Congrats Billy…

This past weekend Sarah and I drove down to Williamsburg Virginia to celebrate a great occasion: Bill Warrick has been at the Williamsburg Community Chapel for 25 years. I had the pleasure of following Bill around last year as I got a birds-eye-view of the church in all her beauty–warts and all. I was #10 in a line of Pastoral Interns that had the opportunity to “come and see” what the church is about. The job description: “Learn and Serve.”

Bill and Lindy have meant alot to so many people and it was great fun. The highlight for me was a surprise cookout on Saturday night where generations of men who have benefited from Bill’s ministry gathered to share stories and have a good time. Each of these men met with Bill during college, either on Friday Afternoons @3pm or Tuesday nights @9pm. These groups were a staple for so many of us. We gathered, cracked open our Bibles, talked about life, laughed and joked, (sometimes smoked a cigar or two–shhhh), listened to Bill share real down-to-earth wisdom, and never felt like we were being talked at. The one word that kept coming up as we remembered our times with Bill is “authenticity.” And, while Bill claims he is about as authentic as a Rolex in Cambodia, he is more transparent than most–and that is what helps us be transparent and honest about our own spiritual lives.

On a side note, at this particular event, there was even a father-son duo. Dave McDowell (’84) was in Bill’s group 25 years ago, and his son Quinn McDowell (’12) is in his group now! Thats quite a legacy.