Prairie Jewel: Elm Grove Community Church

   We thought we were going to a little country church on our way to Vici to visit family. We thought there would be a piano and maybe an organ and a single song leader and possibly a small choir singing slightly off key. We thought there would be a country pastor with a good sound bible lesson and a handful of members who were friendly and anxious to get to know newcomers in their church.

  Boy, did we think wrong! (Except for the friendly members. We weren't wrong about that one.)

  We drove for miles on country roads with wheat fields and pasture land as far as the eye can see until we reached what was once the Elm Grove Community and consists now of mostly just the Elm Grove Community Church.  As we turned the corner and drove up a small hill, we were shocked by the enormity of this "little country church."  We had no idea that such a large church existed in the middle of this prairie land. I had always heard people talk about Elm Grove. My dad has cattle in the area, and my mom has attended weddings and conferences there, and my past principal raved about the rib dinner there at least once a month during my last couple years of teaching, I had never been there, and all in all, I was surprised! Pleasantly surprised! Not only did the church appear to go on and on, it was architecturally gorgeous and looked brand new. We couldn't wait to get inside!

    We walked in the door and into a modern "city church" type setting. A beautiful, well-stocked coffee and snack bar were placed conveniently in the large foyer with a fountain backdrop and big TV screens overhead counting down the time until service. (We had 3 minutes to go! Go us!) My kids immediately started asking if they could get chocolate muffins (big, ugly disaster waiting to happen), but I was unsure about whether or not they wanted the food and drinks inside the sanctuary (and I had a feeling I'd never get that chocolate out of their dresses), so as much as I REALLY wanted a cup of coffee, I decided to herd my three now whining daughters into a pew near the back. We were feeling a little lost and unsure until we spotted a few familiar faces, and the people around us begin introducing themselves and we started to relax.

I did cave in and let them pick something out after the service...
and Middle Daughter did manage to get chocolate on her dress. (Big Sigh.)

    2.34 minutes later (give or take a second or two), the service began. The full praise band and worship team were another surprise and quite different than the piano we were expecting (Don't get me wrong. I'm not dissing (does anyone even use that term anymore) piano music. I actually love that style of worship too. It was just different that what we were expecting.) The worship was heartfelt and the words were displayed on not one, but three screens, at the front of the absolutely amazing sanctuary. During this worship time, members of the praise team also gave testimonies which were very touching and kept my girls glued to their every word. They concluded with a beautiful song based on the Lord's Prayer in which one of the members blessed us by signing along with the words.

    When they concluded, the younger girls followed the crowd of kids to children's church, and the service continued with the usual welcome and announcements and tithes and offerings. The only part of the service that was somewhat unusual for us was the prayer time. When the leader said, "Let us pray",  we bowed our heads, ready to pray together as the leader lead, but were surprised when most of the congregation began to pray out loud, saying different things, but at the same time. The prayer leader, remained on the microphone as the main prayer was said, but everyone else contributed as well either silently or aloud.  We had never been to a service where this takes place, and while it was different, we didn't find it at all offensive or frightening. It was just people praying, and what could possibly be wrong with that?!

    Another unusual thing that took place this Sunday morning is that the Pastor Orville White had chosen that day to allow another pastor to present the message. I have heard from several people that Pastor White is an excellent preacher, and while I'm sorry to have missed hearing him, I cannot complain because the message we heard was incredible. Pastor White explained that he had been praying about how to present a message that would truly explain the meaning of God's Grace when he came across a sermon by Robert Morris, the Senior Pastor of Gateway Church that he felt said it all. So, Pastor White chose to show us the video of this sermon, and I for one am so very glad he did. (It is very much worth watching, and you can do so by following this link > http://gatewaypeople.com/ministries/life/events/amazing-grace/service/2014/09/27/whats-so-amazing-about-grace.)

  After the sermon, the elders and wives were asked to come forward and make themselves available for prayer, and the congregation was invited to the front as they felt led. Once again words of prayer were lifted up across the room by a variety of congregational members and leaders. As the service came to a close, new members were introduced and brought forward to be welcomed by the other members, and we made our way around the church in search of our little ones.

     We very much enjoyed our visit to Elm Grove Community Church and are so pleased that our Steeple Chase took us there this week. If you're ever in the Chester, Oklahoma area on a Sunday morning, I highly recommend you take the time to worship with the wonderful people of Elm Grove. We were blessed, and I know you will be too!