Spotlight: Tamara Packard
Three years ago, Ray and I started going to the Loft Church. I had faithfully attended a mega church here in town for 10 plus years. The reason I changed churches was because I always said “if I died tomorrow I want my pastor to know my name, who I was”.
Ray and I stepped into the Loft Church on January 5, 2020, and we never looked back. We knew we were home. Saying we love our church family is an understatement to say the least. I can’t say I know every single persons name that crosses that threshold but I can say I love every heart and soul that makes up my church family.
Ray and I have been apart of many milestones even celebrating a few including packing up Pastor Matt and Elisa and taking them along for our destination wedding.
Until recently, I never knew how much I truly loved and needed my church family. On Friday morning September 1st the phone call came that no daughter ever wants to receive. I always knew the day would come I just always prayed it never did. My father had been placed in hospice with an aggressive form of lung cancer. We were in San Antonio visiting our first grand daughter. We threw everything in the car and dead headed back to Amarillo. The thing I have failed to share is my dad and I have not had a great relationship over the last ten years. He hadn’t spoken to me in all this time. All the hurt, the anger, or the reasons why no longer mattered. I needed to see my daddy before he passed. I needed to say what was on my heart. I needed to say I was sorry. I needed him to know I forgave him but most of all that I loved him. I’m so very thankful that God blessed me with these few moments. Moments where my dad knew I was there and could hear what needed to be said between us.
The thing was I wasn’t in fear of my dad passing away. He was very ill and in a lot of pain. My biggest fear was I didn’t know if my dad was saved. I didn’t know if my dad knew the Lord. This fear scared me to my core as we prepared for his end of life.
If you don’t know how valuable our Pastors are. Let me share. From the moment I shared my dad was in hospice and very ill. The pastors were right by our sides. They knew my relationship with my father was very distant and they knew this wasn’t going to be an easy storm to walk for me. I remember Pastor Michael asking me what my biggest fear was Saturday morning. We had long conversation of what this looks like when one is approaching the end of life. That night Michael asked to pray for us. In his prayer he prayed about my fear and about having such relationship with our Savior when one passes. As we were starting to leave for the night my dad’s significant other hugged me tight and told me she loved me, always had then she shared something that could only come as an answered prayer. That her and my dad knew the Lord. She said “we didn’t go to church much but we definitely knew the Lord”. This night is the last time I told my father I loved him. He passed at 7:05am Sunday morning September 3, 2023.
The Least OF These is what we stand for, the challenge. We are called to be the hands and feet of Jesus. To share God’s love with everyone and in everything we do. This church family does just that. I am one of the ones that is always taking care of others so being on the other side of the receiving line is such a hard place to find myself.
From the texts, phone calls, and surprise porch visits that I never knew I needed. This is why we are a family. This is why we want to hug your neck every Sunday morning. This is why we want to know you and your family. This is why we want to celebrate the highs of life and we want to be there when life throws those ugly curve balls. This church loves BIG there is no doubt. When they ask for you to get involved this is why….we want and need to do life together.
I will never be able to express the love I have for my church family. Many were there for us when I didn’t even know we needed the help. So whether it is holding a door open for someone on Sunday morning, serving in the children’s area or singing on the worship team….YOU matter. They say raising a family takes a village but doing God’s work does as well. I am so happy to call each of you family and cannot wait to serve along side each of you and do life together.
If there is anything that came from this storm I am walking is that I can share and encourage others in my church family to get involved. Do life with us. Love one another then it all will be worth it.
Ray and I stepped into the Loft Church on January 5, 2020, and we never looked back. We knew we were home. Saying we love our church family is an understatement to say the least. I can’t say I know every single persons name that crosses that threshold but I can say I love every heart and soul that makes up my church family.
Ray and I have been apart of many milestones even celebrating a few including packing up Pastor Matt and Elisa and taking them along for our destination wedding.
Until recently, I never knew how much I truly loved and needed my church family. On Friday morning September 1st the phone call came that no daughter ever wants to receive. I always knew the day would come I just always prayed it never did. My father had been placed in hospice with an aggressive form of lung cancer. We were in San Antonio visiting our first grand daughter. We threw everything in the car and dead headed back to Amarillo. The thing I have failed to share is my dad and I have not had a great relationship over the last ten years. He hadn’t spoken to me in all this time. All the hurt, the anger, or the reasons why no longer mattered. I needed to see my daddy before he passed. I needed to say what was on my heart. I needed to say I was sorry. I needed him to know I forgave him but most of all that I loved him. I’m so very thankful that God blessed me with these few moments. Moments where my dad knew I was there and could hear what needed to be said between us.
The thing was I wasn’t in fear of my dad passing away. He was very ill and in a lot of pain. My biggest fear was I didn’t know if my dad was saved. I didn’t know if my dad knew the Lord. This fear scared me to my core as we prepared for his end of life.
If you don’t know how valuable our Pastors are. Let me share. From the moment I shared my dad was in hospice and very ill. The pastors were right by our sides. They knew my relationship with my father was very distant and they knew this wasn’t going to be an easy storm to walk for me. I remember Pastor Michael asking me what my biggest fear was Saturday morning. We had long conversation of what this looks like when one is approaching the end of life. That night Michael asked to pray for us. In his prayer he prayed about my fear and about having such relationship with our Savior when one passes. As we were starting to leave for the night my dad’s significant other hugged me tight and told me she loved me, always had then she shared something that could only come as an answered prayer. That her and my dad knew the Lord. She said “we didn’t go to church much but we definitely knew the Lord”. This night is the last time I told my father I loved him. He passed at 7:05am Sunday morning September 3, 2023.
The Least OF These is what we stand for, the challenge. We are called to be the hands and feet of Jesus. To share God’s love with everyone and in everything we do. This church family does just that. I am one of the ones that is always taking care of others so being on the other side of the receiving line is such a hard place to find myself.
From the texts, phone calls, and surprise porch visits that I never knew I needed. This is why we are a family. This is why we want to hug your neck every Sunday morning. This is why we want to know you and your family. This is why we want to celebrate the highs of life and we want to be there when life throws those ugly curve balls. This church loves BIG there is no doubt. When they ask for you to get involved this is why….we want and need to do life together.
I will never be able to express the love I have for my church family. Many were there for us when I didn’t even know we needed the help. So whether it is holding a door open for someone on Sunday morning, serving in the children’s area or singing on the worship team….YOU matter. They say raising a family takes a village but doing God’s work does as well. I am so happy to call each of you family and cannot wait to serve along side each of you and do life together.
If there is anything that came from this storm I am walking is that I can share and encourage others in my church family to get involved. Do life with us. Love one another then it all will be worth it.