There is a phrase I often think about during the The Lord’s Supper. It goes like this: “I believe in the communion of the saints;” it assumes a continuity of belief and purpose and fellowship over the years that includes absolutely everyone who Loves God and follows Jesus.

The phrase appears in the Apostles Creed, that essential statement of faith from the Second Century. And it is particularly apropos during this epic 150th celebration. Why? Because The Communion of the Saints is a concept that knits together the entire history of Howard Memorial Presbyterian Church, from 1874 through to the excitement and the sense of promise that is animating our church this year, 2024.

From my perspective — as a believer in Jesus who knows and loves so many people so very deeply, from each of the four congregations Rebekah served and beyond — The Communion of the Saints came into sharp focus this past Sunday, April 7, when I travelled to Wake Forest Presbyterian Church to plant a rose bush in memory of my mother.

It was a Communion Sunday. And as I stood in line to take the bread and the wine I understood that I was also taking communion with the people I love in Tarboro, and with my mother, and with my dad and my brother too.

Then, and in addition to all the beautiful people at our two Florida churches, I shared the Lord’s Supper with “The Three Annas” who helped to start HMPC in 1874, and with the men in the Bible-study groups I have led, and with the families who built our beautiful sanctuary in 1909, and with Rev. Iverson, and Bob Burns, and Christopher Edmonston, and more.

The Communion of the Saints is the living history of Howard Memorial Presbyterian Church. Nothing we do here, nothing we say here, nothing we believe here, and nothing we love here stands in isolation. It cannot, because we are all part of that Great Cloud of Witnesses.

We live today as the fullest expression of the faith that has sustained this church for One Hundred Fifty years… and that will undergird our future with hope and with promise too.

I believe in the Communion of the Saints - DEREK