The Brick Church

Spring was wonderful while it lasted, but we're back to winter today. Friday was gorgeous, Saturday we got to the mid 80's. Yesterday....well, it was very windy, overcast, and the temps dropped during the afternoon. There was lightning, thunder and rain. By the time we got up this morning it was down to 37. And there was a lot of the morning that little snowflakes were floating down. Younger daughter and her hubby took a brief Caribbean cruise this weekend and will be landing in KC about 7 this evening – that will be a shock for their systems!

We had a really good weekend. Saturday morning we took Mom to the cemetery so she could put out the Easter flowers. With all the windy days we had this winter, a lot of the Christmas flowers had blown out of the vases....but they were all still nearby. The small flag on my Dad's grave........well, we don't know where the flag is. The bare dowel was still standing, but there wasn't a shred of fabric left on it. But it seems like Ebenezer Cemetery is always windy.

At noon the Class of 1970 had a small get-together at Pizza Hut. We joined them and had a good time visiting. Hubby and I left at 1:30 and headed home, and I'm not sure how long the rest of them stayed. Hubby enjoyed hearing all the tales of elementary and high school. Sunday morning we went to a small country church with some friends. Since I was raised in a small country church, I always enjoy that.

Our little brick country church is still pretty. It's red brick with white trim. It was always fun as a kid to be chosen to ring the bell to signal the start of Sunday School. Even though it sat in an unincorporated little settlement, there were a lot who lived within walking distance. When I was a kid, the church was always full. There were tons of kids, which is why Mom opted to attend there instead of the church that was closer to our farm. We had lots of families of four and five kids, and one who had eleven. We had kids who went to school at Bogard and kids to attended Norborne. So is was a nice cross culture, a way to know more people than just those I went to school with.

It wasn't unusual in those days for us to have anywhere from 50 to 70 on any given Sunday, thanks to those big families. As the kids grew up and married, most of them moved away. The attendance started sliding downward. And as the church population started getting older, the attendance slid even more. Eventually, they had around five regularly attending. But as such things go, they've had a rebound of sorts. I'm not sure how many go there now on a regular basis, but they have picked up to more than five. The two churches left in the area are so small that they are pastored by a lay minister. They have church services two Sundays a month, and just Sunday School on the others – just as they did when I was a kid. Attendance is higher on those Sundays when they have preaching.

Last summer hubby and I took Mom out for services when they had a big anniversary. The church was full on that day, and I saw people I hadn't seen in years. It was fun. There are so many memories wrapped up in that little brick building. All the years of Sunday School. Mom leading the singing and letting my good friend and me occasionally pick out hymns. Playing the piano for church the first time when I was 13. Christmas programs. Vacation Bible School and its program on Friday night with singing, Bible verse recitation, and refreshments while we showed off our art projects. On Easter Sunday we would have sunrise services, then breakfast and an Easter egg hunt.

As I got older, we had lots of fun with youth group. We often played volleyball outside before our meetings. One time I remember a really fun scavenger hunt – my team was beat by the other team when one of them had the good sense to pick up a rock and present it as “the oldest item you can find”. There was no arguing with that! Our youth leader was a good musician, and she taught us to sing parts and we did a lot of special music.

It's such a pretty little church, and I always think of it when I hear the hymn “Church in the Wildwood”. At least it has indoor plumbing now.