Chasing in Our Own Backyard

       In my head the story went something like this:
     
       Once upon a time a long time ago, a large group of Mennonites homesteaded on the fertile plains of Northwestern Oklahoma and established a little town called Fairview. As the years went by, some of the Mennonites became disgruntled with the strict rules of the Mennonite faith and decided to split off and form their own church and call it Mennonite Brethren (Because obviously they were brothers to the Mennonites). Eventually, more and more Mennonite families decided they didn't want to wear little black hats over their hair and make all their own dresses and wanted to send their children to public school, so they too joined the MB church along with a lot of people who had never even been Mennonite before, until it became the largest congregation in town, and a huge church was built with a beautiful steeple that I can look out my office window and see every day of my life.

       I was wrong. Really, very wrong. (Except for the beautiful steeple outside my window part.)

     The really short version of the true story goes something more like this:

      Once upon a time a really, really, really, really long time ago (like 1500's long ago), a man named Menno Simons decided that the Catholic church was no longer following Biblical principals in the way that he felt was right, so he formed a group of believers that eventually became known as Mennonites. Then in the mid-1800s, in a country known as Russia, a group of German-speaking Mennonite believers decided that the church had become too "cold and formal" and also had some complaints having to do with believer's communion (according to Wikipedia) and formed what is now known as Mennonite Brethren. In the meantime, between the 1500's and today, a variety of other Mennonite offspring were established, including Amish, Old Colony, and Holdeman, just to name a few. All of which, like Mennonite Brethren have their origins in Menno Simons followers, but have established beliefs and "rules" of their own throughout the years.

    So, in the late 1800's when Oklahoma was opening up for settlement, a large group of German-speaking Mennonites, did settle in the area now known as Fairview, but these groups came already divided by the Mennonite beliefs of their forefathers.  Therefore, in approximately 1895 two Mennonite Brethren churches were established: one north of Fairview, and the other south. They were known appropriately as South MB Church and North MB Church. Eventually, the two churches decided to join together in town as the Fairview Mennonite Brethren Church, and in the early 1980's the beautiful church I see from my window was built. The Fairview Mennonite Brethren, as we know it today, is an evangelical church whose mission is to "Reach Up and Reach Out.  It is a church whose presence in the community is far-reaching and who are never to busy to lend a helping hand.

    Which leads us to this past Sunday morning.....

     It was cold and yucky and snow was starting to come in, so we decided it might be best to keep our Steeple Chase close to home. What could be closer than the church outside our window?

      Another plus, was that not only is it close in proximity, but this particular church is close to our hearts as well. As a baby living in this town, my parents and I attended the Fairview MB Church (although at it's original location). They made many lifelong friends there, who I grew up hearing about and meeting long after our family moved from Fairview. Additionally, when our immediate family moved to Fairview 10 years ago, this is the church we began attending, and we continue to send our children there for AWANA on Wednesday and participate in various church activities and community projects. We love this body of believers, and it felt so good to worship again with them on a Sunday morning.

       We arrived between Sunday School and Worship Service, in time to participate in half-time donuts and juice. My girls were extremely excited about the donuts and seeing their friends... and the donuts. Afterwards, we found seats in the large and lovely sanctuary in time for welcome and announcements followed by congregational singing. I appreciate greatly the use of so many different lay people within the worship service. Some introduced upcoming events with a fun little skit, while others played and sang in a worship band, and another led the congregation in prayer. Two of my past students did an amazing job playing Amazing Grace on their trumpets during the offering. It was so great to see so many members of the body participating in Sunday morning Worship.

     The message was delivered by youth pastor Travis Schmidt who was continuing with a series focused on the book of Revelation.  I've mentioned before how much I'm intrigued by this particular book, but by this time, our youngest was more than ready to go to Children's Church (She always is.), so I took her to her class and then made my way back. When I returned, the congregations was laughing hysterically at a story from Travis' childhood, and I wished I'd have sent our little one on her own...like she wanted me to. The good news is, I returned in time for the real meat of the message, and really learned a lot about the Dragon, Seabeast, and Earthbeast who Satan has created to imitate The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit...all in an attempt to deceive us into following him instead of our creator. The morning's lesson was very well delivered and well received, and I was especially appreciative of the reminder that regardless of what is to come, we do not have to worry because we have already been covered by the blood and sealed as a child of God.

      The service ended with some beautiful praise songs, and we ventured out into the foyer to smiles and handshakes and hello theres from friends and acquaintances alike. As we said our goodbyes and loaded up to face the two minute drive home, we felt blessed to know that there's a Steeple to Chase in our own backyard that houses a body who's making a difference and supporting a community of those who love the Lord.

    

Cowboy Up!

  

     A couple of times since beginning our Steeple Chase, my dad had mentioned that we should try the "cowboy church at the Woodward Sale Barn," so when my in-laws agreed to keep our kids at Vici overnight on Valentine's, we decided it was the perfect opportunity to meet them in Woodward the next morning and check it out. We got there a little early and sat in the parking lot for a while waiting for our girls to arrive, which gave us an interesting insite into what we might expect.

    We watched as vehicles arrived. Flatbeds loaded with haybales parked next to convertible cars as pickups and trailers lined up a little farther out of the way. There were lots of four-door pickups in the parking lots and it seemed that most had a couple kid-laden carseats in the back seat. A sign stated that front row parking was available for guests, but no one (Including us....although I totally would have if I'd been driving. It was COLD and my husband parked in the VERY farthest spot.) felt the need to park there.

   People climbed out in boots and jeans, hoodies and sweatpants, rhinestones and conchos, cowboy hats and gimme caps. Kids in camo and carharts were cuddled close in the cold February wind as they were hustled inside; mom and dad and siblings all together on this frigid Sunday morning heading into a livestock sale barn with the purpose of worshiping God. Men on horseback braved the weather to ride near the entrances to parking lot and barn and wave greetings to arriving church-goers. Several stopped to visit for a minute and let the kids give the horse a pat before passing on inside. So, of course, when our girls arrived, we had to stop for a visit with the horse as well. (Don't worry, we spoke to the cowboy too. He was very friendly and told the girls where to go for children's church....the cowboy, that is, not the horse. Although, he was friendly too. He just didn't say much.)



           I was surprised by how crazy-crowded it was when we tried to enter the building. People were coming in and out and milling around in the entry way, and we even had to wait outside in line for a few minutes until it cleared out a little and it was our turn. As we walked through the doors, we immediately came in contact with an information station equipped with friendly faces who welcomed us and gave us directions to children's church (which is in the café) and the sanctuary (which is in the sale arena). They also pointed out their name tags (shaped like those little round thing-a-ma-bobs that are on the ends of spurs) and explained to look for people wearing them if we had any questions at all. It was kind of a relief in the midst of the chaos to know exactly who to look for in case of a stampede or something such as that.

      The younger girls and I peeled off to the right and got in another line for children's church while Jason and our oldest made their way down the hall a bit to get out of the way. Inside the café, kids were encouraged to take a seat at the table and get started on a coloring sheet, while parents signed them in and received a numbered ear tag to present on return. I tried to convince the little one that we needed to put her tag in for her to stay, but she was having none of it, and both girls went right on in and made themselves at home.
     Inside the arena, we met up with another smiling friend with  rowel-shaped (Ah-ha! I remembered!) name badge, asked how many seats we needed, threaded her way through the rows until she found a place, and escorted us to our seats. That, too, was a huge relief that took away the whole "where should we sit" question and definitely made us feel more at ease.
      Soon after we were seated the house band started up and we were pleased and surprised to see our friend, Marsha Barr as lead vocals. The music was definitely country to it's core with Christ as its center. It was upbeat and twangy and heartfelt and just really well done. I definitely felt a joyful noise was being made. The arena took on a country music concert feel as everyone rose to their feet, tapped their toes, clapped their hands, and sang along with the occasional yip and yell thrown in for good measure. After several congregational hymns,  one of the song leaders provided special music with a song he had written for his wife. We were very impressed with both the song and the vocals, and my daughter was especially intrigued by the ten year old boy who provided beautiful harmony during the song.

     Afterwards Pastor Beau and his wife Heather stepped forward to share the morning's message. The pastor started out explaining that he was in the midst of a three part series on the Victorious Secrets of Biblical Dating, Marriage, and Sex. I'm pretty sure Jason and I were thinking about the same thing as our eyes cut uncomfortably towards the eleven year old sitting between us, and I know I breathed a quick "Thank you, Jesus!" when he went on to say that we would be focusing on marriage this Sunday. (Yeah, yeah. I know she's growing up, and we've had some "talks", but you can't tell me you'd be excited about it in the same situation. I mean seriously, it's still uncomfortable, right?)

   Anyway, the message was excellent: Biblically based and directly spoken with plenty of humor and real life applications thrown in to really make you feel you were taking something important away with you that could benefit your everyday living. I highly recommend visiting their website at http://1000hillsranchchurch.com/#/sunday-preachin and listening to what this Godly couple had to say. I promise you won't be bored. (Really! I never once had to elbow my husband to keep him from snoring! AND I have every intention of finding out what they have to say about sex too....just without any children around.)
   
   When the preacher finished preaching, the service came to an end with a prayer and an invitation to accept Jesus as your personal Savior. The newly saved were encouraged to fill out their information on a guest card, but were also given an alternative method of simply texting their name to the number on the screen in order to receive a phone call from the ministry team. I thought this was a wonderful way to use technology to reach out in a really nonthreatening way to those in need of counsel, advice, or just a partner on the trail. Guests were invited to visit a welcome desk to receive a gift, but we were headed in another direction to get the girls and really felt like we'd received all the gifts we needed that morning within the service itself. (Although, our oldest really did want to see what it was.)

        After swapping ear tag for children that at least resembled our own, we headed out the door and to the back 40 where we'd parked. The girls told us all about children's church and showed us their popsicle stick 10 commandment craft and said they had an "AWESOME" time. (Middle child's only complaint was that she REALLY wanted to tell them the WHOLE story of Moses, but because she had to raise her hand, she only got to tell about the last plague. Poor, poor dear.)  I attempted to take a few more pictures in the parking lot, but my kids were getting a little uncooperative in that department.  However, I couldn't help but snap one last shot as we drove away. Our Steeple Chase is certainly taking us in a variety of directions, but we're very happy to say that the 1000 Hills Ranch Church is an amazing Body of Christ who will welcome you.....crap and all!

     

 

 

  I

  

Little Church on the Prairie: Saron Mennonite Church

          Once upon a time on a beautiful spring day in February, a family walked into a church, and it felt like home.

          This past Sunday, our family was privileged to worship with a family of believers at the Saron Mennonite Church in Orienta, Oklahoma. We were a little confused by what to expect because the building clearly says "Mennonite", but our friends who attend don't wear black caps and home-made dresses as most of the Mennonites in our community do, so we really weren't sure exactly what denomination of church we were walking into.

Bright, bright, bright sun-shiny day!

        As it turns out, this particular church has a rich history, spanning back to it's establishment in 1897 when a congregation of Mennonite pioneers first began to gather for worship. The original church building tragically burned in the 1940s and the current house of worship was built. Then, in the 1980's congregational members began to have some concerns about the Mennonite doctrines, and voted to break away from the denomination and join a fellowship of independent Bible churches, many of which had previously been Mennonite churches as well. Therefore, while they appreciate and respect their Mennonite heritage, and the name remains on both sign and building, in actuality, they're an Evangelical Bible Church with a pastor who grew up Baptist, a pastor's wife (a truly lovely lady named Grace) who was raised Methodist, and members from a variety of backgrounds, who have all come together to form the body of Christ in this tiny little farming community. A body of Christ who truly made us feel at home.

     It wasn't really the building or the number of pews or even the population of worshipers that reminded us of home. It was more of a feeling that enveloped us as we walked through the doors. It was as if we'd arrived at a family reunion as someone's long lost second cousin, and immediately we were pulled right in, introduced to our relatives, and made one of the family.

    As we walked up a small flight of stairs and entered the sanctuary, we were greeted by friends and strangers alike who had gathered to visit with friends and neighbors before the service began. Our daughters were grabbed up by friends and giggled their way to what I assume is their usual pew, as other congregation members began to head towards their own pews, stopping to shake our hands and welcome us on their way.



     The decades old sanctuary was lovely with gleaming wood and windows along each side. I have to admit the chancel,or raised area in the front where worship is led on Sunday mornings, ( Yes, I googled it.) reminded me very much of the little country church I grew up in, and I felt sure that the plaque above the pulpit just had to be a God thing. Just that morning, while getting ready for church, I felt the need to get on facebook and try to encourage my friends to get ready for church as well. In doing so, I urged them to enter a house of worship and lay their burdens at Jesus' feet. Then I walked in and read "Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." I couldn't help but smile and give God a little wink. (I love the way He's speaking to me during this journey we're on!)

       As Pastor Curby (who has been at this church for the past 31 years) began the service, it felt as though he had planned it just for me. (How did he know my favorite hymns?) We sang "Holy, Holy, Holy" and "How Great Thou Art," and the music was simple and heartfelt and worshipful and perfect. (Except for How Great Thou Art. I really wanted to sing all four verses!)

      I also really appreciated Pastor Curby's teaching style of preaching. We delved into the book of Revelation, beginning with chapter 4, and the pastor inched his way verse by verse, explaining, enlightening, and even entertaining, as he revealed the mystery behind this somewhat difficult book. I was engrossed in the message; enthralled by this biblical education, and a little annoyed with my daughters, who were not listening as enthusiastically as I was. In fact, I'm pretty sure they weren't listening at all; although, to be honest, they did pretty well, drawing pictures and staying relatively quiet in the pew beside us even with their friends sitting between them.
     
     Afterwards, no one rushed off. Instead, they lingered and talked. The kids, mine included, rushed out into the beautiful sunshine to play basketball in the churchyard as adults gathered in clusters that shifted and merged, shifted and merge in a kaleidoscope of conversations. Never once did we find ourselves as observers but were caught up in the body, feeling very much as if we were a vital limb that had been there all along.

    Finally, the reunion was over and families began to pack their kids and spouses into cars, shouting goodbyes and making plans for lunch. We departed as well, half our kids in a friend's car while one of theirs rode with us, and we headed towards town and a local Mexican restaurant, thinking how much we'll enjoy visiting again when our Steeple Chase is at an end.

And the greatest of these is LOVE

       It was boldness that brought us there. Boldness from a tiny little middle schooler with the sweetest smile and a mane of incredible dark hair who stayed a moment after class to ask her substitute teacher where she went to church, to tell her about the church she attends, and invite her to come. Boldness from a child who approached with the confidence of a warrior an adult she barely knew to encourage her to join her for worship. A boldness from someone who had no idea we were on a Steeple Chase adventure at all and that got me to thinking about this Kingdom of Love, and wondering if perhaps it was exactly the place God wanted us the following Sunday.
     Two hours later during a 6th grade PE class, another middle school girl started a conversation saying," I can't wait until Wednesday, so I can go to church!" She told me how much she loved going, and when I asked where she attended, I knew it couldn't be a coincidence that she too made Kingdom of Love her church home.
     I could feel God pushing, showing me where our Steeple Chase would be taking us next, but to be completely honest, I felt myself fighting the bit this time. Kingdom of Love? I'm not even sure where that is. Is that the one in the building by the quick stop with the green dinosaur? Kingdom of Love? What is that anyway? It sounds like some kind of cult or something. What do they do in there anyway?
     So I considered other churches in the area. I attempted to make plans to attend a friend's church, only to discover that not only my friend but my friend's pastor would be gone that Sunday. Coincidence? I think not.
      So by Saturday night, I knew the answer to where we were going to church was Kingdom of Love World International Church, but I have to admit, it was with a heavy dose of trepidation that we headed that direction Sunday morning. We pulled up to the church housed in a building with a dentist office and sat uncomfortably in the car for a few minutes. Why was this so much more difficult than being strangers in other churches we've attended? My husband offered to pick us up when it was over. We all laughed at him, and he grinned and followed us inside.
      And everything was So. Much. Better. Friendly familiar faces greeted us with smiles and words of welcome. My sweet little warrior called out my name and rushed to give me a hug and introduce me to her sister. Pastor Gary introduced himself, and as we looked around the little room, with it's rows of chairs, pulpit, instruments, and spiritual wall art, I was relieved by the familiar feeling of God's House of Worship. Services soon began with contemporary Christian praise songs that we knew, and while the congregation was few (Our family of five expanding the numbers somewhere near to 20.), it was enthusiastic, and my younger daughters were thrilled when they were offered tambourines, so they could play along. (If ONLY they had taken them back after the music was complete! It just seems wrong to want to beat your child with a tambourine during church. And yes, I took them and put them on the floor under the chairs. It didn't matter. Apparently their limbs are elastic.)




Pastor Donna and Pastor Gary, husband and wife ministry team.

          A typical morning offering soon followed; however, it was preceded by something new to us in the form of a "Message of Prosperity." I have to allow that I was a little startled by this portion of the service, thinking at first that maybe this church just wanted our money and was using promises of wealth from God as a means to get it. However, as the message continued, and Pastor Donna urged us not just to give of our wealth but to give of our gifts and ourselves, I realized that while the wording was somewhat different than I was accustomed to, the message of being blessed through our giving, was one I had heard often and fully agreed with.
        Afterwards we discovered that the church was having a very special service that morning, as it was the first time they would be streaming live on the internet, and beginning  the World International Church portion of their title here at their Fairview location (They also have another location in Oklahoma City led by Apostle Rose, Sr. Pastor and founder of Kingdom of Love). It is an exciting extension for the church whose goal is "reaching people globally with God's living word," so if you're interested in taking part in their services online or want more information about their church, I encourage you to visit http://www.kolwic.org/.
      Our two younger girls were ushered happily off to children's church where they studied God's love and made heart shaped crafts, as Pastor Gary prepared for his 11:30 debut, and I breathed a sigh of relief thinking I could finally stop worrying about those noisy tambourines (I was mistaken! My goodness, you would think the 11 year old could keep her hands off of them!).  My husband, oldest daughter, and I settled back to hear the morning sermon, and then everyone stood up for the Word of God, and so did we, and then we sat back down, but no one else did. (Oops! I'm totally blaming it on the boy in front of us who sat down and threw us off.) In time, though, everyone was seated, and the pastor gave a powerful sermon about building one another up rather than tearing them down and using what God has given us (our talents and gifts, His word and authority) to fulfill God's plans and to lead others to the Kingdom. I was impressed and comforted by the familiarity of the message and scripture and felt even more connected with the body of believers around me.
     Following the sermon, the children were brought back in, and we were invited to partake in Holy Communion. All who have accepted Jesus as their savior and who have confessed their sins were welcome to partake, and as the handsome young ushers passed out the sacrament, my family each took their portion. Now here is where we once again encountered something new and foreign to us. Rather than a tiny cup of juice and a small piece of bread or wafer served separately, we were handed a prepackaged tiny plastic cup of juice sealed with celephane with a small round wafer on top and an additional layer of celephane sealing it in. Seeing a disaster waiting to happen in the hands of my children, I quickly took theirs and began peeling back the plastic, handing each a wafer and whispering, "This is Christ's body broken for you."
     To which my oldest whispers, " Are you sure it's not Styrofoam?"
     And I respond, "Not entirely sure, no, but it's small it won't kill you," as I continue handing them juice cups and praying they don't spill them while I peel back my own, swallow Styrofoam and juice, and straighten up in time to see everyone else raise their unfinished body and blood in the air as it's blessed. (Ah, man! We totally did that wrong! But no one spilled, and at that point, I was considering the visit a success.)
    After communion, the service was dismissed and we were able to spend some time visiting with church members. We felt very welcomed by the members of Kingdom of Love, and I felt a little sad at the crestfallen look my bold little warrior gave me when I explained that we wouldn't be back for at least a year while we continue on our Steeple Chase, but I thanked her sincerely for the invitation and encouraged her to continue asking others to worship because, I promise, it's a lot easier to answer the question "Where do you want to go to church today?"  when you know at least one friendly face is waiting and wants to spend time with God and you.