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  • 21Jun

    “Make Me a Servant” Week

    by Barton in Events.
  • 21Jun

    William Edward “Ed” Anderson

    by Drew in News.

    Ed Anderson died last Wednesday. He was 94. His funeral services were held at Jefferson Memorial Gardens in Trussville on Saturday, June 16. Below is a little elegy written in his memory.

    Ed Anderson never shirked his responsibilities. Even when he was a boy, he was helping his family survive economic hardship with his paper routes before and after school. He didn’t get to finish high school. After the tenth grade he left home for Missouri to work on a river boat. Ed was the cook. The men on his boat never went hungry because he always made sure they had plenty to eat. He became popular with the store owners along the river because the Corps of Engineers let him spend as much as he wanted on supplies. Sometimes he would come close to emptying them to prepare meals for his men. All this time he was sending most of his wages back home to Florence, Alabama, for his family.

    After he married Palestine and had two daughters, Nola and Linda, Ed had to move his family several times. This wasn’t physically difficult—they had little more than the clothes on their back, a baby basket, and a sewing machine—but it must have been hard for Ed, who was seeking stability for his loved ones. Eventually he found work with the United States Postal Service in Birmingham and things settled down.

    A number of Christians also came to depend on Ed. He served as an elder at two congregations and even built a church building in Trussville. He converted the lost to Jesus Christ; some of them he baptized in the Cahaba River. He cast a mold by his example, and many have since tried to follow it.

    Most of us at Ashville Road did not know Ed in his prime. I became acquainted with him seven years ago, when we first moved to Leeds. By that time he was in his late eighties and frail. His eyes, ears, and vocal cords were failing him. He had to rely on a walker to move about. In the last few years he needed oxygen to assist his breathing. It may have appeared that in this state there was not much that Ed could do for his Lord. But appearances can be deceitful.

    In actuality, Ed’s physical challenges enabled him to teach one of the most valuable lessons of his life. It didn’t matter if it was Sunday morning, Sunday night, or Wednesday night, Ed was always at the worship assemblies. He loved to come to church! During periods of illness he would lament not being able to worship with the saints. “I’ll try to be there next Sunday,” he would say. I would just smile. For most people in his condition, church attendance is the furthest thing from their mind.

    I remember something that G.K. Wallace once said near the end of his life. At that point he was nearly deaf, and someone asked him why he continued to come to church. He couldn’t hear the sermons, participate in the prayer service, or sing along with his brothers and sisters in Christ. His reply was, “I guess I want the devil to know whose side I’m on.” The devil knew that Ed was on the Lord’s side. So did we.

    But that isn’t all. His attendance record did more than identify his allegiance. It taught us the importance of worship. He did not come to be entertained; he was there to serve his Lord. So many excuses are made for not coming to the worship privileges. More Christians need to learn from Ed’s example.

    Ed’s presence in the worship assembly was as sure as the sunrise. His presence with the Lord in eternity is just as certain, for God has said, “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on…that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!” (Rev. 14:13).

  • 07Jun

    Joel Taylor Leaves for Iraq

    by Drew in News.

    Wednesday morning, Joel Taylor left for another one-year duty in Iraq.

    The TaylorsHe will spend a few days in Dothan, after which he will travel to a base up north where he will receive additional training. After a couple of months of training, Joel will fly to Iraq. This will be his second tour of duty in that part of the world, his third overall since the war began.

    One year is a long time. We will miss Joel while he is away. Let’s keep him and his family in our prayers.

  • 05Jun

    Mission Campaign in Russia

    by Drew in Events.

    Drew, Jim, Tommy, and Richard travel to Russia for a ten-day campaign. Humanitarian aid will be delivered to hospitals and orphanages in hopes of attracting more attention to the Lord’s work in the areas of Kamyshin and Antipovka (Mt. 5:16).

  • 05Jun

    Quarterly Singing

    by Drew in Events.

    Individual classes will not be held. Services will be held in the auditorium, where we will sing some of our favorite songs.

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