There are some things in life that certain people see as irrelevant and some things that other folks would be willing to die for. I honestly believe that denominations is one of them. Most of us who have had any part in life within the Baptist church have heard the old "Baptist born, Baptist bred, Baptist dead" jingle at some point and now I am even hearing people replace the word Baptist with COGIC. For me it is not necessary to categorize yourself SO stringently that you practically shun and ostracize others for not being a part of your group. Now don't get me wrong; I fully believe in knowing what doctrine is vital to the establishment of your church. However, I don't feel like one should avoid fellowshipping with others over minute principles. I actually have relatives who will not talk to or worship with their kin due to denominational differences! How sad! Such rich interaction lost because of revelation, interpretation, and translation. Being one who has been a part of three different denominations (Baptist, COGIC, and Church of the Living God), I can honestly say that our similarities far outweigh our differences. With that being stated, I really miss being Baptist (or at least a part of the Baptist church)!
I was born into the Mt. Elam Baptist Church in Oklahoma City where Rev. Scottie Hudson was the pastor. Some time after that our church was graced with the placement of the Rev. Dr. T.L. Turner as pastor. According to many accounts, Dr. Turner was quite the preacher, but not so in tune with administration which led to the folding and disbanding of our church. It was at my home church that I actually realized my call to preach at the age of 7, but I had no one to talk to reaffirm the feelings that I was having. I am quite certain that I would be in a different sphere of preaching had our church remained intact, but God knows what His time and will are. Nevertheless, I miss being Baptist. I was in another family church that was Baptist in doctrine after Mt. Elam and when my family stopped attending church while I was in the 7th grade, I started attending COGIC congregations with my friends. All I knew is that I wanted to go to church and my friends were going. Eventually I was led to the Church of the Living God congregation where I have been for the last 17 years. It was here that I actually confessed my call to the ministry, preached my first sermon, received my license, received my ordination, and eventually became the Assistant Pastor, a role I have served in for the last 8 years. Despite all of these occurrences, I miss being Baptist. I did not realize how much until I came back around the brethren after I started preaching. There may be riffs and disputes that take place in various circles, but for the most part, Baptist pastors support one another. Not that they don't support others from other denominations, but they really try to support like mind, like character. Many people have talked about my lack of loyalty to my church because I spent so many years going to The Greater Mt. Olive Baptist Church of Oklahoma City for the early morning worship. They often said that I should start a service at our own church if I wanted to be in an early service. However, what they failed to understand is that I needed to go heard Dr. Woodberry to remember who I am. I love being able to tell people that my cousin, Rev. Dr. Eric A. Mayes Jr., served as the original pastor of Unity Baptist Church in Oklahoma City for over 40 years and that I hope to one day be able to be so fortunate to serve my congregation for prayerfully a long time. I love being able to tell people that my maternal and paternal great grandfathers were both Baptist pastors. I love being able to go to the BMA meetings and being able to sit and glean from the great minds of Dr. John Reed, Dr. James Tucker, Dr. Major Jemison, Dr. John Peoples, and so many other great pastors who can share the triumphs/trials, pleasures/pains, and satisfaction/sadness of preaching and pastoring God's people. I miss being Baptist, but I enjoy myself when the brethren welcome me back even for just a little while.
