‘How can we bless these churches?’
YORK, NEB. — At 8:30 a.m. on a weekday, exuberant…
A stripped-down sermon at Affirming the Faith
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OKLAHOMA CITY — Keith Parker happened to be speaking at the annual Affirming the Faith gathering close to the 50th anniversary of his first date with his wife, Sandra.
To commemorate the occasion, the longtime preacher for Churches of Christ made an onstage wardrobe adjustment in front of 800 Christians gathered in the auditorium of the North MacArthur Church of Christ.
Related: ‘How can we bless these churches?’
Tossing his coat, tie and dress shirt on a bench near the baptistery, he revealed the 1970s-era flowered shirt he wore on that first date.
More impressive than the color scheme was the fact that he could still fit into it, the minister said.
Parker, who lives in Hendersonville, Tenn., didn’t let the shirt distract from his message, “Sent: Go Make Disciples,” during the annual seminar, an effort by Churches of Christ in central Oklahoma to provide “a day of teaching on important matters of faith,” according to the event’s website.
Citing the Great Commission in Matthew 28, Parker urged believers to “put Matthew 28 into your life.”
Keith Parker makes a quick wardrobe change before he begins his keynote, showing off the shirt from his first date.
“Why don’t we tell anybody about Jesus?” he asked, adding that making disciples can involve mission trips around the world or a trip next door to invite a neighbor to church. He asked attendees to pray for one lost person per day for nine days and to invite someone to the seminar.
Emphasizing the point, Parker said that he and his wife ate at an Oklahoma City Red Lobster to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their first date. The couple invited their server to attend Affirming the Faith — and she accepted.
“Why don’t we tell anybody about Jesus? … Please, for heaven’s sake, go make disciples.”
“Please, for heaven’s sake, go make disciples,” Parker said.
ERIK TRYGGESTAD is president and CEO of The Christian Chronicle. He is a deacon of the Memorial Road church. Reach him at [email protected].
