Standing on the Shoulders: Reflecting on the Legacy of Ministry
By: Ryan Emmons
I have been a part of Argyle Road Baptist Church for the better part of fifty years, time that has allowed me to be able to see how so much of the ministry that we enjoy now are standing on the shoulders of those who have faithfully gone before us. I am sure that we are not unique in this observation, but I would still like to share a little bit of what that looks like here at ARBC.
If you were to visit us on any given Sunday, you would encounter a mosaic of culture and multinationalism. We have people from all corners of the world joining together to worship and share life, and this has enriched the experience of exploring faith and God’s presence in our lives. But this was not always the case. It started with the obedience of one couple to the emerging needs of immigrants to our city. Those dear saints, Arnold and Bertha Epp, saw that new families in the nearby apartments were struggling to find connection and their place in this new city and country. So, they invited them to their home for tea and conversation.
Soon the group outgrew their small house and moved into the church basement. What began with moms and their toddlers grew into a weekly conversational English class. As more people joined the class, more people were invited. The love of Jesus was shared, and the church grew. From there things expanded and shifted to university students.
And the global walls of our church expand yet again.
ARBC would come to be known as a safe and welcoming place for people who are coming from other countries, where differences in language and experience of church were met with patience and a desire to listen to one another. Some of the specific ministries have shifted over the years. For example, the English class has seen several iterations—with the present version being run with the help of a program called Connections Café—but the global mindset and passion have not diminished.
We are not a large church (we average about 75 people on a Sunday morning), but on the Sunday you visit, you will find people from Bolivia, China, Jamaica, Nigeria, Ghana, and Canada sitting in a Bible Study together, living out what it means to be “The Priesthood of All Believers.” You would find those same people, and more from other African nations and the Philippines, standing shoulder to shoulder in worship and prayer together. During the week, people are crossing cultural and racial divides to pray with one another, support one another, and bless one another as the Lord leads them to different cities for work or other reasons.
And the Lord is blessing this work that stands on the shoulders of those who have gone before. At the time of the writing of this article, we are preparing to baptize six individuals whose faith is a result of one of these ministries–Praise the Lord!
We are thankful for what God has done, is doing, and is going to do (although I have no idea what that will look like!) in our community and because of the faithfulness of those He has placed here.
