The President's Address
Deacon Grady Bryant gave the President's Address at the The Northern Virginia Baptist Sunday School and BTU Convention's 120th Annual Session on August 5th. The session was at the Northern Virginia Baptist Center, Gainesville, Virginia on August 3rd, 4th, and 5th 2011
Deacon Bryant was introduced by Reverend William Swann. The introduction was brief. Deacon Bryant is a graduate of Upper Iowa University. He has a BS degree in Business Administration, and associate degrees in Accounting and Business Management, respectively, from NVCC. Also, he studied at Norfolk State University. He is a former auditor with the Federal Government and financial manager with the DC Public Schools. He is currently a self employed Tax Strategist, writer, married, two children, two grandchildren and a deacon and bible class teacher at Warner Baptist Church in Falls Church, Va. He sums it all up in one sentence, "I am a born again believer in Jesus Christ."
PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS
First, giving recognition to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, to the First Vice President, Reverend Shep Bridgett, the Second Vice President Rev. James Kelly, Reverend William Swann, and Reverend Alfred Woods, the official staff, members of the Executive Board, moderators of the Sunday School Unions in Northern Virginia and everybody assembled, I greet you with a warm welcome and thank the Lord for our presence today.
My topic today is: Sharing God's Word: In our Daily Walk
I am going to start out today by sharing a story with you. It came from a famous boxer who was out training one day, and as he was running he saw a man who was fishing. The man was throwing the big fishes he caught back into the water and keeping the little ones. This was peculiar. So he stopped and asked the man, " Why are you throwing the big fishes back into the water?" The man said that it was because he did not have a frying pan big enough to cook them. Very unusual and peculiar.
Well, that may happen to us sometimes in our daily walk. Opportunities pass us by because we are not prepared to receive them when they come to us. Also, opportunities for Sunday School growth pass us by - because we don't do the things necessary for growth.
How do we get a bigger pan in life? Training, studying, and doing more mission work. If you put in the time, you can get a bigger pan and keep all the fish. If you have the big pan, then seek to help others get bigger pans for mission work.
Mission
Our mission as a Sunday School Union is to teach (Sunday School) and train (BTU). In order to fulfill this mission we must be geared up for the task. It all starts with God. He created us, just like He created all things on earth. He created all of us for a purpose. We must identify that purpose and ask the Lord to help us fulfill our mission.
Sometimes we are reluctant to go forward due to fears that we have about being a servant. I encourage you to read 1John 4: 18. Love makes all fears go away.
Moses had fears when God called him. He said that he could not talk. God told him that his brother, Aaron would speak for him. Comforted by that assurance, Moses thought that he would just walk up to Pharaoh and the slaves would be set free. To his surprise, he had to go back nine more times. Moses could have just quit after the 1st or 2nd time, and went back into the mountain and comforted himself by saying "Lord, this ain't working, I'm going back to the hills to my comfort zone.", but it did not turn out that way. Although he was 80 years old, he still had major jobs ahead of him. We must remember if God called us for a mission he is going to direct our path and prepare us for the task - regardless of age.
We must be willing to share God's word through scripture or through what God would have us to say. You may not be able to quote a scripture, but you can have a compelling comment that the listener will know that it is coming from God through you. So don't be afraid to speak or take action. It could make a positive difference in some body's life.
In our mission work we must be more willing to help the needy in our neighborhoods, as well as in our churches. Of course, we must contribute to foreign mission, but we cannot forget those that are at our door steps. Many churches will contribute to organizations and people that are away a lot quicker than those families that are in the local churches neighborhoods. Sometimes the requirements to help the locals can be so stringent, that they will just say forget it.
Don't give up if you have ideas and nobody seems to listen. Hang in there, and keep coming back. In baseball if a batter gets a hit 3 out of every 10 official times at bat, he is going to be batting .333 and be considered one of the best in the game. Now, 25 hits out of 100 (.250 avg) will keep you around for a few years. But 33 out of every 100 (.333 avg) will help you have a long career. I must mention that 2 out of 10 in baseball won't keep you in the big leagues for long.
In 1985, I showed up at the Baptist Association Annual Session, energetic and ready for a task. They had a simple mission and could not get anybody. I volunteered. Everybody turned around and probably pondered, who is this guy? Then they virtually drafted and selected a person for the position who they were familiar with. That is the way it is in real life sometimes.
Sunday, I was at the Northern Virginia Sunday School Union meeting in Middleburg, Va. A young lady told us about how she wanted to be an engineer. On the placement test, at the University of Virginia she got 2 out of 28 questions right. Then she was encouraged to consider another field. However, she was set on becoming an engineer. So, she studied hard for the second try. But on the day of the test, she was so tired that she fell asleep at the desk shortly after the testing started. But through her determination and faith, she eventually did what was necessary and graduated with a degree in engineering and is doing very well.
Studying
Sometimes, our problem in studying is in our technique. When I started school I did not have any system for studying whatsoever. We did not have free kindergarten. So, my first exposure to education was in the combined primary/first grade class. I was a slow learner. I flunked the primary and had to repeat. Was I embarrassed? It was all new to me, I didn't know anything about being embarrassed. The 2nd year, I virtually memorized the book and lessons. The teacher would call on me to read and I would cite the story from memory. Sometimes, she would say, "Grady you are not reading!" Anyway, I was an honor roll student that year.
Just as I had problems with techniques back then, children have problems with techniques today. It is not because they don't have the ability, it is because they don't learn the techniques for studying or do not have the desire or interest to learn. Show me an F student and I will show you a person who is probably very skilled in using the cell phone and a lot of the electronic gadgets out here today. We just have to get them interested in academics.
In studying the Bible, practice reading a complete chapter or book (the Bible consist of 66 books). This way you can see who is speaking or being addressed and what the scripture is making reference to or is about.
Don't get caught up on names, some you can pronounce, some you cannot; rather try to understand what the subject matter is about. Don't get weary in learning. If you study the Bible, you will see contradictions, but don't let that derail you.
For example, my former pastor, the late Rev Thomas at Greater First Baptist in Washington, DC,, once said that there is differences in the gospels about Jesus, but they all agree that "Jesus is the Son of God and He arose from the grave and ascended to Heaven." So, the main point is that He arose and gave all of us an opportunity for eternal life.
Many of you might be surprised to learn that the gospels were written about 60 years after the history portions of the New Testament. Nevertheless, the Bible's scripture is solid and inspiring.
Scholarship
Granting a scholarship is one area that we can implement to help our children in colleges and high schools. This year we should start a "Scholarship for Youth Program". Deacon James Yates suggested that we could grant scholarships for high school students. You would be surprised at what a difference some financial aid could make in helping a child graduate from high school.
I remember when I graduated from high school, my feet was almost on the ground. When I walked down the aisle, with that piece of cardboard in my shoe, I was praying that it would not come out. What a difference $25 would have made to me that day. (In reality I could have asked my parents, and they would have bought me a pair of shoes).
My case aside, some children need, but they are too bashful to ask their parents for help. I believe we have the means in this organization to do more in mission work.
Vision
I have appointed Rev Kelly to be the chairman of our Budget Committee. Also, I have given a figure of at least $25,000 that we can strive for in the coming year. Because if we keep doing what we have done in the past, we will keep getting the same results. I also pointed out to him things we can do, working together to make this organization better. He expressed his willingness to work with me and Reverend Bridgett this coming year to help this organization fulfill its mission.
We have ownership in this property that is estimated to be about $4 million minimal. I have a vision as to how we can start making use of that asset.
Last week I was at the retirement celebration of Reverend Norman Smith in Middleburg, Virginia at a simple facility that seated about 400 persons. I feel that with 22 acres of land we can build such a facility on this property. (the president's vision was presented. However, it will not be disclosed in this writing. The plan presented is reasonable and doable). Further dialogue is required.
Last week I was at the retirement celebration of Reverend Norman Smith in Middleburg, Virginia at a simple facility that seated about 400 persons. I feel that with 22 acres of land we can build such a facility on this property. (the president's vision was presented. However, it will not be disclosed in this writing. The plan presented is reasonable and doable). Further dialogue is required.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I have said a lot to everybody here today. Hopefully I have said something to someone that might help him or her in their Christian walk through life.
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