Marvin

Yesterday, Selmore Baptist Church lost one of its patriarchs, Marvin Allen.  Marvin was a 90 year-old, godly gentleman who along with his wife (who proceeded him to Heaven by several years) had mentored many of the current mature adults in my church.  Marvin was the kind of man that will truly leave a hole in the heart of the church, and will be talked about for many years to come.  I will save my personal thoughts about Marvin for his funeral service, but I would like to say a word about what I witnessed at his home yesterday.

When I arrived at his home yesterday morning, Marvin hadn't been gone very long.  In fact, Marvin's body was still there.  But by the time I got there, two other couples from our church had already come.  What I saw touched my heart.  The men had tended to Marvin's body until the funeral home could arrive.  Their wives made his bed, and helped his elderly sister (who lived with him) get dressed.  These couples found Marvin's IDs, prescriptions, helped make calls, brought food/drink to his sister, swept the porch free of snow, went out and bought lunch for the family, and did every little thing you could imagine to be a help.  When the funeral home did arrive, it was the men of our church that helped carry Marvin to the vehicle.

Can you see that this is what church family is all about?  That this is how it's supposed to be?  Marvin invested his life in his church and, in the end, his church was there for him.  May we all be so blessed.