On the last day of May, our nation will once again celebrate Memorial Day. Originally instituted on a community by community basis at the conclusion of the Civil War to commemorate those who had lost their lives in the struggle to preserve the Union, it became more widespread after World War I, and assumed its present form as part of the “Uniform Holidays Bill” passed by Congress in 1968, which created the present list of three day weekends.
Certainly we must pause in reverence and gratitude as we think of those who paid for our continuing freedom with their lives. We were reminded of this recently at our First Baptist Church 155th anniversary banquet, when MC Bruce Bridgess mentioned the banner in our archives with a field of stars representing the many, many members of FBC who served in World War II, with some of those stars in gold, representing those who had lost their lives.
Over time, the Memorial Day celebration has expanded to recognize not only those who have lost their lives in service, but all of those who served, bravely and honorably, putting civilian careers on hold, bidding loved ones goodbye, and investing their precious time and energies in our common security. In that vein, I also found myself thinking in the banquet hall of those who serve in the cultivation, extension and deepening of our Christian values – values even more fundamental than the democratic values and attendant freedoms of our body politic, indeed antecedent to them. Without Christ-honoring parents, teachers, coaches, scout leaders, community leaders and local business people, our society will decay from within even if we defend it vigorously from external enemies. And without strong local churches, winning and discipling new generations of believers, Christian faith languishes and withers.
The dining room was filled for our anniversary banquet with senior saints, baby boomers, youth and children, members and friends of our English, Spanish and Cambodian congregations. Two great-great-granddaughters of Rev. Hezekiah Johnson, who preached the very first sermon for the founding members of First Baptist Church in 1855, were in attendance. The attendees oohed and aahed as images of pastors and musicians and choristers and committee members and circle members and teachers from across the decades flashed on the screen in Bruce Rich’s retrospective power point slideshow. There were images of a young Dorothy Smith and a vigorous. midlife John Verdieck -- two important leaders whom the Lord just called home recently, at a combined age of 200 years, and with a combined total of more than 140 years of service to the Lord through this congregation.
And so I found myself asking: Who will be the ‘Dorothy Smiths’ and ‘John Verdiecks’ and ‘Dorothy Hendershotts’ and ‘Ray Steinfelds’ of the coming decades in this part of God’s vineyard? And the answer came to me: 
They are already here. Think of those who are teaching Sunday School and counseling youth and calling the homebound and staffing the committees and arranging our worship spaces and making music and planning special services and greeting visitors now. Have you expressed your thanks to them? And just as important: Have you communed with the Holy Spirit and consulted with those whom you trust in search of your own gifts? “Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it” (1 Corinthians 12:27).
As I think of those who have served across the decades, and of those who are serving now, I think of the line from a hymn I first heard at another church anniversary, “Will those who come behind us find us faithful?”
- Dr. David L. Wheeler