Mother

Mother’s Day is a wonderful time to honor our mothers and to show our appreciation for all they mean to us.  I am incredibly blessed to have a close and loving relationship with my Mother.  She not only chose to give me physical life, but she loved me to Jesus at a young age. 

When my parents retired and considered moving to the Salem area, we discussed the idea of an inter-generational living arrangement.  We knew that someday in the future one of them would most likely be left alone, so we decided to build an apartment onto our home so they would be close by.  The idea was to be proactive and be available to help them when the time came.  Little did Steve and I realize that we were the ones who would benefit from such a living arrangement.  Our children benefited from their grandparents' love and attention, but most importantly, they observed Godly grandparents who walked the talk and lived out their faith in tangible ways.  We all observed their hard work ethic and loving way they served others.  In their early 90s they were still involved with Nursing Home Ministries, holding chapel services and in their words “ministering to the elderly.”   Mother still lives in her apartment attached to our home, prepares her own meals and takes daily walks, spends much of her day reading her Bible and is a faithful prayer warrior. She is humble, gracious, sweet and literally lives the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). 

A few weeks ago my mother celebrated her 97th birthday. Family members were asked to give one word that described Mom, Grandma and Great Grandma.  Attributes shared: amazing, helpful, prayer warrior, compassionate, Godly, beautiful, sweet, great sewer, so good, sharing, queen, rich heritage, heart, best mother in the world, selfless, sincere, humble, genuinely interested in others, great mother in law, nice, gracious, hospitable, loving.

As the years pass and our roles have changed, it is not only my responsibility to lovingly care for my Mother, but an honor and privilege to bestow on her the same love she has shown me. I thank God for blessing my Mother with long life and in doing so, blessing our family with her love, wisdom and faithful prayers.   

Proverbs 31: “Her children will rise up and bless her, her husband also and he praises her saying,'many daughters have done nobly, but you excel them all.’ … A woman who fears the Lord shall be praised."
--Rhoda Hunter

I Love you Mom

My mom always loved a party and could turn any normal “happening” into something fun, almost outrageous and always with lots of yummy food.  It is fun to hear my three sons talk about “gramma” with those same special memories sometimes even with a tear in their eyes.  She was a treasure and left her mark on our heart.                    -Janice Adams

From Mom I learned to enjoy and appreciate music and the importance of prayer.         

-Wayne Bernard

I learned from my mom how to love people and build people up through reinforcing the gifts that God has given them.  She has always believed in me and told me that God has made me with specific gifts to accomplish a specific purpose and to allow no man to change who God made me to be.      

-Pastor Patrick

My mom taught me the power of listening.  No matter the time of day or night, she always made herself available to hear about my day, the challenges of high school, or my hopes and dreams.  Her life was never too important to put on hold for a few moments to listen and encourage her children.  Thanks, mom.

Happy Mother’s Day!                    

-Nate Dunn

There are a lot of lessons I’ve learned over the years from my mom:  how to cook, do my laundry, clean the house, but the most profound has been to not let my past define my future, to live today in God’s grace and out of who He says I am.  Who I am is not what I’ve done but what God has done in me and can do through me.  That He who began a good work in me will complete it.  Thanks for pulling over to the side of the road so many years ago when I was thinking of leaving the ministry to remind me who I am.  Love you, Mom.    

-Pastor Brian

I learned that winning isn’t everything, that the people on the team are what counts.  Mom coached my 2nd grade girls softball team. We were a last-minute entry, and got the last of the girls that no one wanted.  Two of them, twins with cerebral palsy, played every game.  We never won a game, but we were never skunked.  We were all very proud of our team that year.                           

-Sherri Sperling

Thank you, Mom, for showing me how to see the best in people by never speaking badly toward another person. When people were rude to you, you would always respond by saying that they were probably having a bad day. Then you would mention a good quality that person had.               

-Pastor Leon

My mom taught me the truth behind the adage, “it is better to give than to receive.”  I have learned the joy of giving to others by watching her consistently and generously give gifts to those she cares about. 

 -Pastor Jeff

Ruth Edwards, who lived to a full 97 years, had lots of time to teach me what is really important in life.  I trusted Christ at nine years of age, but it was Mom who laid the foundation and took us three kids to church and Sunday School.  Above all else, Mom loved the Lord and prayed without ceasing for family members who did not know Jesus. Her devotion to the Bible was a solid example for me.  Mom also loved people and was sacrificial in sharing and doing for others.  If there was not enough pie to go around, she willingly did without.  She also gave me a sense of humor, but never to match hers.  I also inherited from her an appreciation for good, home cooked and delicious family meals.  I am sure it was due to her prayers that I was led by God to the mission field.                           

-Pastor Ed

My mom taught me to use whatever God has given to you for the blessing of others, she taught me to forgive others so they would not wound you twice, and she taught me that you can face anything if God is your strength.
 - Pastor Mark