We interrupt our regularly scheduled program

By Dr. Kelvin Kelley

This past April, Macedonia Baptist Church celebrated Rev. Matthew M. Lubin, Sr.’s Twenty-fifth Pastor’s Appreciation. Rev. Lubin is a great friend of mine; he invited me to share the Sunday morning message.

Dr. Kelvin Kelley

As has become my custom when responsible for communal events, I requested a copy of his church history. Little did I know the gem I would discover in that document.

Macedonia Baptist Church is the second oldest Black church in Abilene. It was founded in 1898 and has substantially influenced the Black community over the past 90 years.

I specifically note those 90 years because that is when three men led that congregation to prominence: Rev. H.D. Cumby, Rev. T.G. Oliphant and Rev. Matthew M. Lubin, Sr.

The archives state, “Yet those who were loyal to their church remained to carry the work forward.”

There it is, from 1936 to the present, those who were loyal to their church are still to this day carrying the work forward.

The Prophet Jeremiah reflects upon this concept of those who were loyal. God instructed him to “find a man.” Not just any man, find a man who lives what he says. Although this task seems possible, in this instance it is not probable. I can only imagine the prophet was encouraged by such a simple task: find one! In the very next verse, we hear the prophet’s dismay, “And though they say, ‘The Lord liveth;’ surely they swear falsely.” How can this be when the prophet is not looking in some foreign nation or distant land, but amongst the very people of God? How can this be, when if ordinary people are disqualified, surely the religious leaders should be qualified? How can this be when the people carry the name of God themselves?

Celebrating this event with Pastor Lubin was an honor for me. I have known this godly man since my first assignment in Abilene back in 1989. We were both young, aspirant and ambitious. We knew God had placed us here to save Abilene and anyone else who came through it.

Ministry is a very simple yet paradoxical process: actions must speak louder than words. That was evident in our joint service to the Carver Neighborhood in 2004. Both Macedonia, and Mount Zion where I served, were involved in this effort to engage the Carver Neighborhood. Church on the Street was based upon serving the immediate community of our churches within a 10-block radius.

What becomes of a meaningful relationship when you are no longer involved in similar activities? Well, for Matthew M. Lubin, Sr. nothing changed! I resigned my pulpit in 2006, and our friendship continued to grow as we took our advocacy to a different level.

Macedonia hosted one of the first Community Forums on Public Education in 2013, and Pastor Lubin designed the advocacy for mental health in the Black Community: Beyond the Stigma. He continues to support those quality-of-life issues that directly influence youth and the Black community.

The legacy of Rev. H.D. Cumby, whose 30-year influence yielded 300 members and 200 baptisms; and T.G. Oliphant’s 30-year-old yielded 500 members and 200 baptisms is in the DNA of Rev. Lubin. Can you imagine that from 1936 to 1996 the Black community in Abilene was directly shaped by this and several other Black congregations?

I came to Abilene in 1989. I remember seeing Rev. Oliphant. Pastor Leo F. Scott (New Light B.C.) and Pastor C.C. Hines (King Solomon B.C.) were the leading pastors in that era. The three of them were beacons of light.

Within that collage of activity, a young Matthew M. Lubin was developing in the shadows. He was an airman in the U.S. Air Force, stationed at Dyess AFB. He had just begun to preach. So did I in June 1991 and I was ordained in November. It was a golden era in the Black faith community. As noted above, Pastor Oliphant resigned in 1996, and that opened the door for the next leader. Unfortunately, that next leader was not Matthew M. Lubin, Sr. Yet, in 2000 he was chosen to be the next leader and has been there ever since. He has more than made up for those five years of absence. And that reminds me of my text in Jeremiah 5.

Dr. Ceasar Clark of Good Street Baptist Church in Dallas, famously declared from the same passage: “A Good Man is Hard to Find.” I borrowed his wisdom on that Sunday morning and declared, “A God-man is Hard to Find!” Congratulations to Pastor Matthew M. Lubin, Sr. on his commitment to honor God through his service of others, and to the Macedonia Baptist Church for being loyal to their church and carrying the work forward! They found him…