“Whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies — in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen (1 Peter 4:11).”
For nearly five decades, Grace Baptist Church of Christ (GBCOC) has been blessed with the same pastor and first lady, Jacob and Thomasena Underwood. Through the week of October 16 to 23, GBCOC will be celebrating Pastor Underwood’s service to the church and the community with nightly 7 pm services for the Pastor’s 49th Anniversary, a time that guarantees to be a joyous occasion.
Mr. and Mrs. Underwood may not always physically be with the GBCOC’s family, but they are certainly in the church in spirit and through prayers. As many of us know, and some have even seen for themselves on a jovial Memorial Day weekend trip down south, Pastor Underwood has been hard at work at Grace Redemption House. However, some of us may not know that it has been causing quite a buzz and making an impression in Anderson, South Carolina. In the lower level of GBCOC, a laminated copy of a May 28, 2011 article, appropriately titled “Grace Restored,” is pinned up on the wall for display. The clip was featured in an article by Charmaine Smith-Miles in Independent Mail.com, a local paper in Anderson, South Carolina.
The article highlights Mr. and Mrs. Underwood’s demonstration of faith as they trusted in the calling of the Lord to purchase the abandoned Christ Temple Church on South McDuffie Street in September 2010.
As Pastor Underwood was quoted in the feature, “On the way back to New York, the Lord told me to turn this place back into a church,” Underwood said. “He gave me the name, ‘The Redemption House.’ And that’s when I felt the release — when I felt that I could come home and work.”
Mr. and Mrs. Underwood’s leap of faith into Anderson was not entirely new for them; they used the same strong faith to purchase an East New York, Brooklyn synagogue that they transformed into a church back in July 1962 — the rest is history. Schools, housing and a playground are only but a few things that Grace means to the East New York community. But, what Grace primarily stands for is salvation — a beacon of hope for those who hunger and those who thirst for love, peace and mercy.
With the Pastor’s 49th Anniversary rapidly approaching, GBCOC has the opportunity to show their gratitude for nearly five decades of tireless and faithful service to the Lord by Mr. and Mrs. Underwood. As Paul charged the Thessalonian congregation, “Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13).”
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