How do you say “thank you” to someone who has served faithfully for 60 years?

We faced that question when we decided to honor Rachel Carter. We designated June 3 as Rachel Carter Day at FBC. That was the easy part. We knew we wanted to say “thank you.” Knowing how to say it in a manner worthy of her service…that was not as easy.

When someone has given 60 years and touched generations, they deserve a BIG thank you. After discussing different ideas, we realized the most important thing we could do was to show her how loved she is.

For those who don’t know her, Rachel started as a part time staff member at FBC in 1947. She was church hostess, which meant she cooked meals. For the next 60 years she would cook meals, go on trips with the youth and senior adults, tell jokes and create mischief. For more than 20 years she was also a secretary in the church office. She had no children of her own, yet she had hundreds of kids who loved her because she loved them.

She made special efforts to reach out to our two kids. Monieca and I were young and living hours from family, but Rachel always loved her preacher’s kids. She took Jacqueline to a play because she knew our daughter liked drama. Jacqueline remembers her making molasses cookies when she baby sat for us. One of Steven’s fondest memories of Rachel is her taking him to the kitchen during our weekly Tuesday night visitation and giving him an ice cream sandwich.

So yesterday we told her we loved her. Lots of words were spoken and lots of hugs were given. There was laughter and a love offering. There was a plaque and a scrapbook. There was “Elvis” and a reception. Mostly there was love.

Rachel now walks with a walker. She can’t do what she once did. That will all change when she makes it home to glory. Something else will also happen when she makes it to glory. She will discover that she touched more people than she realized and she will hear our Lord say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”

Rachel Carter is loved.

Pastor Steve Hogg