Dear Allen Temple Family and Friends,
Hope this midweek note finds you well. As you know by now, our I Believe Campaign officially kicked off Sunday, August 24. You were invited to believe with us the words as recorded in Mark 9:23, "'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for one who believes."
I also wanted to share with you during this campaign some of the faith journeys that continue to encourage me as I endeavor to believe and stand on God's promises in so many areas. I hope during this campaign you will be strengthened and encouraged as well as get to know some of the faces of Allen Temple Baptist Church..
Meet Reverend Phil Bowling Dyer, affectionately known as Rev. Phil B-D, as he shares his I Believe experience with all of us.
I grew up attending Beebe Memorial CME Church: I still have deep roots there. When I chose to leave that congregation in 1998 and to join Allen Temple because of my new wife, my father and mother were both understanding and supportive. Philip and Hermanee Dyer were always the strongest and most faithful pillars in my life; I discovered the Christian faith through them, and grew in love with Jesus and His Church from their guidance, direction, and their examples of faithfulness and perseverance.
I was on the fourth floor of Kaiser Hospital in Oakland in the Spring of 2012 when the doctor relayed the news - the spot on Mama's lung was malignant. Mama began to weep, and my world began to get jammed. During her radiation therapy and hospice care, I was the faithful son who visited them and served them almost daily. My outsides continued to move forward, and the situation made sense to my brain--but my faith was stuck: Where was the God who healed her so many times before? Why did this need to happen in her life (and in my life) now? And things became even more jammed when a few months later (on the afternoon of Daddy's birthday), the doctor told me that my father had kidney failure. Again, my outsides continued to move forward and all of this made sense to my brain (he was 86), but my faith remained stuck - Why him now? Why both of them together? He only lasted for a bit more than a week. Because of God's sovereign timing, in the 59 years they were married, my parents were only truly separated for the 42 hours that Daddy preceded Mama to glory.
It was at their joint Homegoing Celebration a week later that my faith in Jesus began to move, from being stuck to unstuck. I was still sad and mourning their passing, but it was through the testimonies of my friends and family, the sincerity of the singing, and the fervency of the prayers that the Spirit of God began to remind me:
That precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints (Psalm 116:15): God loves my Daddy and Mama, and has done so for a very long time.
That God works all things for good (Romans 8:28): Even things that truly are sad and tragic, God can work them for good, and has promised to do so for folks like me.
That God was still working in me, my family, my generation (Philippians 1:6): God started God's work way before, and then had passed that good work on to my parents, and then on to me and my family; we were to pass it on to others.
I still miss them a lot (especially around holidays). But as I think of them, every month I feel a bit less pain and a bit more joy, and I seek to pass on the good work God has given me thru them.
Blessings to you,
Dr. Jacqueline A. Thompson
Assistant Pastor
