This Sunday our family decided to stick a little closer to home and drove west of Fairview a few miles to the Cedar Springs Church of the Nazarene. We had been invited more than once by friends in the church so when I woke up Sunday morning without a firm decision on where to attend, I shot my friend a quick Facebook message and found out not only the starting time, but that they were having a potluck dinner and we were invited to attend.
Now, this is where every Oklahoma gal worth her kitchen salt begins to sweat a bit. Potluck dinner -of course there will be plenty of food (there always is), but it just feels so WRONG to show up empty handed. There wasn't time to come up with anything homemade of my own, and while store bought is definitely second class at a church potluck (or so I was certaitanly raised to believe), it seemed a better option than nothing, so while I got myself and the girls ready for church, I sent my darling husband off to the grocery store for TWO boxes of yummy frozen cream puffs.
I said "TWO"; he heard "ONE," and one just wasn't going to cut it. For one thing, it wasn't enough to serve everyone, and for a another, my meager offering looked pitiful in a dish designed for double the amount (You didn't think I would serve it from the store box did you? Tip: Place the cream puffs in a pretty container and top with powdered sugar, and voila! you're store bought dessert isn't quite so embarrassing.....unless your husband only buys one box and they look like little pebbles in the bottom of the bowl.) So, I grabbed my dish and a bag of powdered sugar and decided a quick stop at the store on the way to church was in order. Unfortunately, so did everyone else in town. What should have taken me 2 minutes was going to take me 20 by the time I waited in line at the checkout, so I slipped out the backside of the register, handed my cream puffs to the guy at the register, said, "Nevermind. I'm going to be late for church," and high-tailed it empty handed back to the car. We arrived at the church just in time, and I left my pitiful puffs in the car, too ashamed to admit I even had them. (Yes, absolutely, I see how ludicrous this entire scenario is...NOW. But if you can tell me you've never had any kind of pot-luck anxiety, it's because you've never been to one. Right?!)
Anyway, on to more important things.
The church we attended has a long history in the Cedar Springs area. Last year they celebrated 100 years as a congregation, and while their numbers have decreased with the loss of population in the area, they continue to be full of a faith that not even a tornado could destroy though one attempted to do just that three years ago. The church was hit, destroying the northern portion but fortunately sparing the large sanctuary. I remember being shocked by how quickly the church was able to rebuild the missing portion along with the addition of a large family center/ fellowship hall. We drive by often and were excited to see what had risen from the rubble.
The sanctuary was large and lovely, and we were excited to see so many friends and acquaintances. A couple of the girls' friends joined us on our pew, and the worship service soon began. Pastor Terry Schakelaar began the service with announcements and then donned his guitar to lead the congregation in praise and worship. The songs were of the modern worship variety and were displayed on screens at the front of the church. It was a wonderful beginning to our time worshiping together.
During the sermon, Pastor Terry mentioned that they were members of a "holiness denomination" which put me quickly into research mode. Through visiting with the pastor after church and time spent with my trusty Google search, I discovered that the Nazarenes, along with Methodists, were part of a large movement in the 19th century which was started primarily by the teachings of John Wesley and can be found in his famous book A Plain Account of Christian Perfection. In a very, very tiny nutshell, these congregations believe that once saved through a belief in Jesus Christ, Christians are capable and should strive to reach holiness through a deep relationship with God, an understanding and immersion into His Word, and through the guidance and eventual filling of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, as Christian maturity is sought after and reached, the desire to sin decreases and the ability to live a life much like Christ is ultimately achieved. In addition, Christians should dedicate themselves to the use of their spiritual gifts (see Romans 12: 6-8, 1 Corinth. 12:8-10, and Ephesians 4:11) with the goal of developing loving relationships with others and through Christ's love bringing others to salvation through Christ. (Okay, I admit, it's a bit complicated, and I may have completely confused you with my incompetent explanation, so I urge you to visit with Pastor Terry or another pastor about this, or read up for yourselves on sites like nazarene.org and Wikipedia.)
We enjoyed Pastor Terry's thought provoking sermon as he spoke from the 12th chapter of John and urged us to "become children of the light" (vs 36), and to "not stay in darkness."(vs.46)
Like many churches, this one included times of joys and concerns, congregational prayers, and the giving of tithes and offerings. However, we were blessed to be there on a very joyous day when three of the churches most influential members were celebrating birthdays in the late 80's and early 90's. It was lovely to see how well respected and revered these ladies and gentleman were in this congregation, and we were delighted to attend the potluck afterwards in celebration with them. (Despite my lack of contribution to the cause.)
The meal was served next door to the church in a large building used for fellowship and youth events. The building had been started not long after the tornado, and while it was still under construction, we could tell it was being put to good use. There was a basketball goal and gym floor inside; as well as, a pool table and foosball. There was plenty of room for tables and chairs, and a large lovely kitchen as well. They are currently working to complete the building which will house Sunday school classrooms and a loft area for the youth. While the congregation is fairly small, the youth program is currently thriving with around 40 youth coming weekly from a variety of different church homes and backgrounds. The youth pastor is Levi Bratton who I grew up with in Taloga, and while we were sad to have missed him and his lovely family as they were traveling this Sunday, I'm very excited about what is happening in his ministry and am so thankful for the young lives he's influencing for the Lord.
We couldn't have asked for a better chance to enjoy an amazing meal and wonderful company this Sunday. The folks of Cedar Springs certainly know how to make a family feel like part of the group, and we so, so appreciate this opportunity to worship and fellowship with this faithful family of believers. What joy our Steeple Chase continues to bring to us this year, and what an opportunity to discover so many others who love the Lord and long to worship Him!
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