A God Who Helps
Have you ever needed the Lord’s help? One of my favorite hymns, Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, contains the following line, “Here I raise my Ebenezer, here by Thy great help I’ve Come.” Ebenezer literally means “the stone of help” and refers to a significant moment in Israel’s history. Initially mentioned in 1 Samuel 4, Ebenezer was a place where God’s people experienced a debilitating loss to the Philistines who captured the ark. The loss prompted a birthing mother to name her newborn son Ichabod lamenting, “The glory has departed Israel because the ark has been captured.”
From this monumental loss, God reset the stage to transition the nation from defeat to victory. The second mention of Ebenezer follows in 1 Samuel 7:2, where the bible records, “Time went by until 20 years had passed since the ark had been taken…then the whole house of Israel began to seek the LORD.” Spiritual leadership transitioned from Eli to Samuel who led the nation in spiritual renewal instructing them, “If you return to the LORD with all your heart, remove the foreign gods…from among you and direct your hearts to the LORD and serve Him alone, He will deliver you from the hands of the Philistines.” Seven verses later, with a renewed nation seeking God’s provision, the Bible says, “Samuel cried out to the LORD on behalf of Israel, and the LORD answered Him.” With God’s help, the next battle with the Philistines was a resounding victory after which the scripture says that Samuel took a stone and set it upright…and he named it Ebenezer saying, “Thus far the LORD has helped us.”
When invited to assume the executive director role of the Foundation, I spent countless hours seeking the Lord’s direction related to the Foundation’s future. To be completely transparent, I was desperate for the Lord’s help, and God began to birth a vision that far exceeded anything we had staff to accomplish. Eight years later, I can confidently assert, “When God’s children cry out to Him for help in any endeavor related to His glory, He not only answers, He also makes a way to see impossible things become reality.” Like Samuel, giving all credit and glory to God for our progress, I too would declare, “Thus far the LORD has helped us.”
Chris Dampier, Church Lending
God has helped us by sending us quality people. From a staff of one, the Foundation has grown to a full-time staff of ten dedicated employees, all chosen and sent by God to serve the church. Most recently, Chris Dampier joined the Foundation to expand our staffing in church lending. Chris comes to us from Florida with 30+ years of banking experience and prior service to the Florida Baptist Foundation.
God’s faithfulness is also evident in bringing us Mike Rhine, Deborah David, Vanessa Wolfe, and Laura Glover. These new additions, along with our longer-tenured staff Ken Temple, Barbara Davis, Brittani Dickenson, and Terry Jeffries, round out a team whose commitment to God is evident and whose conscientious execution of their duties is exemplary.
The New Facilities of the Foundation
God has also helped us by presenting the opportunity to purchase a permanent home. In mid-March, the Foundation moved to 2331 Brookhollow Plaza Drive in Arlington to a building able to facilitate our continued growth. We are excited to see how God will use this kingdom asset both for our work and for the work of the local church.
I have explored ordering a large boulder to sit in a strategic location on this new property. That boulder would be etched with the word Ebenezer to create a visual reminder of a God who has helped us thus far. Only He knows what the future holds and how He intends to use the Foundation to serve His kingdom purposes. If we can serve you in any way, please do not hesitate to call on us.
Bart McDonald | SBTF Executive Director