Walk in Love: Receiving Love

Author and Motivational Speaker, Brian Tracy, is noted to have said, “we should ‘always give without remembering and always receive without forgetting.’”

Even as I have received, it is my endeavor never to forget. It is to this end, therefore, that I pen this reflection of a wonderful church community in Akron, Ohio in which I have seen “ways of walking in love manifested –Church Of Our Saviour Episcopal – and how they have been there for me during my times of need. In thinking of the benevolence of this great congregation, my mind reflects immediately upon three specific occasions in my life:

The first incident I recall, which was probably the most impactful to me, was when I suffered a house fire in the fall of 2018 and lost everything. This beloved church came to my immediate assistance providing me with the necessary sustenance that I needed. In addition to the basic needs, one of the families in the church graciously welcomed me into their home until I was able to get back on my feet and secure a place of my own. Further, I received a number of gift cards and care packages containing many useful items; all because the congregation had a heart to help. For this I will ever be immensely grateful.

Secondly, I recall the kidney transplant that I received in April of 2021 after having been on dialysis since 2006 (a fifteen-year period of time). Church Of Our Saviour and its beloved Rector, The Rev Debra Q Bennett, was always there to check on my well-being. During my weeks of recovery, I received many calls from the church to ascertain if I had need of anything. I think Mahatma Gandhi got it right when he said: “The simplest acts of kindness are by far more powerful than a thousand hearts bowing in prayer.” Or as we read in scripture, “faith without works is dead.” – James 2:17

Finally, I think of the ongoing love that the church displays on a monthly basis in reaching out to the community with its Dinner-On-Us and Friendly Clothes Closet where it provides a hot meal and also free clothing to those who have need. I have benefited from both of these; and it only reminds me that just as I have been blessed, I must also be willing to help someone else who may be in need.

— Derwood Fitzgerald Lockett thanks his church: Our Saviour, Akron, Ohio, for demonstrating the Grace of God – truly showing how it is manifested. “I remain completely astounded by their love and largesse!”