Richard Ray: Pastor blesses museum visitors

I would like to highlight a pastor I recently visited who affected my walk with the Lord. Jeff Huckeby is pastor of Pecan Grove Baptist Church near Gatesville.

This church has been holding worship services and outreach activities since Aug. 7, 1882. It is located on the banks of Coryell Creek. On occasions, the creek will rise and flood the church. However, when the creek recedes, the congregation arrives and cleans up the church and continues to worship and serve the Lord.

Richard RayAlong with serving as pastor, Jeff also works for the Sue and Frank Mayborn Natural Science & Cultural History Museum in Waco. I visited with Jeff at his job while also getting a chance to tour the museum. In just my short visit, I felt honored to hear Jeff speak of his church and of his journey in serving the Lord.

Jeff has a real passion for pastoring God’s people and reaching out to the lost for the sake of Christ. He is proud to be serving the Lord as a bivocational pastor, and that is an encouragement to me. It is always wonderful to hear ministers share how blessed they are to be serving the Lord in the bivocational field of ministry. I am honored to preach for Jeff at his church and meet his congregation.

The next time you are in Waco, I encourage you to visit the Mayborn Museum. You will be impressed with all the artifacts and history displayed, and you will enjoy all the activities they have for children of all ages. However, as you walk through each exhibit area, take note that Jeff Huckeby, pastor of Pecan Grove Baptist Church, just may be your tour guide that day, or he may be busy setting up another exhibit for you to enjoy.

As you visit the museum and you find yourself needing a place to worship on Sunday, I would encourage you to attend his church, located off FM 107 on the banks of Coryell Creek just a few miles outside of Waco. If you are not sure how to get there, just ask for Jeff, and he will guide you in the way you should go, because each Sunday, if the creek don’t rise, Jeff will be preaching the word of God.

I also encourage you to attend the upcoming Bivocational/Small Church Association Annual Conference scheduled for July 11-12 on the campus of Baptist University of the Americas in San Antonio. This conference is design to minister to small-church ministers and their families who have taken on the call of God to serve in the small-church mission field. During this conference, you will gain information that will help you serve your church; however, the friendships you gain will enable you to be encouraged and be an encourager to those serving as ministers and to their families.

If you need additional information or you would like to register for this year’s conference, please go to our website at www.bivocational.com. Remember, God has called you to serve, but God has not called you to serve alone. Let us be your advocate, your resource, and your prayer partner as you fulfill your calling. Until next time, please visit our website, www.bivocational.com.

Richard Ray is president of the Bivocational/Small Church Association and director of missions for the Tri-Rivers Baptist Area. You can reach him at brother_ray@juno.com.