Curtis Road Church of God

June 15, 2025 Father’s Day

Everyone I pass at the Curtis Road Church of God welcomes me as I come in. Lots of handshakes. Under the grand cathedral ceiling are four sections of padded chairs. Worship band instruments sit on stage behind a transparent pulpit. A US and a  Christian flag stand to the side. No bulletin or order of service is given out, but I am smilingly handed a visitor card.

After reading from Psalm 122, Pastor Bryan offers Father’s Day wishes. Packages of donuts, specially labeled with the church logo, are available to all the men. Next, the pastor happily announces that all bills have been paid for the parking lot and landscaping projects. Give God a hand. After a prayer for the offering, it's time for the perhaps fifty people present to walk around and greet each other. The couple of kids there leave for their Sunday School class.

The band, led by the powerfully beautiful voice of Pastor Anna, takes us into the first segment of worship. At some point, Bryan steps up to give a mini lesson on the song from Isaiah 6 which his wife had just so movingly sung. He explains the ancient custom of a conquering king adding a part of the defeated king's robe onto his own robe, extending it. This leads to encouragement for people to step out of their comfort zones and request prayer which is freely given. After this ministry time, we go into the worship music again. As the last notes recede I think, having been there an hour, perhaps the service is ending, but this is when Pastor Bryan comes to the stage to deliver his message of the day: Legacy Builders. He begins with some statistics: 6% of kids are faithful to God with no parental modeling; 15% with the modeling of their mothers; and 55% if their dads go to church. It’s important for dads to step up and build into the lives of their children. Bryan shares stories of example. The service ends with a prayer that we can all leave a valuable legacy to the generation that is following.

Don’t forget your donuts!