4 lessons I learned from Ms. Elizabeth Young

1. love Jesus...love His church: as baseball camp missionaries in a foreign country this week, I am a believer that our primary role is not for German children to believe in baseball, but for German families to see that we, as coaches, believe in the sport of baseball. Not every person I've met at First Baptist Pharr loves the local church, but every single individual that I've spoken with that knew Ms. Young affirms that she loved First Baptist Pharr. Ms. Young taught me that ministry isn't simply about people, but about how people perceive my view of people. 

2. leaders are learners: for the first 5-6 months of my interim season at First Baptist Pharr, while Ms. Young's health allowed her to attend our 8:30 am worship gathering, she wasn't simply present during our worship celebrations, but this long-time English teacher would take notes from my weekly preaching and teaching to turn around and right before Sunday School time, she would pull out her sermon handout and show me the things she learned from the Scriptures that Sunday as we went through our corporate worship experience. Ms. Young taught me that my ability to lead will ultimately depend on my hunger to learn. 

3. begin with the end in mind: I didn't have the privilege to know Ms. Young's early years of ministry at First Baptist Pharr. God allowed me to see the end of her teaching and discipleship journey within our Senior Adult community and beyond. Perseverance is the result, not simply the evidence, of Ms. Young's original encounter with the Christ many years ago. Ms. Young taught me that faithfulness in ministry is the result of God's preservation, not human determination.

4. stick to the plan: what impressed me the most about Elizabeth legacy wasn't simply her passion for the church, her ability to teach the Word of God nor her faithfulness to Christ. The summit of her influence in the life of First Baptist Pharr is represented by those who currently follow her steps, not only in leadership, through Sunday school and Senior Adult ministry, but their holistic view of life and spirituality, influenced by Elizabeth's daily life-style.
Ms. Young reminded me that the goal of salvation isn't simply heaven after death, but Christlikeness on earth. 


Vidal
Lead Pastor
First Baptist Church - Pharr

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