New Philippi pastor’s great-great grandfather helped found church

by Pastor Michael Cook –

My great-great-grandfather, J.W. Hurd (father of Jesse and my great-grandmother Leithy), was a founding member of Philippi Christian Church way back in 1871. When I was a child growing up in Baltimore, I often summer-vacationed with my great-Aunt Susie Duckworth, and later my grandparents, on Sturgeon Creek.

Some years ago, I posted an ugly comment on my Facebook page, only to earn a much-deserved reprimand from my regional minister, who said, “There’s never a place where you are not a minister.”

Now, the Spirit leads me to say to all disciples of Jesus: There’s never a place where you are not a Christian.

There’s no place in our Christian lives in which the teachings of Jesus are suspended or set aside. In every arena of life, public and private, we are to love our enemies and pray for them, provide for and defend the poor and outcast, care for the sick and imprisoned, and welcome the stranger…

(The Rev. Michael Cook is the new pastor of Philippi Christian Church in Deltaville. Email him at pastormikephilippi@gmail.com.)