FINDING THE RIGHT FIT

Interview with the Gilmour's

Most of us have a closet full of clothes, but there are particular articles that we tend to wear again and again. The ones that make us feel the most presentable. The ones that make us feel the most comfortable. The ones that “fit.”

As hundreds move into our area each year, many of them are looking for a church home that feels right – a family that fits. Brett and Bertha Gilmour would urge them to “try on” FBC Midlothian.

For most of their 13 years of marriage, the Gilmours attended separate churches. With deep roots in Catholicism, Bertha naturally gravitated toward the surrounding Catholic churches. But the faith of her childhood was not meeting the needs of her adult life.

The churches I attended seemed to focus on keeping the rules, and living within limitations, more than they did on God and His love,” said Bertha.

Brett, who had grown up Baptist, began a sincere faith journey in 2001. “I attended a small church in Mesquite where the message was all brimstone and fire,” he said. “Then I attended a church in Denton that was more contemporary, but when the leadership changed, it seemed the church went back to a more traditional format.”

The Gilmour's found FBC Midlothian during a painful season in their lives.

In 2015, this couple began a long ride on an emotional rollercoaster. That year, both experienced the stress of job changes and the grief of losing Bertha’s mother after a lengthy illness. The joy of becoming parents buoyed them for several months as two foster children (a 2-year old and a 3-year old) were placed in their home. “We intended to adopt these children, but in the Fall of that year, we were informed that a great grandmother had applied for custody,” said Brett.

In February of 2016, after a year of bonding with these children, the great-grandmother was granted custody, and Brett and Bertha were devastated.

It was soon after this heartbreak that the Gilmour's moved to Midlothian and began to get acclimated to the area. “There was a big hole in our lives,” they say, “and we didn’t have a church family to help us.”

That began to change in April of 2017. As Easter approached, the Gilmour's hosted Brett’s mom and stepdad, who were visiting from Atlanta. “We wanted to find a church for us all to attend on Easter, and we decided to try FBC,” says Brett. “I remember in the worship service, there were two young adults working with a black light and creating a picture of Jesus. It was incredible, and we decided to start attending.” Both Brett and Bertha were hooked. “It was love at first sight!” she echoed.

Of course, attending church and joining a church are two different things. And Bertha admits she wrestled with becoming a member of FBC. “I wasn’t sure it was the right thing at first. The teachings of the Catholic church…all the saints, the prayers…it was very different.

But after several conversations with Bruce, I gained the confidence to know that receiving the love of Jesus doesn’t have any conditions,” she reflected.

Finding the right fit in a church family doesn’t make all your problems disappear. This year the couple has faced the loss of Brett’s father, followed by the loss of Bertha’s father a few months later. “It’s been a hard year,” says Brett. “But we have felt more solid because of the support of a church family.”

Having that support has also led Bertha to begin looking for another “right fit” – a more suitable workplace. While Brett’s employer is a strong Christian and provides chaplains for his employees, Bertha has struggled in her work environment. “It’s the opposite for me,” she says. “I’ve had a good posi

tion and was well-compensated. And I love the people with whom I have worked for several years. But, I felt uncomfortable with some of the things I’ve been asked to do lately and some of the decisions I was asked to support,” she laments. “I was losing sleep and knew I needed a change. My church and my faith have given me the courage to resign and trust God to lead me to a job where I can help others, learn, and influence people for Him. I am at peace.”

“We’ve been through a rough time,” says Brett. “We were quite sad when we moved to this area.

Even though things have been hard, we have a different feeling now – a belief that God is on our side.”

After attending the Newcomer Fellowship* in August of that year, Brett and Bertha were ready to call FBC home. Within a few months, their faces became a natural part of Sunday mornings as they began to serve their church family in the World Café.

As the Gilmours continue to follow and serve Christ, investing in their church family, they know they’ve found the right fit!

HOW CAN YOU JOIN FBC MIDLOTHIAN?

BAPTISM

Immersion in water as a symbol of your allegiance to Jesus.

TRANSFER

Transferring your membership from another Baptist church.

STATEMENT

Affirming you have accepted Jesus as Savior & have been immersed as a symbol of your faith.

* To start the conversation, join us at one of our many Newcomer Fellowships that we host. Or, you can text "NEW" to 972-845-5796 today!

Life in Focus

WOMEN’S CONFERENCE FEBRUARY 28 – 29

Guest Speaker Rebecca Nix