Joe McKeever of New Orleans has been preaching for more than 50 years. Twelve of those were in the pulpit of First Baptist Church in Columbus. This week, the church welcomes McKeever back as he brings a series of messages for older adults through the Seniority Conference. The pastor and prolific cartoonist speaks this morning in services at the church sanctuary at 202 Seventh St. N. at 8:45 a.m. and 11 a.m. He will speak again during evening worship at 6 p.m. at the FBC Ministries and Activities Center (MAC), located at 3000 Bluecutt Road.
The community is invited to the conference which continues Monday through Wednesday at noon at the MAC. Lunch is available daily for $5. The conference ends Wednesday evening with a family night supper at the downtown sanctuary at 5 p.m. ($5), followed by an evening service featuring McKeever at 6:15 p.m. Steve Strohl will act as worship leader during the series.
Finish strong
One of the week’s themes is “finishing strong,” said McKeever. He illustrated the point with a story about another pastor. “His mother used to teach him piano when he was a child,” the minister began. “In a recital, his mind went blank, and he just had to stop and walk off the stage in humiliation.” The pianist’s parent gave him some good advice later: When you mess up in the middle, finish with a flourish and people won’t remember the flub.
“Some of us have messed up in the middle, but it’s still possible for us to end with a flourish,” the minister emphasized. “It’s a great illustration of the hope that is in Jesus Christ.”
McKeever pastored Southern Baptist churches for 42 years before serving for five years as director of missions for the Southern Baptist churches of metro New Orleans. He was based in the Crescent City when Hurricane Katrina hit 10 years ago. His family took shelter in Columbus for approximately a month afterward before being able to return and help rebuild. McKeever’s archived daily blog at joemckeever.com chronicles the challenges.
Retired since 2009, McKeever is now a frequent visiting speaker at a host of churches and events. He also writes a series of articles for LifeWays Deacon magazine and maintains his blog composed primarily for church leadership. McKeever also draws cartoons for the Baptist Press and other religious publications. He has published a number of cartoon books.
The Seniority Conference is open to the public. For additional information, contact the church office, 662-328-3915.
Jan Swoope is the Lifestyles Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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