FIRST GLIMPSE   Good People   Eric Thomsen is managing editor of ONE Magazine. Send comments and observations about ONE to editor@nafwb.org.

We sat together on stacks of moving boxes and looked around our new home in disbelief. Peeling paint, cracked plaster, sagging light fixtures, missing windowpanes…what had we been thinking? Our eyes met, and I shook my head slowly, saddened by the fear on my wife’s face. I didn’t even know where to start.

The crunch of tires on the gravel drive seemed loud in the stillness. I stepped to the window to see a convoy of vehicles pull into the yard. With a relieved smile, I turned to my wife. “The Cannons are here.”

They came armed with toolboxes, paintbrushes, a portable radio, and tons of energy and excitement. While the ladies toured the house, chattering about the “possibilities,” the guys went to work. Eight hours and two coats of paint later, the small, rundown house had become a cozy cottage. What a difference one family makes!

Good people.

“Six a.m.? You’ve got to be kidding!”

I couldn’t help but grin. In spite of his grumbling, I knew I could count on Dale to be there…early. For 10 years of youth ministry, he grumbled his way through a thousand different tasks, from cleaning up after messy relay races and running the church sound system to driving a van packed with kids across the endless miles of western Kansas and eastern Colorado on a summer missions trip.

He never encountered a job too boring, a task too menial, or a kid he couldn’t put at ease with his constant stream of banter. Working happily behind the scenes, he grumbled his way into the hearts of a generation of young people. I couldn’t have asked for a better assistant.

Good people.

Last year, my church celebrated 350 years…of marriage! Seven couples passed the 50-year milestone. At first glance, they have little in common, with a wide variety of backgrounds, occupations, and educational experiences. But they love God, they love each other, and they love the church. When they married, they signed on for the long haul, and with each passing year, they matured into the foundation of a thriving, giving congregation.

They aren’t perfect, and life hasn’t always been easy. They’ve fought illness, grieved over children and grandchildren, and attended the funerals of friends. They’ve battled cancer, strokes, emphysema, and diabetes while enduring a handful of wars and economic recessions.

In spite of it all, they made time to relocate and rebuild the church, attended faithfully, served as deacons and trustees, gave generously to missions, taught Sunday School, played the organ, went on visitation, made repairs, and—most important—passed their faith to the next generation.

Good people.

Don’t let anyone fool you. Today’s church is alive and well. And it has a lot to do with the faithfulness of the congregation. I, for one, am grateful for…

Good people.