THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, May 9, 1996 TAG: 9605080127
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 16 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TRUDY CUTHRELL, CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: FRANKLIN LENGTH: Medium: 69 lines
THE HONEYMOON may be over, but the marriage of Sycamore Baptist Church and its pastor appears better than ever.
The church expressed its thanks to the Rev. Dr. Reginald Warren and his wife, Lucianne, for their decade of ministry at Sycamore with tickets for a week-long Caribbean Cruise.
Reflecting on 10 years with the church, Warren said both he and the congregation have grown in their relationship with God and one another. Warren is quick to applaud his congregation for its stability and faithfulness.
Recently, the church has grown numerically as well. ``It's been a slow, steady growth - not the revolving-door kind of increase,'' Warren explained. ``I see it as the kind of steady growth that will remain.''
While Sunday School and weekly worship attendance hover around the 200 mark, a mid-week Family Night program has grown from 40 to nearly 100 participants in less than two years.
His members are ``forward thinking,'' he said. ``They are interested in young people while retaining the wisdom of those whose youth has passed. I see this as a congregation that has learned that there's no resting on yesterday if you wish to have a church tomorrow.''
That foresight prompted the congregation to undertake several major building programs in the last century - the most recent in 1986 - to provide adequate space and modern facilities. At the same time, the church has preserved a remnant of its historic past by continuing to utilize its original worship facility - a beautiful 1920's sanctuary with stained glass windows.
``The church has made a healthy transition from rural congregation to one that is a blend of surburban and country folks,'' Warren said.
Warren's tenure has been longer than any pastor's since before World War I. ``The church has had the tradition of employing young, bright and ambitious pastors who remain for a few years of good experience and training and then move on,'' he said.
Warren accepted the call to Sycamore at age 33, with a seminary degree and one pastorate already behind him. ``I was young, idealistic and green,'' he admitted with a grin. ``But the church gave me the opportunity to grow up and mature.''
At the same time, Warren sees his long-term ministry as impacting the church positively. ``I think the congregation sees itself in a different light now - not as a rural congregation attractive only as a training ground for young ministers, but as a strong church capable of calling a pastor and maintaining a sound, vital ministry for a number of years.''
Traditionally, Sycamore has been a community- and mission-minded congregation. ``We're always collecting food, clothes, seeds and money or whatever is necessary for those in need,'' Warren noted. But that focus has intensified in the last few years with individuals and groups going out from the church to minister to flood victims in Illinois and Georgia and some traveling as far as Costa Rico for a short-term mission project.
This summer, the church will sponsor another mission team - eight teens and two adults - on a week-long construction project in Danville, as part of a state-wide Baptist mission emphasis.
Reviewing the church's 118-year history Warren noted, ``Sycamore has had a wonderful past, but I think its best days are ahead.'' That is based on three characteristics: strong lay leadership, strong congregational ownership of the church's life and programs and a humble spirit.
``God's in charge here,'' he said, ``and we're simply obligated to do the best we can with the opportunities at hand.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Dr. Warren
by CNB