Running The Race: Centennial Sunday!
Hebrews 12: 1 – 2
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. Hebrews 12:1-2
Ready Set Go
A little over a hundred years ago, before television was invented, when Belmont Shore was in the infancy of its development, some said, “The city is growing in this direction. There oughta be a church to serve the community.” And bang!
The starting gun cracked, and Bay Shore exploded from the blocks, becoming the spiritual heart of Belmont Shore.
The old pictures make it look like the church was built in the middle of a barren field with enough parking for every Model T in Long Beach.
The church experienced significant growth by focusing on spiritual development, nurturing children, and serving the broader community.
After the fast start out of the gate, the Great Depression hit it hard, and the church found itself in a financial crisis. It looked like it might have to close. But they persevered. With a bailout from First Congregational Church and a new minister, Milton Gabrielson, the church continued to push forward in its mission to spread God’s love and grace to the growing community.
There were boom and bust years, but still the church kept running. It became an unshakeable refuge for the community during wartime, economic downturns, natural disasters, and cultural upheavals, serving as a guiding light.
This church always kept persevering. It even survived a December fire. It kept on running because no matter what was happening in the outside world, people knew how important it was to have this church. There oughta be a church.
It’s about the people, not the pastors.
Because there have only been four senior pastors since 1936 (Milton Gabrielson, Ken Coates, Charlie Ensley, and me), it’s tempting to define our history by the tenures of the senior ministers. My predecessors were extraordinary leaders. I like to say the church had a long history of competent and capable leadership, but then they went in a different direction and hired me.
The heart of this church has always been the people. They sacrificed, swung hammers, made casseroles, taught the children, managed the facility, and brought the donuts. They prayed for each other, dug deep, saw folks through all kinds of personal tragedies, and volunteered their time to teach the children, improve the community, and speak up for justice.
I think of people like the “pillar families” the Watts, the Williams, the Hayters, the Fleeks, the Henrys. But so many people have poured their lives into building this church what it is today. Many of those in this great cloud of witnesses you knew personally—a mentor, a friend, a Sunday School teacher, a choir director, a grandparent who sat beside you in these very pews. But many of them, you never met. Yet, their prayers echo in this space, soaked into the wood on the walls. That’s why they are so special. Their dreams live in the ministries we carry forward.
The Bond of Union
At the heart of it all is the Bond of Union. This remarkable statement professes our faith and commitment to following the ways of Jesus, fulfilling God’s requirement of us to: do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God.
At the core of the Bond of Union burns this gracious ideal: every soul deserves complete freedom to wrestle with truth and find their own path to the divine.
Through the whole race, that sentiment of inclusion and honoring each other’s spiritual journey has been the fuel that kept us going. Because everybody knows there oughtta be a church like that.
Running our leg of the race.
Such a remarkable legacy. The previous generations have run the race with perseverance and slapped the baton into our hands. Runners, this is our leg. Let us run with perseverance.
We have a healthy church. Little things remain little. People want what is best for the congregation, not their agendas.
There is a great spirit of inclusion and welcome because we all understand the importance of having a safe place to take a break from the chaos outside, where we can connect with a loving divine presence and find a way to be part of something bigger.
I always enjoy seeing when a new moderator comes on board and they tell me how impressed they are with all that is going on in our ministries and how hard everyone works to make this place so special. “I knew we did a lot,” they say, “but I had no idea.”
Why is this so important?
In our stretch of this eternal relay, we see a world drowning in cruelty, chaos, and division. There oughtta be a church that models something better.
Through worship, inspiring music, studies, fellowship, and community partnerships, lives are transformed, people find hope to persevere, and the resources to become better people. I’m happy to say we are on track for our leg of the race. But maybe it’s time to switch on the after-burners and go for it. We keep inventing new stuff, new ministries. Heather started a TikTok account.
Someone said Bay Shore Church is the best kept secret in Long Beach. I don’t like secrets. Let’s make it the worst kept secret.
Eating from trees we did not plant.
Someday, we will hand the baton off to the next generation. I love Howard Thurman’s account of when he was about ten years old, and he saw an elderly man planting a pecan tree. Thurman figured that by the time the tree grew up, he wouldn’t be around long enough to eat any pecans. When Thurman asked him about it, the old man said that for his whole life, he had eaten from trees he did not plant. It was his job to plant something for the next generation.[1]
We’ve feasted at tables we never set, worshipped in sanctuaries we never built, found hope in traditions we never started. It has fed our souls and strengthened us. And now we plant for the next generation.
Even if it costs us time and tears, we build anyway. Every single person in this room—yes, you—is clutching that sacred baton right now. How will you carry it?
Call to Action.
Raise your hand if you’ve been here 20+ years… Look around – you are living history! Raise your hand if you’re new in the last 5 years… You are our future taking shape! So here’s my question:
- Will you become megaphones for hope in a world that’s forgotten how to whisper encouragement?
- Will you share our sermons with friends who need encouragement?
- Will you help us build a community that explodes beyond these walls? Will you support ministries that let us reach hurting hearts around the world?
- Will you consider volunteering for the ministry you’ve been thinking about?
- Will you pray boldly for Bay Shore’s future?
Imagine: 25, 50, even 100 years from now. Another preacher will stand in the pulpit. And they will look out at a vibrant, loving community, a church still planting, still building, still running. And they will say,
“You exist because in 2025, they refused to quit—we sprinted with holy fire, blazing a trail of love that lit up the next century.”
Beloved Bay Shore Church, let’s keep going!
Let’s become the church that doesn’t just serve Southern California—let’s become the church that sets it on fire with hope!
Let’s keep planting!
Let’s keep building!
Let’s keep running for the next hundred years, for the glory of God, and for the sake of Long Beach and beyond, because there oughta be a church like this right here. Amen.
[1] https://www.livinglutheran.org/2017/05/wreaths-upon-heads/