It is a privilege and honor to serve our convention as president this year. Much of my ministry has involved an emphasis on family. My own family has always been second only to God. I want to make the family a point of focus throughout my year as president and the theme of our annual meeting.

There are so many of our churches and families that have experienced God’s grace in such powerful ways. I would like to ask you to share your story with me. Some of you may work with special ministries that help families. Others of you may have a personal testimony of God’s healing, restoration, or blessing on your marriage and family. These are the types of stories that can encourage and motivate all of us in the very important and basic mission of building strong, healthy, Christian families.
It has been rightly stated that strong, godly families will in turn enable us to have strong, godly churches. There are often obstacles and difficulties that people endure along life’s journey. Sometimes pain comes from within the family. At other times, the family is assaulted by outside forces. Still, the story of triumph in the face of challenge, abuse, difficulty and pain can help so many other families.
Maybe your family has not endured a tragedy or you have not experienced painful dysfunction. Your story of health and grace can be equally inspiring to the rest of the kingdom of God.
I hope you will take the time to share with me stories of a personal nature or stories of churches ministering to families in special ways. Hopefully, we will be able to incorporate many stories about God’s touch on families in the pages of The Baptist Courier as well as at our annual meeting in November.
Please e-mail me at rgray@uticabaptist.com or write me at 4056 Wells Highway, Seneca, S.C. 29678. You can fax me at (864) 882-0580 or call me at (864) 882-9402.
Carl Rogers, the secular psychologist and researcher, once noted that “everyone has a story to tell.” While I certainly would not agree with most of what Carl Rogers wrote, I do agree with that statement. A story of God at work in your family is worth telling. I hope you will do it.
God bless you, and thanks in advance.
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