By Sandra Bonner Hadley
The Holy Bible reminds us in Psalms 30:5 that “For his anger is but for a moment; his favour is for a lifetime. Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” In times like these, it can be easy to get stuck in the weeping and neglect to embrace the joy to come. In efforts to cling to the joy and moments of celebration, it was a breath of fresh air to celebrate the 145th anniversary and renovations of Ward Memorial African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church on the good morning of May 8, 2022.
During the fifth month of the year, which symbolizes the grace of God at Ward Memorial AME Church, we embraced our season of “good morning“ and praised our good God for all the great things he has done. During the morning worship experience, through the prevalence of success stories, the guest preacher, the Reverend Lee P. Washington’s comparison to a TV sitcom from the ’70s, “Good Times,” to commentate the 145th anniversary and the completion of a one million dollar renovation was intentional and skillful.
As we embraced God’s grace, we celebrated God’s goodness by remembering the good times. Ward Memorial completed the building renovations at a time when many churches did not make it, but with the grace of God, Ward Memorial not only completed the project but did so while having a “good time.” Ward Memorial AME Church, under the leadership of a dynamic young pastor, the Reverend Dededrick O. Rivers, completed a one-million-dollar renovation during the “good times!”As a result, in what may have been a season of weeping for others, we were able to be a living testimony that joy will always prevail.
The Rev. Lee P, as he is affectionately called by many, described our struggles by reciting the lyrics from the 1970s sitcom Good Times:
Anytime you meet a payment—Good Times, anytime you need a friend—Good Times, any time you’re out from under—Good Times, not getting hassled, not getting hustled, keeping your head above water, making a wave when you can, temporary layoffs, scratching and surviving, hanging in a chow line, ain’t we lucky we got ‘em—Good Times, just looking out the window, watching the asphalt grow, thinking how it all looks hand-me-downs—Good Times, yeah Good Times! (Lyrics: Dave Grusin and Andrew Bergman)
And with the many kumbaya moments, Ward Memorial survived!
We are aware that without God, we never would have made it. We are grateful that we have made it to experience good times so that we may be good stewards of our testimony to share with others that the same God who did it for us can bless you exceedingly, abundantly above all you could imagine. Society may say that it appears we are at risk of a recession, but at Ward Memorial AME Church, we are embracing the season of joy. We truly praise God from whom all blessings flow and invite others to hold tight to the “good times.”
