Mercy Seat Missionary Baptist Church

Dear Convention Delegates,

It is with a solemn faith in God that I greet you today, and it is my prayer that these greetings find you safe and doing well. I write to inform you that our President, Dr. Jerry Young, and the leadership of our National Congress has decided to cancel the National Congress that was scheduled to meet in Kansas City in June 2020. I am told more information will be forthcoming. Please spread the word to others who may not hear of this announcement.

These are certainly unusual times. Times of uncertainty. Times full of unanswered questions. How long is this going to last? Is there a vaccine and if not, when will we get one? How long before things return to normal? Or, is this the new norm? What are our elderly going to do? How will we make it? And, when are these kids going back to school?  

I'm just saying, we have a lot of questions and no answers. One of the things that give me a measure of peace during these days of unanswered questions is knowing that we serve a God who is Omnipresent, Omnipotent and Omniscient.

God is omnipresent… which means He is everywhere all at the same time. Not only is He everywhere at the same time, but He is also every time at the same time. So, there is no place I can be, and He isn’t there. And there is no time I can have, and He is not there. He was in my tomorrow on yesterday, fixing my today. He is omnipresent and that brings me comfort. He is omnipotent, which means that wherever and whenever I may be, He is there and being there He has the power to handle whatever I need, whenever I need it. And that brings me peace. But not only is my God omnipresent and omnipotent but what we can shout about today is that in these times of unanswered questions; when we don’t know what’s going on; we serve a God who is omniscient. That simply means that where we have questions, God has answers. What we don’t see, God sees clearly. What we don’t know, God surely knows.

In moments of uncertainty and unsettledness, I want to encourage you to put your faith in God. That when life throws you questions and no answers, you need to decide if you are going to trust God or not. And in these days of so much uncertainty and so much fear… let me remind each of you to place all of your trust in God. The church to be that witness to the world during these challenging times. I am reminded of a passage I often read found in Matthew chapter 5; where Jesus reminds us of our purpose by saying that we are the light of the world. That we are to be like a city sitting on a hill whose light cannot be hidden. That we are to let our lights so shine so others can not only see, but see by way of our good. The implication is that our works will light the way for those in darkness.

So, could it be that the church has been presented with an awesome opportunity. A period of time unparalleled in our lifetime. A period so dark that even those with the faintest of lights can begin to fulfill the purposes for which God planted His church. For light never shines brighter than in the darkest of times. So, let me encourage you to trust God. During these uncertain times, trust God. And demonstrate that trust by letting your light so shine, that you glorify your heavenly father.

I am sure many of our churches are struggling to adjust to the challenges of staying relevant during these unusual times. There are some creative ways for that to happen. Many have moved to a “virtual church” where their worship, studies and messages are streamed on-line. Some have what they have termed as “drive-in” church; where members simply drive to the church and sit in cars and listen to song and sermon over loudspeakers on the parking lot. Some churches are doing ministry by offering curb service for food pantry distribution. If you or your church is doing something similar, please let us know via our Facebook page.

I am encouraging you to be creative and safe. We don’t know how long we will have to endure the challenges before us; however, it behooves each of us to rise to the challenge and continue to let our lights shine. I believe we are experiencing a dramatic paradigm shift where things are changing and may never be the same. In other words, there is a new norm, and those who can make the shift will thrive, while those who resist may suffer irreparable loss.

I look forward to meeting with and seeing each of you again. Until then, keep in mind that we are both the salt and light of the world. Let your lights shine and do not succumb to fear and hysteria. One wise sage suggested that if you are going to pray then don’t be afraid and worry and fret. If you are going to worry and fret and succumb to fear, then don’t pray. I was asked during a virtual meeting this past week if I thought God was using this virus to separate the sheep from the goats. My response was that God didn’t need to send a plague to separate the sheep from the goats. Our works and our walks have always distinguished the faithful from the unfaithful. I do, however, believe that this crisis is going to challenge the traditional church in ways we never experienced or expected. It is going to challenge us to re-think how we do relevant church work and not just how we congregate and worship. I'm convinced that God is standing with and protecting the faithful. Please know that with God on our side, we can actually thrive and not just survive. Be well, be safe. Be encouraged, be blessed, trust in God and let your lights shine.

I remain yours for the cause of Christ,

Rev. Dr. Linden Bowie - Missionary Baptist State Convention of Missouri