Saturday, July 31, 2010

A Godly Heritage

God is good all the time! I praise Him that I feel much better this afternoon after a few days of being under the weather. We had the opportunity to go to a family reunion this afternoon. It was very good to see long lost cousins and family members that I have not seen for a very long time.
Over the past year I have become very interested in my geneology. I had the pleasure of learning that my great-great grandfather, Rev. George Jenkins, was a Baptist preacher in Maine. In fact, I learned that he was the pastor of the Newcastle-Alna Baptist Church from 1893-1897. What is the big deal with that you say? Well, that is the church that I attended during my childhood. My grandparents were members of that church and it was the church where I was first baptized. I can remember sitting in those old wooden pews and hearing the preaching of Pastor Pearson as he opened up that old King James Bible. What an exciting find.
Also, going generations back, the Rev. Nathaniel Jenkins came over from Wales in the late 1600's. He was a Baptist preacher in New Jersey and preached in the same church that Obadiah Holmes and Valentine Wightman planted. Here is a commentary about one incident involving Rev. Jenkins: "The Rev. Jenkins was a man of talents and education and while at Cape May was a member of the Council of Parliment as the State Legislature was then called. In 1721 a bill was introduced to "punish such as denied the doctrine of the Trinity, the divinity of Christ, and the inspiration of the Scriptures." Mr. Jenkins stood boldly forth as the champion of "soul liberty," declaring that, although he believed these doctrines as the warmest advocates of this ill-advised bill, he would never consent to oppose those who rejected them with law or any weapon other than arguement. As a result the bill was quashed, to the great disappointment of those who would have had the scenes of persecution which raged in New England repeated in New Jersey." (from "A Brief Early History to Celebrate the 250th Anniversary of Its Formation as a Precinct of Cumberland County January 19, 1748)
How exciting. Oh, how the Lord has blessed me with a Godly heritage! How great it is to be called into the ministry! Amen!

Browns to Montana