At Calvary Baptist Church, Rochester, Minnesota, a worship service and dinner March 5 honored local law enforcement officers. The service followed a month when members of the church delivered gifts to three police departments and prayed for officers by name.
During the worship service, the Olmsted County sheriff thanked the church family for their support, and an in memoriam portion honored officers who had died in the line of duty.
Manning Brown, director of Regular Baptist Chaplaincy, also took part in the service. In a sermon titled “Answering the Call,” he spoke about two core values that should mark people’s character: integrity and courage.
“These two core values, among others, serve as guides for us,” Manning says. “They capture the points in Scripture so aptly as to how God has instructed us throughout His Word to live our lives. . . .
“Those of us with a few years under our belts have the tremendous opportunity and responsibility to be an example to a generation that is looking for something to value, and I sincerely believe in my heart that our law enforcement first responders characterize those very traits.”
Manning says it was gratifying to see Calvary Baptist Church hold a worship service recognizing law enforcement officers.
“As the parents of a state trooper, my wife and I carry very near and dear to our hearts what our law enforcement officers do every day for all of us,” Manning says. Law enforcement officers “are in our prayers constantly, and to give them the recognition that they so richly deserve is just very heartening.”
Greg Linscott, pastor of Calvary Baptist, says that law enforcement officers “are putting their lives on the line. They’re taking risks for our safety and well-being. We are so grateful that they’re willing to do that, and we want them to know that their focus and contribution is not going unnoticed or unappreciated.”
