08/19/2026
Today, we celebrate more than a birthday. We celebrate a life that God has chosen, shaped, and used to touch countless lives. ❤️
Happy Birthday to our beloved Pastor, Gary Small Sr. 🎉🎂
Pastor, there are some things you may never fully know this side of Heaven. You may never know how many prayers you prayed that kept somebody from giving up. You may never know how many sermons reached someone right when they needed them. You may never know how many times your encouragement gave someone the strength to keep going.
But God knows.
He knows every early morning, every late night, every burden you've carried quietly, every prayer you've prayed for this congregation, every tear you've shed, and every sacrifice you've made while standing in the place God called you to stand.
You have not simply preached to us—you have walked with us. You've celebrated our victories, prayed through our storms, encouraged us when our faith was weak, and reminded us that God is still God when life doesn't make sense.
You have been a shepherd, a teacher, a counselor, a covering, and a servant.
And today, Pastor, we want you to know that your labor has not been in vain.
There are lives better because you said yes to God.
There are families stronger because you prayed.
There are people still standing because you encouraged them.
There are hearts that found their way back to God because you refused to stop preaching His Word.
So today, New Bethlehem Baptist Church doesn't just say, “Happy Birthday.”
We say THANK YOU. ❤️
Thank you for loving us.
Thank you for leading us.
Thank you for praying for us.
Thank you for correcting us when we needed it.
Thank you for believing in us when we didn't believe in ourselves.
Thank you for giving so much of yourself to the Kingdom.
Pastor Gary Small, you are loved, appreciated, respected, and deeply cherished by your church family.
Our prayer today is that God gives back to you everything you've poured into others—pressed down, shaken together, and running over. May He strengthen you where you're tired, refresh you where you're weary, bless you where you've sacrificed, and give you many more years to see the fruit of the seeds you've planted.
Happy Birthday, Pastor Gary Small! 🎂🎉❤️
From your church family at New Bethlehem Baptist Church:
We love you. We honor you. We appreciate you. And we thank God for the gift of YOU.
May this next chapter of your life be your sweetest one yet.
“Well done, good and faithful servant…” — Matthew 25:23
🎉❤️ HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PASTOR! ❤️🎉
With love,
Your New Bethlehem Baptist Church Family
