Legacy: Past, Present, Future

 

The Capitol of Alabama

As a native Texan, I have a love of Texas history. After all, the name of one of my ancestors is included in one of the list of names inside The Alamo. A favorite book is True Women, A Novel of Texas. But since I’ve now lived in Alabama longer than anywhere else, I decided to tour the capital city, Montgomery, with a good friend who lives there, and learn a little more about this state where some of the most important history of our nation has been made.  

Dexter Avenue Baptist Church

The first surprise is that the Capitol sits on Goat Hill, named this because goats roamed the hill eating grass in years past. This same building was also the Capitol of the Confederacy in 1861. Nearly one hundred years later Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, right down the hill from the Capitol, became famous as the place where Martin Luther King, Jr. organized actions of the Civil Rights Movement.

The Alabama River

The best feature in Montgomery is the Alabama River that runs from Mobile through Montgomery to join the Coosa River to the Mobile River. Rivers and bridges add ambiance to any city. The railroad runs along the river and we were fortunate to watch a train making its way along the river.

 Alabama’s legacy cannot be ignored by anyone interested in its future. The visionary founder of the school where I received my doctorate has rightly argued that the right to create the future can only be gained after one understands the past.

The future of New Hope Publishers cannot be understood apart from the legacy of our parent company. The concern has always been and still is the commitment of believers to pray, to give, and to go in response to the Great Commission. Every church has a history that continues to influence its members. Every publishing house has a past that impacts its present and future. For New Hope, it is the call to God’s mission. We have a legacy as contemporary as it was over two thousand years ago, and definitely just as relevant.