Ten Commandments monument at Chiefland City Hall an inspiration for future generations

Travis Hudson (far left), pastor of Hardeetown Baptist Church in Chiefland, is on hand for the unveiling of the 30,000-pound granite display of the Ten Commandments in front of Chiefland City Hall.

CHIEFLAND (FBW)—Residents of Chiefland have a new monument in front of their City Hall—a five foot tall granite display of the Ten Commandments.

The effort to place the monument at City Hall was led by Pastor Travis Hudson of Hardeetown Baptist Church in Chiefland.

Hudson said the monument is significant for families in the community and the hope is that it will serve as an inspiration for future generations. Fathers and grandfathers can now walk by the monument with their children and grandchildren and tell them how important it is to have the Ten Commandments on display in their town, he said,

“What I am hoping [is] that … when people see it that the Spirit of our God, the Spirit of our Father, will touch their hearts and that our community will be a better community, a moral community and a spiritual light for the cause of the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” Hudson said.

Hudson originally got the idea for placing the monument at City Hall after he began regularly praying with members of the City Council about a year ago. He invited the members of the council to participate in a citywide prayer walk and to participate in a prayer luncheon once a month.

As the relationships with the city officials grew, Hudson said he began thinking about the Ten Commandments and the idea to place them at City Hall, near some other monuments. One day a local businessman approached him and offered to help pay for the project if Pastor Hudson would organize the effort.

“This thing just caught fire,” Hudson said.

Additional donors stepped forward to anonymously contribute to the project and others made contributions through a love offering during a community-wide worship service.

“It’s something that the people of the community wanted to do,” Hudson said. “It was not anything that I really had to beat the drums about or get up and beg for money.”

In June of this year Hudson was attending the Southern Baptist Convention in Indianapolis when he received a phone call to inform him that the City Council had voted to place the monument in front of City Hall.

The effort culminated Nov. 9, with a dedication service to unveil the new monument. More than 50 local residents and city officials were on hand for the event.

“We as a city came together and decided to honor God by the placing of these Ten Commandments,” said Chiefland Police Chief Robert Douglas, who was present for the dedication service.

Chief Douglas expressed his appreciation for the City Commissioners and Pastor Hudson. He described Pastor Hudson as “a true man of God.”

“It is a true privilege and honor to know and to work with him,” Douglas said.

Other churches in the community also supported the endeavor. Hudson cited cooperation from an Assembly of God church, an independent Pentecostal church, First Baptist Church in Chiefland, and the First Methodist Church. Hudson also was encouraged by the participation of members of the African American community.

Hudson, pastor of Hardeetown Baptist Church since 1995, said he received only positive feedback from the community. Chief Douglas, who has been in his position for three years, indicated the response from residents in the town so far has good.

The emphasis on prayer, and now the placing of the Ten Commandments, has produced noticeable change in the Chiefland community, Douglas said he believes.

“I can truly tell you there has been a difference in Chiefland since we started that,” Douglas said. “Things are just running better, and of course you know why, because God is in the middle of it.”

Hudson described the presence of the monument as a significant highlight in his ministry career.

“I’ve been a pastor now for some 50 years and this ranks up there,” Hudson said. “I’ve had a lot of privileges. God has blessed me in so many ways, but this is one of the top.”