Sermon Notes "4/25/2010" “Who Am I, What Am I, Where Am I Going?” - Pastor Lonnie Wilkerson

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Pastor Lonnie’s sermon was titled “Who Am I, What Am I, Where Am I Going?” He reminisced a little about their first Sunday with us, on November 16, 2006, when we were meeting at Culpeper Middle School, across the parking lot from the High School where Mountain View Church met, unloading and reloading the trailer every Sunday. Stephanie introduced him. He wanted to review where he has come from, especially for those who are new to the congregation.

Lonnie was raised in a Christian home. His dad was a deacon. They went to church Sunday mornings, Sunday evenings and Wednesday nights. When he was 10 years old he went with his dad to the nursing home, for the “Sunshine Class.” One of the seniors there took him aside, and told him, “Don’t stop singing,” and he never forgot it.

In 1976, in Wichita Falls, Texas, the Freedom Train came through, and he saw the USS Enterprise (he still loves Science Fiction). One Wednesday night, he went forward, and accepted Jesus as his own personal Savior. He was baptized immediately. Later his grandmother told him she’d prayed for him all his life. He preached his first sermon when he was 13 years old.

When he was in college, he met Jan, his future wife, over a bad steak. After the “banquet,” they went out for pizza and bowling, and talked until 2 a.m. They were married 18 months later. Lacey was born a year and 3 days after that. Lonnie was a computer programmer, and worked for a manufacturing company. They moved to Michigan, and Jason and Jennifer were born there. The year they arrived in Michigan, there were 147 inches of snow. They were involved in church, teaching Sunday School and doing “Song & Suppers.” At work, Lonnie led a user group for the software his company sold. As a result of something done in the user group, he was banished to one of his company’s smaller companies, in Connecticut. He was overworked, and Jan was ready to leave.

He lost his job, but kept his family. They moved to Texas, where a neighbor advised him, “Be a father first.” Three jobs and three moves later, they were back in Wichita Falls, and he was ready to commit suicide. God uses all things in our lives to draw us to Himself. In 1999, he reconciled to God, and got a new job.

They moved to Virginia, and through discussions about their future they asked the question; what did they regret after 20 years They changed denominations, at which point some of the people they’d grown close to over the years, including his parents, totally rejected them, telling them they would burn in Hell for leaving their church.

Athan Burch was the pastor at Loudoun Valley Church of the Nazarene. He hired Jan as Office Manager, and the people of the church accepted them. They lost family, but they gained a church family. Lonnie told Pastor Burch about his call to the ministry, and he received his District License. After the ceremony, the District Superintendent advised him to “Be open.” Shortly thereafter, Donna Huckabee contacted him about coming to Culpeper.

Now they are involved in the community. Pastor Lonnie is part of the Culpeper Ministerial Association, and even led chapel for 150 kids at Culpeper Christian School. He meets with several other pastors for Bible study, prayer and fellowship. Jan is working part-time at the Chamber of Commerce, doing their website. Things come up in these meetings that allows us as a church to minister to people in the community.

Pastor Lonnie’s view of sanctification is that we are all cups. David talks about it in Psalms. “My cup runneth over.” Cups need to be used for the right purpose. God finds ways to make us useful. Perfection is our usefulness to God. He fills us up, measured, shaken, pressed down, overflowing. We need to be available.