Altar Ego sighed with relief when he finally found Pewboy.
Altar Ego: “Excuse me, Pewboy, do you have a few minutes to talk?” He had interrupted the Baptist layman as he arranged stacks of bulletins on tables beside the sanctuary doors in preparation for the worship service.
Pewboy: “Sure, Altar Ego, usually I'm the one seeking you out. It's a change to have you come looking for me. What's up?”
Altar Ego: “Well, while the BGAV meeting is still fresh on your mind I wanted to get your impressions of the meeting.”
Pewboy: “Let me tell you, you came to the right place. I have been talking about it ever since we got back from the Beach. I really liked having the meeting in a place where we could assemble and have the displays all in the same area instead of having tents set up like last year. Of course, if the weather had been last year like it was this year the tents would have been OK.”
Altar Ego: “So the convention center at Virginia Beach gets two thumbs up. How about the program itself?”
Pewboy: “Let me tell you, last week I learned a thing or two. I learned, for example, how incredibly involved Virginia Baptists are in missions around the country and around the world. I don't think it was the kind of pride that goes before a fall that I felt. At least I hope not. But when Rev. Chacko stepped to the microphone to thank Virginia Baptists for what they have done to ease the suffering of people who are still struggling to rebuild their lives since the tsunami hit, I was just plain proud of what we've done together. Buying boats for fishermen's families, footing the bill for children to go to school, and building new buildings at an orphanage—well, you know what? I think Jesus is proud of us, too!”
Altar Ego: “That's the kind of thing I'm talking about. What were your other thoughts?”
Pewboy: “I was also proud to be a part of the Baptist World Alliance when I saw a check for $100,000 being presented to Rev. Chacko for ministry to the suffering in his area of India. To think of what this man, Chacko, has done with our help is amazing. He established and is now expanding a home for children left orphaned and he's providing boats and nets for fishermen's families left destitute by the great disaster.” Pewboy continued. “I learned that Virginia Baptists have done more in the Gulf Coast states than I imagined when I heard those two pastors, one from Louisiana and another from Mississippi, thank Virginia Baptists for sending people and money to them in their time of great need—which continues to the present. The one guy, I think his name was Lynn Rodrgue, pastor of the Port Sulphur Baptist Church in Louisiana, said, ‘Sometimes there were more Virginia Baptists in Port Sulphur than residents.' That blows me away.”
Altar Ego: “Your report is very encouraging. I hope you are sharing your thoughts with other people.”
Pewboy: “Am I ever. You know me, I just can't seem to keep my mouth shut anyway and this is something everybody needs to hear! But, let me tell you something else. Just when I thought everything was all pretty well cut and dried somebody up and made an amendment to the budget. Well, to tell the truth, I don't know that much about what Bluefield needs or Hargrave or Fork Union, but I learned once again that Virginia Baptists really are in charge. If they want to do something, they can—and I think that's the way it should be. We are allowed to get up and say what's on our minds.”
By this time Pewboy was on a roll: “I learned that Leith Anderson can do more than just write books, too. That man can also preach! I had never heard of Sir Ernest Shackelton who explored the Antarctic, but after listening to what he did to save the lives of his men, I've decided that our church needs to be more innovative. We need to be willing to do new things in new ways.”
Altar Ego: “Before I let you go, was there anything else?”
Pewboy: “I guess the other thing I would mention is that I was reminded how good it is to be together. It was such a good feeling to watch old friends greet one another—and to do that myself. Something I've noticed is that I used to go for the meetings—and this year those were great. But now I want to go because I really like being with these people called Virginia Baptists.
Altar Ego: “Me, too!”