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Thankful Father Attests to Church's "Boundless" Faith and Kindness
By Michael Green
HADDAM NECK, CT (September 13, 2003) - In the summer of 2000, I started
attending church services at Haddam Neck Covenant Church (HNCC).
Admittedly, my reasons for going to church at that time had little or
nothing to do with spiritual fulfillment. The truth of the matter was
that I was merely attempting to humor my then girlfriend, Joanna
Biernacki, and find excuses to spend more time with her.
A few short weeks later I was married to that beautiful girlfriend and
like an unwitting in-law, I had become a member of the HNCC family. I
began attending the services with Joanna whenever my schedule permitted
and something strange began to happen. I found myself oddly intrigued by
the sermons that were presented and the affable and intelligent pastor
(Tom Anderson) who preached with such conviction that his voice would
waver as he struggled to suppress tears of joy, wonder, and amazement.
And somehow, by God's great will, I started to realize the beauty in
church, family, and life itself. I had reached a point of enlightenment
and understanding that had eluded me up until that point.
I became more comfortable in my belief in God and got to know Pastor Tom
and other church members on a more personal level. Little did I realize
that this previously unknown phenomenon of belonging to a church would
be such an illuminating experience.
In February, our faith was put to the test when our son, baby Cameron,
nearly died and spent months undergoing intensive medical care. Despite
this tragedy and the resultant problems that Cameron endured, we saw
that God was with us more than ever.
This was illustrated to us in many ways. One of the most obvious was the
regular presence of Pastor Tom and the continued support that he would
convey to us from the church members while we were in the hospital.
Tom was literally with us within minutes of Cameron's accident and I
will never forget looking down at Tom raising his hand in a gesture of
faith as Cameron and I lifted off in the LifeStar helicopter to head to
New Haven. Amidst the despair and tension that overwhelmed me, this
seemed completely surreal, but unmistakably comforting. We are truly
blessed to have Pastor Tom Anderson as our pastor and Joanna and I can't
possibly thank him enough.
The best part of this story is that the HNCC has continued to be a
wonderful part of our lives and we would come to realize that it would
become an even greater source of support and guidance. And it is for
these reasons that Joanna and I would like to thank all of you with our
deepest sincerity. The continued outpouring of support after we got home
from the hospital was truly awe-inspiring. The wonderful prepared meals,
cards, words of encouragement, money and prayers that all of you
directed toward us were such a big help.
We're sure that Cameron is better off today as a result - mentally and
physically. Your continued generosity and support enabled Joanna and I
to remain strong during tough times and provide the best care for him.
And the far-reaching, benevolent effects of your efforts have helped him
in ways that have yet to be even discovered or completely understood. We
are sure of this.
Joanna and I are proud to say that we belong to the Haddam Neck Covenant
Church. While the church itself may not be as grandiose as some of the
monolithic and ornately decorated churches of other religions and
denominations, we take pride in knowing that there is no finer assembly
anywhere in the world. We have learned that HNCC's only limits are in
size and financial ability, for the faith and kindness of its members
are boundless.
Editor's note: Covenant Communications receives nearly 250 church
newsletters and email church updates monthly and uses excerpts for news
stories and devotionals that can be a source of "Good News" to those
faithfully living out their Christian walks in relative anonymity on earth.
This article (used with permission) is written by a police officer
attending Haddam Neck (Connecticut) Covenant Church with his wife and
family. His son was hospitalized for an extended time and he gave
tribute to his fellow parishioners and pastor in a recent newsletter. We
hope it encourages you as it did us.
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