Central Baptist Church of Westerly
16 Elm Street, Westerly, RI 02891
Phone: (401) 596-4929
Check out our blog at Central Baptist Life
16 Elm Street, Westerly, RI 02891
Phone: (401) 596-4929
Check out our blog at Central Baptist Life
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We are in God's family tree
February 26, 2020
Dear Friends,
Back in 1976 Author Alex Haley published his novel,
Roots, based on his family history. It was a literary
work of art and spurred the television mini-series that
was watched by millions. As we learned about native
Gambian slave named Kunta Kinte, and the generations
that followed, it sparked a renewed interest in people
to want to know more about their roots.
I confess that I'm one of those people who wanted to
know more about their family heritage. In doing some
digging into my family tree, I found out about my great
great grandfather, Noble E. Lord II. He was born
November 14, 1844 in Hebron, Connecticut. As a young
man he ran the family farm and eventually purchased
two additional farms which totaled 600 acres.
Not only was Noble Lord an active farmer, but he was
also a major player in the lumber, livestock and real
estate markets in the area. He was a self-made man,
well known and respected in the community. At
twenty-five years old he married a young lady named
Mary Griswold. They had five children. Their fourth
child was Clayton Albro Lord, my namesake.
I was delighted to learn about him and others in my
family tree. I always knew I was named after my great
grandfather. In doing the research I found out that
my middle name, Albro, was a family name too. Noble's
wife, Mary, gave her son, Clayton, her father's name
as a middle name. Her father's name was Albro Griswold.
Mystery solved!
There is something special about being connected. Yet,
we live in a world where people are becoming more
and more isolated. Finding community is not so easy.
In his book, Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival
of American Community, Robert Putnam conducted
over 500,000 interviews and came up with some pretty
startling revelations.
Putnam showed how changes in work, family structure,
suburban life, the use of computers, women’s roles and
other factors had contributed to this decline. We don't
know our neighbors, we meet with friends less frequently,
and even socialize with our families less often. The idea
of going to a place “where everyone knows your name”
has become a thing of the past for many.
But here is the Good News. We have a God who knows
our name. From the Psalms to the Prophets, it is
reiterated again and again. God knows where we are
and what’s happening in our lives. He loves us. Actually,
he is crazy about us. He is so in love with you and me
that he arranged for us to be adopted into his family.
Can you believe that?
Talk about having a family tree to brag about? You and
I have the best one. We belong to God’s family. So why
not make it a point to get to know the rest of your family.
Come join us in a church near you. Let’s have a family
reunion to celebrate our common roots in God.
God bless! See you in church.
Cal
February 26, 2020
Dear Friends,
Back in 1976 Author Alex Haley published his novel,
Roots, based on his family history. It was a literary
work of art and spurred the television mini-series that
was watched by millions. As we learned about native
Gambian slave named Kunta Kinte, and the generations
that followed, it sparked a renewed interest in people
to want to know more about their roots.
I confess that I'm one of those people who wanted to
know more about their family heritage. In doing some
digging into my family tree, I found out about my great
great grandfather, Noble E. Lord II. He was born
November 14, 1844 in Hebron, Connecticut. As a young
man he ran the family farm and eventually purchased
two additional farms which totaled 600 acres.
Not only was Noble Lord an active farmer, but he was
also a major player in the lumber, livestock and real
estate markets in the area. He was a self-made man,
well known and respected in the community. At
twenty-five years old he married a young lady named
Mary Griswold. They had five children. Their fourth
child was Clayton Albro Lord, my namesake.
I was delighted to learn about him and others in my
family tree. I always knew I was named after my great
grandfather. In doing the research I found out that
my middle name, Albro, was a family name too. Noble's
wife, Mary, gave her son, Clayton, her father's name
as a middle name. Her father's name was Albro Griswold.
Mystery solved!
There is something special about being connected. Yet,
we live in a world where people are becoming more
and more isolated. Finding community is not so easy.
In his book, Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival
of American Community, Robert Putnam conducted
over 500,000 interviews and came up with some pretty
startling revelations.
Putnam showed how changes in work, family structure,
suburban life, the use of computers, women’s roles and
other factors had contributed to this decline. We don't
know our neighbors, we meet with friends less frequently,
and even socialize with our families less often. The idea
of going to a place “where everyone knows your name”
has become a thing of the past for many.
But here is the Good News. We have a God who knows
our name. From the Psalms to the Prophets, it is
reiterated again and again. God knows where we are
and what’s happening in our lives. He loves us. Actually,
he is crazy about us. He is so in love with you and me
that he arranged for us to be adopted into his family.
Can you believe that?
Talk about having a family tree to brag about? You and
I have the best one. We belong to God’s family. So why
not make it a point to get to know the rest of your family.
Come join us in a church near you. Let’s have a family
reunion to celebrate our common roots in God.
God bless! See you in church.
Cal
| Pastor Cal Lord's Weekly Epistle |
| Pastor Cal's Weekly Epistle Every week Pastor Cal writes a weekly column for the Spirit Page of the Norwich Bulletin. He also sends it out to members and friends of the church via e-mail. E-mail him at calstigers@gmail.com if you want to be added to the weekly list. |
| Archived Epistles |