Hebrews 3:13 (KJV)
But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
I must confess...
I don't know Jack and Charlotte all that well. Oh, I know of them. I'm familiar with their association within our family of churches, and also of their role at their home church, Laflin Street Gospel Chapel, but on a personal and intimate level... I come late to the party. A few days ago, October 24, a celebration was held in their honor. The room was filled with quite a few people you could consider to be pillars of faith in their own rite. People who all of which have been touched by Jack and Charlotte irrevocably. Many of these same people I know all too well. As the scripture from Hebrews directs, the Moterts have been exhorting others through encouragement throughout their entire lives.
Anybody whose ever watched any of the police shows has to be familiar with the way the evidence is examined to piece together the facts so the story can be told. As I look around the room the evidence speaks for itself. The facts to which I had been unclear are present all around me, and the story becomes very clear. These two humble people have made a mark on the lives of many, who have also gone on to place a stamp on the lives of many more.
The luncheon honoring them was in appreciation for the difference the Mosterts have made in the lives and families of those they have faithfully shepherded, loved, and served. Back in the early 1960's, when the neighborhood was changing and many white folk were leaving, Jack and Charlotte chose to stay and continue the work started on Laflin Street. During a time when barriers were being fortified, the Mostert family began breaking them down. The Gospel requires change. It calls us to places outside our comfort zone. Following Jesus will most often, not be easy. It takes courage to live a life of service, especially to a group of people who are skeptical and showing very little signs of trust. The Bible tells us that love (charity) shall cover the multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8). That sentiment was expresses over and over by those who voiced their feelings. Many were overcome with emotion and tear filled eyes... a good indication that their former fears and skepticism had been transformed to genuine heartfelt love of the deepest kind.
These feelings of love and the reasons behind them were detailed, in part, by the summary comment from the program.
We acknowledge and celebrate the many years of dedicated service by Jack and Charlotte Mostert to the Chicagoland inner-city Christian ministries. Jack Mostert, as Pastor of Laflin St. Gospel Chapel annually provided professional signage services to the Chicagoland Christian Women's Conference, Circle Y Ranch Bible Camp of Bangor, MI, and The CYR Golf Classic. Charlotte Mostert, as a faithful and longtime board member of The Chicagoland Christian Woman's Conference, Pastor's wife, and the Circle Y Woman's Auxiliary, - to name a few.
As I said earlier, I really don't know this couple in the same way as most of those who were in attendance. However, I feel as though I have been allowed to experience, through others present, what knowing them had to have been like. Both Jack and Charlotte are up in years with Jack looking at 90 and Charlotte having health issues. While their exterior may be fading, the love they insisted on showing and maintaining throughout life has grown and gotten stronger. It's been amplified through every person they've touched over the years. That love and its touch reached me today and I am made better because of it. As ministers we labor to produce good fruit and much of it. I would like to think that I might one day be as fulfilled as they must be today. The bar has most certainly been set and I definitely have much to aim for. The Mosterts are a great example of what God can do with a willing and obedient vessel.
1 Corinthians 15:58 (KJV)
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
Toward the close Jack took the podium to give remarks and express his "Thank You." I think it fitting that whenever we can, we should try to give our flowers and well wishes while they can be smelt and felt. The outpouring of love on the living far outweighs all the attention given after they're gone. It seems as though Jack was moved by the gesture. In classic style as only he could pull off, Jack share the secret of why it was so easy for him to remain in a neighborhood rapidly changing from whites to persons of color. In a way his explanation went straight to the heart of how much the world is caught up in labels and stereotypes. Jack was born in South Africa before migrating to the United States. In a very real sense, we were looking at a white man who, was also a real African-American, long before the phrase was ever adopted by black people. Just goes to show that if you get past skin color and predisposed attitudes of race, mankind has much more in common than it does to find differences.
To Jack and Charlotte Mostert,
For the years of service and your unwavering gift of love...
"THANK YOU."
May your blessings continue in eternity for a job well done.
