A Season of Grief and Healing: RESILIENCE
By Kam Cook
Stephen Ministry Coordinator
"Like tiny seeds with potent power to push through tough ground and become mighty trees, we hold innate reserves of unimaginable strength. We are resilient.” —Catherine DeVrye
What began as a tiny spark – a tiny seed – in 1953 has grown to become the church we love today because of determination, perseverance, and resilience.
From the conceptual meeting (January 1953), to contacting every household in Shirley Hills and North Highlands (February – March), to an organizational meeting (March), to Charter Sunday (April 9), to hiring a pastor (Mother’s Day), to finding the property on which HHBC now stands (August) took about six months because of the founders’ dedication. Surely, our members, who have the benefit of the foundation laid by the founders and previous members, can have the perseverance and resilience to rebuild.
Although the creation of our church occurred in an unprecedented short period of time, rebuilding takes much longer. Rebuilding necessitates removing all the broken and damaged parts of the former edifice, then drawing up plans for a new structure. We have needed time to grieve our losses and heal the wounds that have fractured our fellowship. Our grief has taken us to a deeper place in our souls than we would have normally explored. Scott Nash’s inspiring sermons have helped us heal by providing time for us to slowly begin to reorder our lives. Ultimately, this time has helped us to explore where we are, to assess our old ways of being and doing, and to make plans for the future. It has allowed us to explore and discover new meaning in the life of our church. It has given us space to reconstruct our new identity and rebuild meaning and purpose as we move forward.
Now, it is time for us to start the process of rebuilding. Professional assessments utilize what is known as SWOT: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. We have the opportunity to build on our strengths, address our weaknesses and threats, and grow as individuals and as a church. We can do it with determination, perseverance, and resilience.
Resilience is not just a word – it’s a way of life. Our ability to show incredible resilience in the face of all the challenges we have faced in recent months has been inspiring. I am grateful for the growth we have achievedtogether, making this shared vision possible. Our membership has stepped up and assumed unfamiliar roles to keep our church running smoothly. We have shown resilience.
As I think about the future of HHBC and all we hope to achieve as a community of faith, I think about those tiny seeds. Individually, we might feel insignificant, but together – rooted in our resilience – we exhibit unimaginable strength.
Dr. Greg DeLoach will be arriving on Sunday, January 30, to serve as our Interim Pastor. Our new Pastor Search Committee is already hard at work discerning the will of God in calling our future pastor. Both need your prayers in the coming months.
If you need confirmation of your inner strength – your resilience – or need a listening ear for any other problems in your life, our Stephen Ministers are available. For more information on how Stephen Ministry can provide you with trained, confidential, nonjudgmental one-to-one lay pastoral care, contact Referrals Coordinator Peggy Williams at (478) 719-3340 or by email.
Recognizing that God is the ultimate Cure Giver, the Mission of the Highland Hills Baptist Church Stephen Ministry is to serve God and bring Christ’s healing love to individuals who are experiencing life’s challenges through confidential, non-judgmental, one-on-one Christian care.