We are so honored to welcome guests, friends, former members, and ministers to Southside as we celebrate our 125th Anniversary. This is a special day because we serve a special God.
As a community of God’s people, we need special moments or markers where we can pause from our regular spiritual rhythm and celebrate God’s
faithfulness. Today is such a day. For the past 125 years, the Southside family has nurtured people in their walk with the Lord, welcomed new babies into the world, said goodbye to faithful servants as they went to be with Jesus, baptized countless people, served neighbors, and supported good ministry efforts. This community has been on a journey of mission, mercy, and transformation for a long time and today, we pause to remember and thank God for His faithfulness.
Southside would not be in existence today except for God’s grace. It is His hand that has guided, led, overseen, and blessed this body of believers. Today, we acknowledge that and we celebrate that.
This anniversary reminds me of the story of Samuel in 1 Sam. 7 where God delivered the Israelites from the Philistines. By a stroke of divine thunder, the Philistines were frustrated into chaos and panic and the Israelites overcame them. To celebrate this victory, Samuel constructed a monument called Ebenezer, or stone of help. He declared, after placing that memorial, “Thus far the Lord has helped us (1 Sam. 7:14). I feel like today is a similar day where we are offering a comparable declaration. For 125 years, this community of believers has been serving the Lord on the south side of Fort Worth. While we are thankful for all those who have gone before us, we declare, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.”
I pray that you will enjoy all the activities of the day and that this day of memories will strengthen your faith in God and will call each one of us to
greater loyalty to God in the future.
