Thursday at 1pm, the saints at my former church, Third Avenue Baptist in Louisville, Kentucky, are going to celebrate the life of Amy Ward. Amy, who joined the church in 1939, is survived by her husband, Denver. I met both in 2000 when Deana and I first started attending Third Avenue. It was a pond of gray hair, a tiny and dying church. Ten years ago when Deana and I joined, we were part of a small group of Christians, mostly tied to the local seminary, who were eager to serve the Lord, encourage the saints, and generally pray that God would revitalize a church in Old Louisville, just a couple miles south of the city center.
Not all of the members of the church were excited about our presence. I still remember how when one young pastor faithfully preached the Bible, a long-time choir member would faithfully balance her checkbook! At one members meeting, after suggesting we do something to reach out to the college students a block away, another member came up to me and suggested, with not a little hostility, that those college students just wanted free food. Some in the church were, at worst, hostile to authentic gospel ministry and, at best, skeptical of the new growth.
Then there was Denver and Amy and several others like them. They must have wondered what was going on with all these youngsters joining the church, their church. But the truth is, this cadre of older members did not see it as their church. They were looking for signs of life, signs of gospel growth, people to pray for them in the hospital when they got sick, people to miss them when they died. It is a sad thing to see a church die, sometimes it happens, and sometimes it should happen, but not this time.
By God's grace, Third Avenue survived, and Amy Ward was an important part of that process.I will always remember Sunday mornings when my family and I arrived for Sunday School. We would meet Amy just past the sanctuary entrance, sitting at a desk and demanding a hug from everyone. She loved the "old" church but she also loved the "new" church. My dear friend, Bruce Keisling, who was a part of Third before I was put it this way in a letter he wrote to the Church:
Her death is especially hard to those of us who have been in the church for a number of years because she was one of a very, very small group who truly rejoiced in seeing new people join the church. She loved the church enough to allow it to change in ways that kept it alive and kept it preaching the gospel. She loved us enough to stay when some of her peers left the church. She defended us in the most difficult moments. She loved every one of you and your children even if she didn't know you by name. She loved having your kids run around after the services. She never complained about singing new songs or seeing this or that tradition change. She loved the church in completely self denying ways. I think because her spirit was so alive that I never contemplated her death, and it makes it all the more astounding that this has happened. But is has, and the Lord gives, and the Lord takes away, and blessed is the name of the Lord.Third Avenue Baptist Church is thriving now, thanks to the ministries of pastors and members, young and old, including Amy Ward. Churches need old and faithful saints.
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