Pastor's Pen - UBC

“It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by the dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself in a worthy course; who at best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who, at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly; so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat.”- Theodore Roosevelt

One hundred and twenty two years ago some determined men and women understood not only the need for a personal relationship with God; but they also understood the necessity of corporate worship in a community. God gave them a vision, the call went out and the first worship services were held in a school house on 6^th and J streets in Sparrows Point Maryland in 1893.

Over the years many leaders and congregants have come and gone, each one fulfilling their preordained contribution to this church’s great 122 year history. Whatever their part, ours is not to question or to judge; but rather to thank God for their sacrifice and strivings. We are the benefactors of their relentless spirits and stark determination to serve God. We remember with gratitude and reverence those Unionites who have passed on from living to life eternal.

Today we are faced with some of the same questions and challenges that the founders were confronted with 122 years ago. Organizations that have been blessed with longevity experience both robust and lean years over the life of the entity. We are in a season of renewal which by God’s grace and determination will ultimately lead to new growth. For whatever reason in God’s plan, we are the stewards of this juncture in Union’s triumphant history.

God sees something in you and in me that is necessary to the furtherance of his mission through Union Baptist Church. Let us not be the cold timid souls mentioned in the quote that I used from Theodore Roosevelt; but let us strive, work and sacrifice as diligently as those who stood their watch before us. What will be said of us 122 years later? What will be our legacy? The legacy we leave behind will be the testimony we present to God at judgment. Keep on fighting the good fight. Keep on running the race with patience and endurance. Keep each other in constant prayer and most of all keep the faith.