‘It was a breath of fresh air’
The congregation from Piney Grove Baptist Church is celebrating this annual homecoming this week.
Piney Grove Baptist celebrates annual homecoming
The congregation from Piney Grove Baptist Church is celebrating this annual homecoming this week. The celebration ran from Sunday, Sept. 9, until tomorrow night.
The church kicked off its homecoming with a full day of services and fellowship this Sunday. Samuel J. Cornelius, pastor emeritus of New Jerusalem Missionary Baptist Church, delivered the message for the 10 a.m. Service. Bishop J.C. Hash Sr. of St. Peter’s Church and World Outreach Center was the speaker for the evening service.
“It was a breath of fresh air, a renewal and a day filled with excitement,” said Dr. James F. Linville, senior pastor of Piney Grove. “There is great expectations for this week based on the high bar set by Dr. Cornelius and Bishop Hash today.”
For the evening service, Hash’s message to the congregation was titled “Fulfilling Your Purpose.” He touched on how many people go about their lives and do not know their purpose. He told the congregation that it is better to seek God for their purpose instead of just experimenting with life.
After the evening service on Sunday, everyone was invited to the sit down for a meal and continue with the fellowship.
Linville has been the pastor of Piney Grove for the past 28 years. He says every year during homecoming, it gives him a chance to reminisce and reflect on homecomings in the past. He stated it also gives him a chance to think about how God has placed His hands upon him.
All week the church invited a different speaker to deliver the message during the evening service. Linville says he expected them to deliver messages that are “beneficial to our church and our community.”
“My prayer is that when we receive the word, it will cause us to change in such a way that we can help others,” said Linville. “That’s what Bishop [Hash] was talking about when he spoke about selfishness and greed. Once we learn that it’s not about us, it’s about doing the will of God, it makes us a better person.”
Pastor Dwight Hash, of Bethlehem Baptist Church, will close out the homecoming celebration tomorrow night at Piney Grove, as he will deliver the final message of the week.
