Speaking @ New Salem Baptist Church, Hammond, IN

This weekend I was fortunate and blessed to be the guest preacher for the morning worship service of Rev. Dr. Charles D. Hudson, Pastor of the New Salem Baptist Church, Hammond, IN as the church celebrated his and his lovely wife Carla's 8th Pastoral Anniversary. Dr. Hudson became the pastor of New Salem after the untimely demise of his father Charles Sr., and the church has been growing under his leadership. Hudson is a young pastor who has made himself totally accessible to his congregation. That quality is rare in this profession as many so-called mega preachers have surrounded themselves with armor-bearers and security details, so much so that the members of those churches are unable to even shake their Pastor's hand. Dr. Hudson has presented himself as a pastor among the people and his church has taken on the personality of their pastor. This weekend, while it was a celebration, it was also done with a heavy heart. The musician of the church, a 25 yr old man named Maverick, was found dead in his apartment on Saturday, which caused a cloud of grief to hang over the church as many of the young people were very close to Maverick. The Lord directed me to preach a message not for a pastoral anniversary, but rather a message of encouragement and hope, found in 2 Corinthians 12:7-9 entitled Handling the Hard Times...the story of Paul dealing with the thorn in his flesh. I argued this statement that once you change your perception of hard times, you will be able to experience all of the benefits that hard times will bring. Please pray for Pastor Hudson and the New Salem Church Family as they get ready to have Maverick's homegoing service this weekend.