Elmer Towns calls it the “atmospheric presence of God.” It was that kind of Sunday for the congregation of Gentle Shepherd Baptist Church on June 9, 2019.
In April 1997, a handful of people met in the basement of a home on the outskirts of town to discuss the formation of a new church plant in Lincoln, Nebraska. Gary Fuller grew up in Lincoln and was thrilled at the potential of doing a work for God in his hometown where he had plenty of family and childhood friends.
It was agreed that the church would be Bible-centered and missionary minded. It would partner with Baptist Bible College and affiliate with the Baptist Bible Fellowship International. The following Sunday, 28 people were present to take part in the first service in that same basement. Knowing if they moved forward to become a church, they would need an established New Testament church to help oversee them. The Grace Baptist Church (Iglesia Bautista de Gracia) of Rosarito Beach, Baja, Mexico, readily agreed to be the sponsoring authority until the church became its own entity.
That Sunday was June 8, 1997. Named initially Lincoln Baptist, the church desired a better descriptor and on its charter Sunday; they agreed to name the church Gentle Shepherd Baptist Church. On that day, 22 years ago, the 35 charter members called Gary Fuller to be the pastor, agreed to pay him a full-time salary and took on their first missionary. Gentle Shepherd, a mission of missions, became an independent, evangelistic, community loving church in its own right. Gary and his wife, Lynn, have joyfully served the church and the BBF since its inception.
After 22 years of seeing souls saved, missionaries commissioned, and lives impacted with the gospel, a grand celebration was in order. The house was full for the anniversary service. Full of joyful praise and thanksgiving to God, full of the Lord’s glorious “atmospheric presence,” and full of happy saints loving God and loving each other.
Special guests for the service were Gentle Shepherd missionaries Herbert and Rosalia Breucop, serving in El Salvador, and Pastor Ike Porter along with 11 men from Freeway Ministries, Ash Grove, MO, a recovery ministry out of First Baptist, Ash Grove. The powerful testimonies of these men, recovering from addiction and destructive lifestyles by the power of Christ, and the exceptional preaching of Porter inspired the church to treasure the past 22 years and to do much more to reach the down and out of our community with the life-changing power of the Lord.
A fantastic BBQ beef brisket meal followed the service. After all, the church constitution requires that the church always remain Baptist and we all know what we Baptists do best!
To God be the glory, great thing He hath done!