Wednesday, June 8, 2022
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ… Ephesians 4:11-12
Equipping the Saints
This week we are celebrating the 125th anniversary of North Side Baptist Church. I think until Covid happened we all took church for granted a little bit. When we were quarantined and could not come to church and worship together, it left a void in our lives. Being able to worship together online was certainly better than not at all, but it was not the same. We all realized just how much our church was our family.
We felt this void in our hearts and lives because of the saints that have gone before us at North Side and left us a legacy of faith. They knew the true meaning of membership and commitment. Koinonia – communion by intimate participation – was a real thing. They worshiped together, and experienced life together, they ministered to each other and the community, and built a church family that we still enjoy the benefits of today.
Their commitment to faithfulness was the foundation of many ministries and also the launching pad for many ministers. The church equipped the saints, grew them up in the Lord and sent them out into the world to share the Gospel with others. We are still growing them up and sending them out today. This happens in a number of ways, such as community involvement and mission trips. And there are those who have literally grown up in the church and surrender their lives to ministry. Burton Cook grew up here, surrendered his life to ministry as a missionary, and then came back to be on staff at North Side as Pastor of Missions and Administration.
My Personal History of Growing Up in North Side Baptist Church by William Burton Cook, Jr. June 6, 2022
I was about 10 years old in 1955 when our family moved to Weatherford from White Settlement, and we soon joined the North Side Baptist Church. I had already been saved and baptized. Worship was in the old red brick building facing toward Main Street that sat where the present High School Youth Room is, with Sunday School and Baptist Training Union classes in the basement. We had long Revival meetings during that era, with a big flatbed trailer brought in for a platform for the choir, musicians, and evangelists, and all the people sat on the lawn or on quilts on the ground.
A very special memory with my dad was when I was probably in Junior High. He was asked to sit with a body overnight at the funeral home close to the church from about 2 AM until 6 AM. It was common in those days that Deacons took 4-hour shifts around the clock sitting with a deceased person in the funeral home before time for the actual memorial service. This was out of respect for the person and as a comfort to the family. This one time, he invited me to go with him. I saw where the bodies were embalmed and prepared for burial and sat in the small room with my dad and the deceased in quiet meditation for that shift — it made quite an impression on me!
