By Patricia Fox

I grew up in a home where I was introduced to Jesus at a young age. My dad and I attended church, Sunday school, vacation bible school, Easter sunrise services, Christmas Eve services and many other events when the doors were open.

As a normal progression of my faith, I was baptized at 12. My life took a sudden turn when my parents divorced when I was 13. After the divorce, my connection with church changed. My dad was no longer able to take me to church on a regular basis.

The rest of my teen years was sporadic attendance at different churches most often with my grandparents and friends. It was a painful and confusing time. I knew Jesus but my knowledge of him did not translate into day-to-day life.

I had a close friend in high school who shared this passage from Romans 8 that reassured me in those painful, lonely years-

“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.”

During those years, a sense of belonging was missing from my life. These verses in Romans reminded me that God knew me – my heartbreak, my sorrow, my uncertainties, my rebellion.

After high school, I received a small music scholarship to attend Appalachian State University. Vocal performance was my “instrument” and so I became involved in the choral group University Singers where I met my future husband Charlie Fox. Charlie and I began dating and soon he invited me to sing in his church choir at First Baptist Church of Boone (FBC).

I enjoyed the connection with this friendly, special group of people. I was also welcomed around the Sunday lunch table with Charlie’s family. It was astonishing to see a real family enjoy time together. There was a sense of belonging and history.

Charlie and I married in the spring of 1982. During pre-marital counseling our pastor asked me if I would like to become a member of the church. On April 4, 1982, the Sunday before our wedding, I was baptized at FBC.

Up until the moment I walked into the baptismal pool, I thought of this as a means to an end (church membership). However, when I stepped into the water and looked out at the congregation of people who had welcomed me and loved me unconditionally, there was a profound moment of understanding that I belonged to God, my soon to be husband, his family, and this church family. It was a moment when I understood that my sins were forgivable and it marked a new beginning for me.

All the searching for belonging was realized – I belonged to the family of God through his son Jesus. Though I’m grateful for my 12 year old church experience, this was the moment that I would call my “born again” experience.

For all of our married life, Charlie and I have been involved in church. Our Sunday school class became our friends and social group. Church picnics and Wednesday night prayer meetings gave us rich times of fellowship over a shared meal. We learned by biblical teaching and the example of others about the importance of a committed relationship to the Lord and to each other. Our children were right there with us – learning and growing. We watched them develop in their faith and eventually make their own decisions to accept and love Jesus.

A big part of life at FBC has always been the call to move beyond our own church walls. Charlie traveled on his first mission trip to Togo West Africa in 1985. It was a huge commitment and step of faith for us as a young family to lose a month of Charlie’s income. However, with Togo and the many other opportunities for ministry both Charlie and I have shared over the years, we have seen the Lord bless the commitment every single time.

My daughter and I shared our first international mission trip together in 1997 to Ukraine. Charlie and I served together with our church family and others at the Pentagon the day after 9/11/2001. We have responded together with our church family to floods, hurricanes and tornadoes. We have served in our local community through Operation InAsMuch and FBC church-led outreach. We have gained lifelong friendships with people from other churches – nothing bonds people faster than the urgency of helping hurting people in Jesus’ name.

After working in local government for 10 years, I joined Samaritan’s Purse and have served there for the past 23 years. FBC rooted in me a love for reaching people with the gospel.

Working at Samaritan’s Purse has allowed me to have a small part in helping this materialize for millions of people around the globe.

I have traveled to numerous countries and seen firsthand what the Lord has accomplished in and through Samaritans’ Purse. Beyond the walls of the church indeed! However, the ministry of Samaritan’s Purse does not replace the importance of the local church.

Samaritans’ Purse could not endure without committed staff who are mature in their faith nurtured through the local church. In addition, in the countries where we serve, supporting the local church is the key to ensuring ongoing ministry long after Samaritan’s Purse has departed.

What I share here is not to boast but you tell how the Lord took a young girl and gave her a sense of belonging that started with a handsome young man who invited her to church and a church who loved and welcomed her as family. My story is only one of thousands that could be shared about First Baptist Church. I celebrate what the Lord has done through First Baptist Church over the past 150 years. The theme verse for our 150th celebration is “For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations. Psalm 100:5” May this truth be shared for the next 150 years and beyond at the corner of King and College Street.

First Baptist Church of Boone (FBC) is celebrating 150 years of ministry. 150 years of proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ both in this community and around the world. The celebration is an opportunity to reflect on the impact FBC has had on the community and individuals across the years.