By Larry P. Stover

I just love a celebration!  Those of us who have been cheering for the Dallas County High School boys basketball team are celebrating an awesome season.

People are coming to Selma to take part in the Bridge Crossing Jubilee. This will be a busy week climaxing with the annual event next Sunday.

At Praise Park Ministries Church of the Nazarene, we are celebrating our annual Homecoming today beginning at 10 a.m.

The “Willis Family” will be providing our special music. The church will also be recognizing a musical group, “The Young Nazarenes” who were a part of the church many years ago.

We will conclude the morning with a carry in dinner at noon.

The community is cordially invited to join us.

The church of the Nazarene has been in Dallas County since 1921.

We have a very rich heritage.  We are Wesleyan in our theology, evangelical in our mission and vision of the community, and informal in our worship style. Most of all, there is an awesome presence of the Holy Spirit.

Our history takes us back to the days of our beginnings on Alabama Avenue in 1921.  Our church’s transition to 2310 Summerfield Road, its current location, is highlighted by the many acts of faith, determination and hard work that allowed the church to relocate to a structure that met its growing needs. Hurricane Ivan, in 2004, changed the church in many ways.  Through that experience, God led us to our new home in Valley Grande.

Homecoming is a time for the family, past and present, to come together and celebrate our heritage. It is also about catching up with news and events from some folks we have not seen in a while. The church is always buzzing about life and family as the day goes by.

It is also about a celebrating what Jesus Christ is doing in our lives and through the church into the community.

No homecoming is complete without enjoying a time of food and fellowship after the homecoming service.

These days are about celebrating.  Whether you are cheering on the DCHS basketball team, getting ready for the Bridge Crossing Jubilee, a Church Homecoming, or maybe a little of all three, celebrate the past while pointing to the future.

God has some great things in store for all who live for him and enjoy a daily relationship with Jesus Christ.

It’s all a part of the reason why life is simply beautiful.