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First Baptist Church in Lexington celebrated International Heritage and Harvest Day Sunday with Dr. Tomas Mackey, president of Baptist World Alliance. The guest speaker is also the senior pastor at Iglesia Bautista del Once in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
His sermon centered around the theme “What it Means To Be A Disciple.” Mackey suggested each person has a mandate and a responsibility to live in hope and focus our lives around the teachings of Christ. “We must think, act and live like Jesus Christ,” Mackey said.
Among the other speakers at Sunday’s event was Cecilia Fencer, instructor and coordinator for (ESL) English as a Second Language program where she teaches English to students new to the area at First Baptist Church. She thanked the church for opening its doors and providing the facility for learning.
Vernon Hunsinger, assistant director of Hosting Ukrainian Families, spoke in lieu of Jerry Nay who was ill. He thanked the church for its commitment to the Ukrainian families and introduced all three families to the church and community.
Dr. Lena Hill, provost at Washington and Lee University, welcomed to the community the Hispanic and Ukrainian families on behalf of the school and the church. Hill drew a parallel and compared the missions of the school and the church and invited all to a greater sense of understanding one another and to value the presence and uniqueness of each individual.
As she welcomed each person to the church, Hill challenged the audience to think globally as one family.
Following the service Sunday, the church provided a community Soul Food lunch for everyone.
