The late radio journalist Gabriel Heatter (d. 1972) was known for his nightly introduction: "There's good news tonight" - particularly during the dark early days of our involvement in World War II. There were times when, admittedly, he struggled to find positive news to share, but his voice was no small source of uplift in difficult times.
I was reminded of his words following an evening of Gospel music this past weekend at a somewhat remote country church. Both audience and participants were from churches of differing traditions. Yet there was a shared spirit of praise and worship as together we transcended sectarian labels and identity.
Following the "sing," we shared at some length with the pastor. We had heard good reports of things taking place in this particular church and were pleased to hear them confirmed. While belonging to a fellowship often characterized by liberal cause and viewpoint (there is, fortunately, an active conservative movement within the denomination seeking to revive a commitment to biblical values), this local body, under leadership of its present pastor, is strongly committed to the Gospel and need for winning others to Christ.
The results have been remarkable. Sunday attendance which had not long ago been around twelve, is now running a hundred; the church has taken on a new sense of life; people are making commitment to Christ, and the church has just concluded its first VBS in over twenty years. To the delight of all, attendance averaged 40! The spirit of it all was reflected in the evening's proceedings wherein we shared, not as ecclesial brand X, Y or Z, but as brothers and sisters in Christ.
Following a song by the choir of an area Christian Church (and having personally served for some years as a Baptist pastor), the following story came to mind: A small town had but two small, struggling churches, one a Baptist Church and the other a Christian Church. Upon arriving at the conclusion that one strong Church might be considerably more effective than two largely ineffective congregations, a business meeting was scheduled to consider the possibility of merger - the constitution and by-laws of both bodies requiring a unanimous vote on any such action.
Following discussion as to the benefits to be gained, a vote was taken. It was unanimous - except for the one vote of an older Baptist gentleman. Feeling that he had perhaps not fully grasped the positive aspects of such proposal, the matter was again covered in detail. Voting again, the gentlemen yet declined. After a third vote, he was asked the cause of his hesitance. He replied: "I just want to say one thing. My grandfather was a Baptist, my father was a Baptist, and I have been a Baptist all my life. I'm not about to become a Christian now!" Well, anyway...
It was a good night this past weekend. As per Gabriel Heatter's famous introduction of, "Good News, tonight," there are indeed bright spots in our darkened world.
Burl Ratzsch
