I came to First Baptist in 2008 as Associate Minister of Music/Organist and Wayne joined six months later after he retired from 41 years as a minister, most of it as a pastor. I retired in 2012 and although we live in Guntersville, we love this church and want to remain active as long as we can. Neither of our daughters grew up here or participated in ministries to children. But we know how important it is that children have strong spiritual roots early in life and are in a church that loves them so they will become followers of Christ.
We are blessed when we see the joy of the children at our church. Their faces show they are “glad…[to] go into the house of the Lord.” We know that families who care about the spiritual lives of their children will go to the church they believe will best nurture their children spiritually. While a building does not teach, a building says a lot about how members prioritize. When the children’s spaces are visually welcoming, both parents and children know the church cares for the family. Huntsville is a growing, progressive city. It is vital that our church campus is equally progressive and appealing.
We have a highly competent children’s ministerial staff who guide our lay teachers and leaders. We members have the responsibility to provide them with the space for conducive learning.
Wayne and I are an average middle-class retired couple. When our pastor and GENERATIONS Team challenged us to help reach this goal, we prayed about our part. Over time, we were led as a couple to pledge the largest amount we have ever given to a building campaign.
All we have is God’s. It is our responsibility to be good stewards, and we are thankful to be able to give generously to GENERATIONS.
Elizabeth and Wayne Hostetter