Consider the Trees

The largest tree on our property, a Red Oak in the driveway circle by the church office, is diseased and must come down.

This massive tree has a trunk diameter of about 70 inches (at a point 5 feet above the ground).  Multiple sources indicate a growth factor of 4 for the Red Oak, so we do the math:  70 x 4 = 280:  the senior member of our office team is 280 years old.

And so, this tree had super­vised our grounds for long ages before Goshen Baptist Church arrived here in the late 1960s.  In fact, it was already an octogenarian in 1827 when GBC was established at our previous site a mile and a half west of today’s location.

Our majestic Red Oak tree sprouted in the 1740s, around the time of the Great Awakening.  Jonathan Edwards delivered his now-famous sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” in 1741.  Although caricatured or dismissed by some, Edwards’ sermon took seriously the Bible’s warnings about judgment and the reality of hell.  And the Lord used it grab the attention of count­less people, rescuing them from grave spiritual danger.

This grand tree oversaw the Brandywine Valley area in 1777 when Washington’s troops were driven back to Valley Forge.  It stood tall during the Civil War when GBC pastor Joseph Evans served as a chaplain in the Union Army.  When civilization was shaken to the core by WWI and WWII, our Red Oak continued to send roots down and extend its branches toward the sky.  And as the Second Millennium was eclipsed by the Third, there stood that tree.

Think what this tree has “seen” over the last 280 years.  Consider the appearing and passing of whole generations of our church family.  Of course, a tree doesn’t stand forever, but this Red Oak’s long lifespan helps us pause and realize that the latest fads and trends are fleeting.  A tree that watches seasons come and go for nearly 300 years prompts us to think long-term.  And what better long-term reality to dwell on than Jesus’ promise of eternal life!