AUGUST 2022

I ran track in high school. I was the third-leg runner on the 4X100 meters relay team. I never thought I was fast, though I clocked at 4.6 seconds in the 40-yard dash. Looking back, I’m convinced I gained my speed running from my neighbor’s German Shepherd named King. King didn’t like me and chased me every morning and afternoon, getting on and off the school bus.

I admit, I was nowhere near Bo Jackson (4.16) or Usain Bolt fast (4.22), but I was the second-fastest on the team behind Mike, who ran the anchor on the team with a 4.4 time (I’m the guy on the left in the above picture).

I spent most of my time at practice focusing on the baton hand-of. Coach Davis often preached, “Guys, the second thing to get right is the hand-off. But the most important thing is to keep running to finish the race!”

Following Coach Davis’ instruction, we spent most of our practice time getting the “change over zone” down pat. It was a repetitive exercise until we could do it without thinking. I knew the daily drill. I looked behind me to the location next to the track where we had placed our marker. When my teammate Kenny reached that spot, I was supposed to spring from my starting position. I accelerated into a sprint with my hand open and thumb down. Because Kenny, who ran the second leg, would already have momentum, he would catch up to me quickly, extending the baton forward, lunging toward the moment we would exchange the baton. 

I would feel the slap into my hand, and for a brief second, we would run in tandem, his hand and mine both clinging to the baton. Slowly, he would let go and fade back, and I would charge forward for the sprint!

Our practice paid off, and we went to the Regional Finals at Memorial Stadium at Jefferson High School Track in Jefferson, GA. If we won our meeting, we would go to the state finals.

When we arrived at the regional track meet, we walked the track. This was our ritual for every meeting, as we were a bit superstitious and thought we needed to continue the practice. Except for this time, it was different. As we walked the track, we saw several fans in the stands. Before this meet, there were no crowds in the stands to watch us run. Being awestruck by the public and not paying attention to my surroundings, I accidentally tripped over a hurdle and fell on the track. How embarrassing! I quickly jumped to my feet, hoping no one saw my blunder. But the laughter of my teammates and the opposing teams told me otherwise.

Before we began the race, I looked to see the other teams’ persons who ran the third leg. I mentally evaluated each runner to determine his speed and, most notably, his weakness. My job was the same as always. I was to either catch-up on time if Kenny was behind, or build a lead for our anchor, Mike, to carry the baton across the finish line.

When Kenny approached, he was behind, and I took the baton and gained on the race leader. I successfully handed the baton to Mike while yelling, “One, Two, Go!” and watched him take off like a rocket. 

Mike took the lead, and it appeared we were going to state. But just as the crowd distracted me, causing me to trip over a hurdle, Mike was distracted by what he thought was the finish line. 

Mike stopped short of the finish line, raising his hands in excitement. The crowd was so loud that Mike couldn’t hear us screaming, “Mike, don’t stop; that’s not the finish line!”

We lost the meet and didn’t qualify for state.

I never forgot that experience. We had focused so much on making the baton transition seamless, but when the race counted, we broke Coach Davis’ rule:  we didn’t keep running to finish the race!

As your pastor, I’ve attempted to lead the race by focusing on engaging families with children in the South Gwinnett School Zone. In many ways, community engagement is like successfully passing the baton during the "change over zone" in a track meet. It involves an exchange of listening and asking questions. But as important as engaging with families for sustained growth is for us now, it’s just the beginning of the race, and represents coming out of the starting block. We must keep running to finish the race by equipping people for ministry, disciplining people to follow Jesus, and becoming like Jesus to do what Jesus does. 

Here are a couple of ministry opportunities to help you keep Running the Race of equipping and discipling families to become like Jesus!

Back-to-School Worship Experience
August 7 at 10:30AM
Christian Learning Center (CLC)

Church Wide Bingo & Desserts
August 28 at 4PM
Christian Learning Center (CLC)

Thank you for running this race alongside me. As my high school track team’s experience at Memorial Stadium, there are onlooking crowds outside our walls. May we run with the endurance of the race set before us to make disciples of Jesus in Snellville and beyond.

At the Intersection,

Dr. Quincy D. Brown
Senior Pastor