30 Days of Thanksgiving, Day 23: My Family Heritage

Today I am writing to express my thankfulness for the heritage of my family-on both sides--of Christian faith and service for Christ. You might say that vocational Christian service (notably, pastors and Christian school teachers/administration) is our "family business."

For many years I have known about my father's side of the family, the Ashleys. My dad had two brothers, both of whom are pastors. My dad trained to be a funeral director after coming home from World War II, so the natural family joke was "two to get ready and one to go." In my generation, there are (out of 12 children) four pastors and three Christian school teachers/administrators. While we weren't pushed into ministry, I have no doubt that our family's heritage helped to make vocational ministry a viable option.

Just recently, however, I discovered that this legacy is also in my mother's ancestry, also. In fact, about 3 years ago I discovered that I am a direct descendent of Rev. Obadiah Holmes (1607-1682). Rev. Holmes was born in Northern England in around 1607, and traveled to New England in 1639, arriving in Salem, Massachusetts along with his wife Catherine. (You can read more about him here: http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~sam/obadiah.html )

Obadiah is significant in church history, especially among Baptists, because he is believed to be the first Christian to suffer persecution because of the convictions of his faith here in the "new world." This persecution came in the form of a public beating--30 lashes with a three-stranded whip. What strikes me as both strange and sad is that the reason for this persecution was that Holmes, a Baptist in his convictions, was persecuted at the hands of the Puritan Christians that held the power and influence in his town. Thus, he became the first Christian to shed blood because of his faith here in the New World. He did not die as a result of his beating, of course, and he went on to become the second pastor of the First Baptist Church in America, succeeding Dr. John Clarke as the pastor of the Baptist church in Newport, Rhode Island. He remained in that pulpit for 30 years, until his death in 1682.

When I learned the story of Rev. Obadiah Holmes, and learned that he is my great (x12) grandfather on my mother's side of my family tree, I felt, and feel, an overwhelming sense of connection with this man who, for 30 years nearly 330 years ago, had essentially the same "job" as I have today, preaching and proclaiming the same gospel message, and seeking to make disciples for Jesus Christ.

Heavenly Father, thank you for this heritage of Christian service in my family, going back into the far distant past. Thank you for their example to me, and for the encouragement that it brings.