnut Hills Baptist Church made two very good decisions in 1998 as John Thompson and Graham Cheek were added to the Walnut Hills’ staff and church family.

It was on January 4, 1998 that the Rev. John Thompson began his ministry as Minister of Music. He had been driving past Walnut Hills almost daily as he was working on his Masters in Counseling at William & Mary. A friend had informed John that he and Walnut Hills might be a good match. I understand that following his interview, there was some concern that John might be too serious. Yes, John has his serious side but the church was unaware he was also the king of pranks and one-liners.

Walnut Hills has been blessed enormously through John and Lulu’s ministry. The choral ministry of Walnut Hills has been a wonderful outreach tool to the community and beyond. Our annual Christmas and Easter music events have become almost legendary as the choir and orchestra engage the audience meaningfully in the Biblical narrative. They also celebrate well on Monday evenings by being served an amazing meal from the kitchen of award winning chef, Stephen Perkins.

The Rev. Graham Cheek began his ministry on May 14, 1998 as Minister of Youth and Children. Having Virginia roots aided Walnut Hills and the Cheek family in making the connection that moved Graham, Andrea, Patrick and Grayson from the upstate of South Carolina to Williamsburg. Graham brings enthusiasm and fun to ministry events and he challenges all of us to occasionally step outside the box that so often constrains us.

All of us give lip service to the importance of ministering to families and to their children and youth. There is nothing more daunting for many of us than being asked to stand in front of a group of children and youth and attempt to communicate. Graham communicates and makes that ministry happen on a weekly basis. He leads TeamKID for children on Wednesday afternoons and engages them in learning about God, using their Bible and living for Jesus. On Sunday evenings, the youth meet in study and worship. Graham coordinates after-school events on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday afternoons. And in addition to the weekly schedule, Graham works in a summer mission trip, a spring break retreat, and Senior High and Junior High weekends at Eagle Eyrie. Oh, I almost left out children’s worship on Sunday mornings. And don’t forget Andrea’s leadership in coordinating our nursery and preschool workers.

Now you can sense why 1998 was so important. Two fine ministers and their families came to be a part of Walnut Hills and we now have the opportunity to celebrate their milestone of ten years in ministry here with us. April 6 is the date for the celebration and along with recognitions during the 10:30 worship service, there will be a reception following the service so you might convey your words of appreciation to them.

See you Sunday if not before,