The Goodness of God.

Sunday morning, our church experienced something that is hard to explain but impossible to forget. As we stood together singing about the goodness of God, the Lord reminded me that He had been faithful through every chapter of my life — even the painful ones.

We sing a song during worship that runs deep into my soul. The chorus resonates with declarations of God's goodness.

'Cause all my life You have been faithful

And all my life You have been so, so good

With every breath that I am able

Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God

Sunday morning we had so much to celebrate. Our great God changed the mind of a government entity for His glory and for our good. Another small business connected with our church experienced a breakthrough as men softened to the Lord. A church member had a spiritual washing from the Holy Spirit a few nights before.

That morning we were also blessed by a visit from the gospel quartet Endless Highway, friends of our church who minister through God's Word through music. Their songs helped lead our congregation into a powerful time of worship and reflection.

As they led us, Aly — one of the members of Endless Highway — sensed the Lord moving among our people and called an audible. She began simply:

I love You, Lord

For Your mercy never fails me

The Holy Spirit quickened our hearts, and spontaneously members of the congregation began to sing and then stand. She continued:

All my days, I've been held in Your hands

From the moment that I wake up

Until I lay my head

Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God

You can hear them sing it on YouTube from 2024 at this link. I will tell you that the video doesn't come close to what we experienced as they led us in worship Sunday morning, but perhaps you will get the idea.

https://youtu.be/EjPQgIjxkUg?si=QmMViq6y60ReP_EU

As the Holy Spirit overwhelmed us with His goodness Sunday morning, my memory flashed back to years of abuse by a family member growing up and years of shame that followed in its wake. Years of church hurt and struggle rushed back into my heart and mind. In that moment, I experienced God in a fresh way as He strengthened me in His presence and in the church community I have grown to love.

As we stood together and sang before the throne of God, His almighty grace and mercy focused my spirit on one truth: He has always been there.

In the abuse, somehow He was there.
In the hypocrisy of church life, somehow He was there.

Through the power of His holy Word, the Lord sustained me and brought me to where I am today — a simple child of God facing each day with a heart longing to surrender to Him completely.

Today, the Lord has blessed me and my family with a church family I had come to believe did not exist. My last two full-time pastorates left me wondering why God had this call on my life. In 2014, in Toronto, Canada, on a mission trip, the Lord spoke clearly, yet also in a mystery. As the worship leader sang, I sensed the Lord saying to my heart:

“You aren't pastoring my people.”

I did not fully understand what He meant, but I spent the rest of that evening crying out for His healing hand in my life. Ministry had worn me down, and I realized I was ready to quit.

We returned home, and I tried to be faithful. Eventually I resigned from that church and wondered what the Lord had for me next. I served as interim pastor of two churches before moving back to Ocala. When we returned to Florida, we attended the only church we felt comfortable in, but once again we experienced the struggles that sometimes accompany church life. I took time with the Lord, and I realized the problem could not always be someone else. The Lord must be trying to do something in me.

In July 2018, the Lord opened a door for me to preach at Sparr Baptist Church, and later that year He paved the way for me to become your bi-vocational pastor. The journey has not been easy. We were small and weak in many ways. COVID threatened to do us in.

But God, in His goodness, had other plans.

Today I can say with confidence that I know what the Lord meant that night in Toronto. I am pastoring the people God called me to pastor.

Looking back, it seems we probably never should have moved from Ocala in 2009. The Lord brought us back in 2016, and in 2018 He brought us here. Three folks in our Christian community from the early 2000s are with us in the church today. The Lord brought back memories of those friendships during that convicting moment in Toronto, and here we are today.

I am confident I am pastoring the church — the body of Christ — He has called me to shepherd in this season.

If you've read this far, thank you.

One more important piece of the puzzle has come together in the last few weeks. Recently, our school board made a decision to close our neighborhood school and then reversed that decision.

This, my friends, is another testimony to the goodness of God.

As a church, we now have time to seek the Lord and pray for clarity about next steps. Over Sunday morning and these last two days, the Lord has challenged me that He didn't just call me to pastor Sparr Baptist Church, but also to help find a path to bring hope and healing to the entire Sparr community.

Families in our community need a chance to become who God created them to be. I take that responsibility seriously, and I look ahead to the difficult days and months ahead with faith in God's goodness.

All my life God has been faithful. He will not stop now.

Philippians 1:6 says, “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

God remains faithful, and He never lies. We can count on His presence as we seek Him above all else — for His glory and for our good.

As a church, we have an opportunity to expand God's glory in this moment. We are here for such a time as this. Join me in praying, discerning, and stepping forward in faith. Over the next few weeks, I will outline some ideas, possibilities, and plans for our community.

Pray for Sparr Elementary School and for the families impacted by decisions being made. Pray for our church that God will be glorified in all things. Pray for Endless Highway and their continued ministry.

Pray like you've never prayed before.

Then sing.

Sing of the goodness of God.

Trusting God With the Future of Sparr Elementary

 

From the Pastor’s Table 

“Pastoral reflections on faith, community, and the work of God among us.”

Earlier this month I virtually attended the Marion County School Board work session where many members of our community spoke about the future of Sparr Elementary School.

What stood out most that evening was not anger or frustration, but the calm and thoughtful concern people expressed for the children and families of our community. Parents, teachers, and neighbors spoke with care about the importance of our neighborhood school.

As I listened, I was reminded of the words of Scripture:

“Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand.”
— Philippians 4:5

That spirit of reasonableness was evident throughout the morning. In a moment that could easily have become divisive, our community demonstrated a shared concern for the next generation.

Those who have lived in Sparr for many years know this reflects the character of our community. Sparr has long been a place where neighbors look after one another and where people step forward when something important to the community is at stake.

Moments like this remind us that God’s work is often seen not only inside the walls of a church, but in the life of a community learning to care for one another.

Sparr Baptist Church has been part of this community since 1905. When I joined the church in 2018, the congregation was walking through a difficult season. Membership had declined, and the future felt uncertain.

Yet the people who remained believed the Lord had placed this church in Sparr for a reason.

So we prayed. And we kept working.

In those early years small ministries began to take shape. A quilting group formed for women seeking fellowship. We began finding ways to encourage the teachers and staff of Sparr Elementary School. What started as small gestures of appreciation gradually grew into a meaningful partnership with our neighborhood school.

Along the way, the Lord continued to work among us. Today our congregation is more than three times the size it was just four years ago. That growth did not come through clever strategies, but through the steady faithfulness of God.

We are especially grateful for the teachers, administrators, and staff who serve the students of Sparr Elementary every day. Anyone who spends time around a school knows that educating children requires patience, sacrifice, and deep care for young lives.

Scripture reminds us that every child carries immeasurable value. As followers of Christ, we believe each child is created by God and worthy of encouragement, guidance, and hope.

Today Sparr Elementary faces an uncertain future. Yet we serve a God who is faithful and sovereign over every circumstance.

Regardless of what decisions are made in the months ahead, one thing remains certain: the church will continue to be present in this community. Our commitment is not tied to a building or a policy decision. It is tied to the Lord's heart for the people of Sparr — the families who live here, the teachers who serve here, and the children who are growing up here.

As long as God keeps Sparr Baptist Church alive in this community, we intend, by God's grace, to continue praying, serving, and investing in the lives of the people around us as an equipping community at work to bring hope and healing to our community. 

— Pastor Alan