That should say enough, for those of you who have been there or lived there. Yes, there are huge mesquitoes, you sweat just checking the mail during the summer, and the place stinks thanks to all of the oil, gas and chemical plants located there.
But Houston has its good things too. The beach is a few miles away, the sports teams are pretty good, there is NASA to visit and it's a great place to learn freeway driving! But for me, one thing stands out more than any other during the 12 childhood years I spent in the big city and I am just not sure I will ever find it again.
I am not referring to the Astros, the Oilers, the Rockets, the space center, PipeOrgan Pizza, the Galleria, Baybrook Mall, the beach a quick drive away, the marinas, Kemah, or the former Astroworld. Certainly I have incredible memories and experiences attached to all of those.
No, I am talking about a small place of worship in the middle of it all called Heritage Park Baptist Church. Or, as I have called it for years "Heritage Park". Words simply cannot express well enough the impact this small group of people had on me, my family and many others.
My mom and dad decided our family would join this small group of believers in the early 80s. It was closer to home than our current church and it just felt right. It was where God wanted us to be. The years that followed provided us some of the greatest times we will ever know with God, our family and His people.
The church was the center of everyone's life. Not school, not sports, not jobs, and not other things. The church was where we were on Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night, and usually a few times on the weekend too. It was our life and each family was committed to the same. It wasn't out of tradition or some lame religious obligation either. It was because we wanted to. We loved each other, loved God, and loved doing His work. There was simply no other place we wanted to be.
We experienced everything about life together as a church family too. Potluck dinners, football games, softball teams, making stupid movies, goofy adult class parties, youth events galore, choir events, camping trips, family vacations, vacation Bible school, youth camps, retreats, beach trips, service projects, building projects and much, much more. Heck, we even took rounds mowing the church grass!
My parents friends were my "other parents" and many still feel like they are. The McMahons, the Mills, the Hamiltons, the Holloways, the Thompsons, the Kipps, and the Rices to name a few. They all had kids that became my friends. We went to school together, ran the streets of Houston and Galveston together, and drove our parents crazy together. Some I dated. Some we all dated. There was even one I thought I would marry when I was 16!
In 1986 my dad informed us that our family was being relocated to the DFW area. The time came for us to load up and drive away and it was the saddest day of our lives. I'll never forget that weekend. The church family threw a going away party for us. They sang "Friends Are Friends Forever" to us and even put it on tape and I still cannot listen to that song to this day without getting emotional about that weekend. They gave us parting gifts and parting hugs. Tears were flowing everywhere.
The morning we left town our driveway and street was full of people crying and waving by. I choke up writing this and remembering it all. We had two packed cars. I was 16 and had to drive one of them because mom was a wreck. My sister and I rode together and balled our eyes out as we pulled away and said by to a place, a people and a way of living that I have never found since.
That was 21 years ago and I have rarely missed going to church on a Sunday since. But times have changed and people aren't the same. Today Christians attend church when it is convenient and other things like sports, business, jobs and school have become what life evolves around. The world of SELF seems to be the center of it all for many. Few give their time much less their money, many are too busy to remember to pray for you, most don't miss you when you are gone and few truly love His people or His church like Christ calls us to. It's sad, but you know it's true for many of today's believers. And, I hate to admit, have fallen prey to this new way of thinking a few times myself.
Regardless, God has been good and since those days I have made many great Christian friends, have had fellowship with other great groups of believers and attended some good churches. My family attends and serves at a great church now. But, there is still just something missing...
Recently, we made the trip to Houston for the churchs' 30th anniversary reunion. It was a time to remember all that God had done yesterday and help the church prepare for tomorrow. I made fresh contact with many of those people and even a few surprises, like my piano teacher from 30 years ago! I got to hug Brother Jud, the pastor that has most affected my entire life and theology. I got to hear John Turner sing one more song. I got to have a few more hugs from people I feel like I will be connected to for eternity. The same smiles, affection and love filled the new, much larger church facilities that day. It was a warmth I could soak in for days!
Heritage Park is still alive and well and it's certainly much larger. Most of the faces I knew have moved on and some have even taken the final step and joined the Lord, yet some people from then remain. The preaching is good, the music is great and the people still love the Lord. Lives are still being changed and foundations are being laid, just like they were 30 years ago
It's not often you can find a group outside of your own family that you know would lay down their lives for yours. People that you call "family" and truly know and feel they are. People you can count on to shout when life is good or cry when things go wrong. People that really do pray for you when you ask. People that give when you need. People that miss you when you are gone. People that listen when you can't shut up. People that forgive when you cause pain. People that love when you don't love back. People that remember you when you come back.
These were real people of God. His people, who did things His way. A real church. Making a real difference in the lives of those around them and setting the stage for His return.
Why do I love God? Because of what we found He can do through a small group of people in a tiny church I still call Heritage Park.
And, I'm just not sure I will ever find it again.
"...They committed themselves to the teaching of the apostles, the life together, the common meal, and the prayers. Everyone around was in awe—all those wonders and signs done through the apostles! And all the believers lived in a wonderful harmony, holding everything in common. They sold whatever they owned and pooled their resources so that each person's need was met. They followed a daily discipline of worship in the Temple followed by meals at home, every meal a celebration, exuberant and joyful, as they praised God. People in general liked what they saw. Every day their number grew as God added those who were saved. " Acts 2:42-47.
(c) 2007, J. Brady
"I say it how I see it and make no bones about it!"
