Our name | Mission | Vision | Leaders Ministries | Schedule | Directions | Contact Home   Gateway Church gathers for worship Sundays at 10:30 a.m. Location: 6425 Jefferson Rd. (Hwy. 129) in Athens, Georgia. For directions, click here. Ministry of the Word: Recent sermons Our quarterly e-magazine Gateway Today For the Gateway family Pastor Jerry's Weekly E-Mail A GATEWAY SERMON SUMMARY AUDIO Whatever happened to mom and apple pie? Jerry Varnado, pastor Gateway Church, Athens GA May 9, 2004 Mother's Day Main Scripture texts: Genesis 1:27-28; 2:18-25. The term "Mom and Apple Pie" was once a symbol of the home. It arose out of a time when the home was the center of American society. Our society is facing serious issues: failing school systems, corruption in business and government, spiraling immorality, pornography, crime. Most traditional denominations have lost membership over the last 40 years. The divorce rate in America has risen steadily. Today, almost one-fourth of children live with a single parent. More than 50 percent of mothers with children under the age of one work outside the home. Only about 7 percent of our families are structured with a bread-winning father and homemaking mother. To me this trend seems contrary to the wisdom of Scripture. Our text tells us that we were "created male and female." We are different emotionally and psychologically, as well as anatomically. We have different temperaments, talents and abilities. God made us different in such a way that we would need and complement each other in the accomplishment of His goals and intentions. He then established the family as the base unit in human society. The Lord intended the home to be a place of rest, peace, security; a place of learning, personal growth and development. Please understand that this is not an attack on singleness. Single persons are of equal value and God will provide other ways for them to experience human fulfillment. But God designed the family to be the root of human civilization -- which is why the devil has made the family a primary target. Mothers are of central importance to human development and their influence is weakened when they're forced by financial pressure and a societal expectations to work a 9-5 job in the paid workforce. We need to returning the vocation of homemaker to the place of value, honor, importance and dignity it deserves. Supporting text: 2 Timothy 1:3-7 A mp3 audio file of this sermon is here. (Download to a PC by right clicking on the link and choosing "Save Target As." Mac users: click, hold, and choose "Download Link to Disk." Depending on your connection speed, the file may take several minutes to download.) An audio tape of the sermon summarized above is available free of charge (U.S. requests only). Request a tape by calling or writing the Gateway Church office. Please specify tape number 040509a: Whatever Happened to Mom & Apple Pie? © 2004 Gerald R. Varnado To the Gateway Church home page How to contact us