Enormously Blessed: Crossings Community Church

     I have to admit I'm still a little bit in shock over our experience at Crossings Community Church in Oklahoma City this past Sunday morning. Nothing crazy or abnormal happened, even for my slightly abnormal family, but the shear enormity of the church complex itself continues to blow my mind!

    Let me recap: Small town girl. Grew up in small, small ghost-town church. Traveling from church to church each Sunday this year to experience worship of God in a variety of ways in a variety of settings. This church was WAY out of my element! I'm pretty sure it is actually bigger than my entire hometown. Literally! (As our oldest would say.)


   According to their website, the church offers 5 different opportunites for worship on Sunday mornings. There's a liturgical service in the chapel (which is approximately the size of a "normal" church back home), 2 blended services in the Sanctuary, and 2 contemporary services in The Venue (a more modern sanctuary setting with chairs instead of pews and a lighted stage, etc.).  I read the girls the introductions of each service actually thinking they would want the more contemporary style and was surprised when they chose the Sanctuary, primarily due to its mix of choir, symphony, and praise team for the music.

   We arrived about 20 minutes early because we knew we'd need a little time to find our way around and discovered that 20 minites was not nearly early enough. We planned to attend the 10:45 service and couldn't believe the number of cars in the parking lot when we arrived. We drove around and around searching for a spot to park, and finally as people started exiting from the previous service we pulled into a place as I joked that we were going to need a tour guide to find our way around. Turns out that was no joke!

                                              
   


















        Our tour guide came in the form of a sweet teenager who rather than attempt to explain where to take our youngest (who insisted once again on going to children's church) offered to lead us there herself. Thank goodness! So off we went across the city, uhm church. Our perky guide click-clicking her way quickly in front while I huffed and puffed and half drug our six year old in an attempt to keep up and my husband and older girls walked somewhere behind us refusing to be rushed. After passing by the Sanctuary and a huge Atrium, a Coffee Bar to rival any Starbucks, and a Library and Bookstore, our guide showed us to a children's hallway, shrugged her shoulders and apologized for not knowing exactly where we were supposed to go, and disappeared.

                                    

   Oh, well, no problem. We're adults. We can surely figure this out.


    So we continued down a long hall with a vast number of doors until I found one labeled "Kindergarten" and got in line behind some other kids and parents. However, when we reached the front of the line, we found out that we were not in fact in the right place yet, and were instructed to go to the main check in desk....down the hall, around the corner, up the stairs, and to the left? right?  We eventually found it and went through all the necessary paperwork to check our child into a classroom for one Sunday....including the entire family's birthdays and medical history. Whew! At last, we had a barcode for our child and another for ourselves and we went back from whence we came. Waited in line at the same door as before and discovered again that we were in the wrong place. Fortunately the new room was just two doors down because to be honest by this point, I was about to load everyone up and head home.


   We finally reached the sanctuary a couple songs into the service, entered from a side door, sat down, and breathed. Holy COW!! This place was incredible! Beautiful! Huge! (I know I keep saying that but really!) At the top of the stage was a choir loft a large choir, below them was an orchestra of instruments and their players, and in front of them about 10 men and women made up a group of worship music leaders. Screens all around displayed the words of the songs, and the music was astounding. There's was a mixture of contemporary music and hymns. Most we knew and the ones we didn't were easy to catch on to.

                                   

                                   



   When the music was complete, there was a time to greet those around us, and a few people shook our hands, but no one introduced themselves or asked who we were and I realized that in a church that size it would be next to impossible to know if someone was there for the first time. The bulletin provided a form for visitors and members to fill out and recommended that we turn in our questions, comments, and prayer requests and that we visit the information and welcoming centers throughout the church. We didn't, but I'm sure that if we weren't simply visiting we would have very much appreciated the opportunities to connect.

    Around this time, our middle daughter decided she absolutely couldn't wait to go to the restroom, so I slipped out the back with her and walked a block (slight exaggeration alert) to the nearest, returning in time to the hear the last of a beautiful song by a very talented vocalist and see a large screen lower in the center and a talking head come on. Jason and I looked at each other in surprise. We had been expecting a flesh and blood pastor, but it made since that with more than one service going at once, this was the only way he could be two places at once.

 

     The Senior Pastor at Crossings is Dr. Marty Grubbs who began his ministry with this church way back in 1981 when it was Westridge Hills Church as their youth and music minister. A few years later, he was named senior pastor of the church and had a congregation of about 100 people. By 1999, with Pastor Grubbs continuing to lead, the church changed it's name to Crossings Community Church and held their first service at their new location with 3,100 people in attendance. From that point on, the church has simply expanded and expanded to reach the needs of its growing congregation.

     This particular morning, Pastor Grubbs chose to preach from the book of Jonah, and our entire family listened and laughed and learned throughout the message. It was a truly great sermon about a God of Second Chances, and I'd encourage you to watch it at http://crossingsokc.org/mci/a-god-of-second-chances/.

    The service ended with an invitation to pray at the alter or light a candle at one of the many stations throughout the room, and mostly to consider our Nineveh's and ask God for a second chance to love them.

 

     We left feeling better than when we arrived and began our journey with a throng of followers across the vast complex to find our youngest and depart. She greeted us with a giant smile and completely marker-green hands and arms and we caught the nearest luxury golf cart to our vehicle somewhere on the horizon. And as our Steeple Chase came to a close this week, our hearts felt a little lighter knowing that while other parts of the world seem to be turning to the dark, there are masses of believers still flocking to the church to worship the Light. Praise God for his Bride. May we continue to draw ever closer to Him.

A Fond Fairwell: Fairview First Baptist Church

   
      We were a little intimidated when we drove up to the First Baptist Church in Fairview, Ok this past Sunday and saw the massive amount of vehicles parked around it. In fact, my husband's exact words were, "What's going on? Is there a funeral or something?" I assured him that surely there wasn't on a Sunday morning, but I soon discovered that while no one was being laid to rest, the loving congregation at this church was most definitely celebrating an important life within their church and mourning the end of an era.

      The Fairview FBC is a large and lovely building located on Broadway just west of the Major County Court House.  The congregation first started worshiping together over 117 years ago in the very earliest days of the Fairview community.  The church building has expanded over the years and now houses a large and lovely modern sanctuary and fellowship hall attached to the original design. 


     Worship started at 9:45 and we arrived pretty much on the dot to discover a bustling crowd of people, many of which we recognized from other congregations, and we soon realized that we had arrived on Pastor David Mendenhall's final day in the pulpit.  This beloved church leader and influential member of the community had been pastor to this church family for the past 23 years and his retirement was an occasion of both sorrow and joy, loss and hope for the future, and we were blessed to get to experience this worship service with his flock.

     The sanctuary was quickly filling up, but we found five seats together, only to discover we only needed two as our girls moved forward to sit with their friends. Since this was also this sweet families final Sunday before moving to another community, we felt it was appropriate that our girls get to sit together and worship together on this momentous day, and from a few rows behind them, I wiped away tears of sadness that these wonderful people would no longer be living in our town and blessing us on a regular basis.


     The music that morning was incredible. Guitar and drums and piano and vocals invited us to praise God through music. There was a mix of contemporary and traditional hymns as they shared with us the favorite songs of their pastor that morning. We were blessed by special music by a quartet of men who had reunited after 10 years to commemorate this special occasion, and even the pastor's lovely wife shared her gift of music in a song that surely brought tears even to the most toughened hearts. (Personally, I don't know how she made it through, but I am touched by her willingness to please her husband and her Lord and blessed by the beauty of her voice and her bravery.)

     We were also privileged to get to be a part of a baptism that morning. Once again tears ran down my face as a boy my daughter's age publically professed his love and belief in Jesus Christ and was immersed in the baptismal pool signifying the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus and a new life with Him as Lord and Savior.



      The final sermon of Pastor Mendenhall was full of memories from the past years together and urgings to move forward in God's will. He encouraged the Body to be in prayer for the new pastor that God has in store for them and to carry on with plans already in place for building at Falls Creek and other ministries.  His words were smooth and caring and full of love, and you could just feel the connection in the room between these people who had spent so many years worshiping and working for the Kingdom together. The combination of tears and smiles on the faces surrounding us were beautiful to behold, and the feeling that God was in our midst impossible to ignore.
   
    It wasn't a typical day at the Fairview First Baptist Church, but it was beautiful and blessed. Though the days ahead will never look quite the same for this church family, I'm sure that they will have a long and fruitful future as they continue to seek God's will and serve others through the body of Christ. We are so grateful that God guided us to this congregation on this special day, and we will continue to look to Him for guidance as we Steeple Chase in the days ahead.

 
     

 

 

 

 

 

Natural Worship Centers: No Steeple Required

   

Gloss Mountain State Park

     This week has been a little different and very full of worship. Week by week this year, we've sought out churches to worship in and people to connect with in buildings new and old, large and small across our great state. We've marveled at the gorgeous artwork and architecture and reveled in both the ancient and the contemporary houses of worship built to honor and bring praise to our Lord. However, this week, we've taken our worship opportunities in grand cathedrals built by none other than our amazing God himself.

   Sunday morning we accepted an invitation from friends and members of the Saron Mennonite Church (see previous blog post) to attend a worship service with them at the Gloss Mountain State Park just northwest of Fairview. We brought along food to contribute to a picnic lunch, loaded our lawn chairs, put on our "play clothes", and drove the 20 minutes to "church". 

    The congregation welcomed us just as we've come to expect, with open arms and friendly faces, and we couldn't help but be inspired by the breathtaking views surrounding us. The Gloss Mountains are an impressive rise of red dirt hills in the midst of the desert-like flatlands of the Cheyenne Valley that gleam and sparkle in the sun due to deposits of gypsum throughout.

     The Saron Church chooses to meet in this natural treasure once a year for Children's Sunday, and we were thrilled to be a part of this special service this year. After a simple sermon with visual effects to bring understanding to kids and adults alike, some acapella singing, and heartfelt prayer, we shared a meal together and bonded over potato salad and deviled eggs and homemade ice cream as generations of down-home church families have done before us. Then, we grabbed some bottles of water and headed up the trail...and I do mean up!

    The trail to the top of the Gloss Mountains has built-in stairs to assist with the assent, and I for one was very thankful for the help. We climbed and climbed and chased lizards and pointed out cloud shapes and rejoiced together in the creation of our Father. The kids asked questions and pointed out discoveries, and climbed into underground tunnels, and despite the heat and the exertion, their joy far outweighed their complaints. It was a day of beauty and belief and friendship and worship, and I am very happy to say that God chose to continue our experience in many ways in the days to come.

    On Wednesday of this week, my middle daughter and I arrived at another of God's majestic sanctuaries at Canyon Camp at Red Rock Canyon State Park.  Here our camp theme was Partnering with God in His creation, and we had many opportunities to enjoy his handiwork in the sparkling stars, enchanting trees and plant life, and beautiful canyon walls. The climb to the cross at the top of the canyon gave us breathtaking views and reminded us repeatedly of the creativity and skill of our Creator.

     We spent three days in this incredible natural habitat with our focus on our God, and my heart is so full from praising my Lord that I wonder why I don't take the opportunity more often to worship both with others and alone in the wondrous beauty of the Creator's temple. What a wonderful world He has provided for us, and while we should all continue with our Chase, there is absolutely no Steeple required.

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!

Choosing Trinity: Trinity Episcopal Church Guthrie, OK

     I love Guthrie, Oklahoma. I love the history and the historical buildings and the antique stores and THE CHURCHES! So I was very excited when we decided to head east Sunday morning to attend church there.

   We hadn't fully decided which church we wanted to attend, we just knew we wanted one of those big old churches on Church Row, so we left early enough to be able to drive around and let the girls pick the church they wanted to attend. We stopped at Braums for breakfast, and said a prayer asking God to guide our decision and lead us to the church He wanted for us that morning. Then we went Steeple Chasing!

    We drove by every church we could find, checking out starting times and looking at websites. In addition we took in the beautiful architecture of the churches, houses, and businesses in the area as well as the extremely impressive Scottish Rites Temple. There were several buildings my girls wanted to move back to the farm to live in.

    Eventually, we narrowed our choices to the 1st United Methodist Church and the Trinity Episcopal Church which sat side by side. My somewhat cautious husband voted for the known, but as we pulled into an empty parking lot only moments before starting time, we realized something strange was going on. After a quick trip to the churches website, we discover that they were having their service at the park that morning, so our oldest daughter got her choice of Trinity Episcopal (for obvious reasons if you know her well.)

The Trinity Episcopal Church was founded in 1889 after the territory was settled by land run. The original church building was built that same year and the next on another lot entirely. Within a few years it was moved to its current location, and attached to the rectory (which I understand had to be rotated to face the proper direction). The current cathedral was started in 1910 but took a few years before its completion in 1914. The cathedral is absolutely gorgeous, and the original portion of the church complex is hailed as the "first building erected for the permanent use of a congregation in the State". 

 

 

 

 

 

    The building was very impressive from the outside, but we had never attended an Episcopal church and had pretty much no idea what was going to take place inside. I quickly looked up their website and was relieved to find an explanation of the service for visitors. It explained the formal dress of the priest as well as the traditional service which came mostly from the Book of Common Prayers. It explained that the bulletin would indicate what words to say and whether to stand, sit, or kneel at specific times. 

    This set my mind at ease, but caused my husband to whimper (at least half-way jokingly), "I'm scared," as we got out of the car. I told him and my now nervous daughters to conquer their social anxieties, and we headed inside, taking numerous pictures along the way. 

 

   It turned out any nervousness was entirely unnecessary. The people of Trinity welcomed us with open arms. They were so kind to guide us through our first visit, pointing out particulars in the bulletin, offering to take the little ones to children's church (even though their own children were all old enough to participate in the entire service), and taking the time to learn our names and visit with us afterwards, answering numerous questions about both the church and the denomination as a whole. 
 

 

 

 

   The episcopal denomination and worship service is something of a cross between a Roman Catholic and Protestant worship service. The service started with music as the supply priest, Rev. Mike Jasper entered from the back, followed by the deacon, Rev. Karen Hansen who carried a book containing the mornings scriptures, and a young lady in a white robe carrying a large ornate cross over her head. The remainder of the service was mostly a series of scriptures and prayers that the congregation members heard and responded to or read aloud in unison. I was pleased with the way the service allowed the members to be participants rather than just spectators and kept even my girls (minus the youngest who hasn't yet learned to read) very actively involved. In addition, there were traditional hymns as well as communion, offering, announcements, and prayer for joys and concerns in the community just as you would see in most any Protestant congregation on Sunday morning. (If you're interested in learning more about the episcopal church as a whole, I found some very useful information at epicenter.org.) 
   

 

    We were very interested to discover that many of the creeds and thanksgivings used in the Episcopal service were the same as those used in traditional Methodist services and that both come from the Book of Common Prayer. One member laughingly told us that they say Methodists are Episcopals who forgot their history, but the wonderful thing we're discovering on our Steeple Chase is that regardless of our history and traditions, God is very present in our places of worship. We were so blessed by our journey to Trinity Episcopal in Guthrie this week, and I just have to believe He's enjoying the similarities and diversity of our worship just as much as we are!

We had never attended a church with a kneeling rail.

 

 

A fount for holy water at the back was new to us as well.

 

Fresh Start For REAL!

                              


     I don't know if I've ever been to a church that felt more real.  There were no greeters at the door, there was no bulletin or posted order of worship, there was no praise band or pianist, or pomp and circumstance whatsoever. There was no musical call to worship, or candles lit, or offering taken.  There was no elaborately decorated sanctuary or formally robed pastor or quietly observing Sunday morning worshipers.

    There was, however, a little boy who held the door open for us as we walked inside, and a pastor who welcomed us and shook my husband's hand and told stories to my daughter and made her laugh. There was a friend who offered me coffee and led me to the kitchen where I was encouraged to help myself to not only the coffee but the homemade muffins sitting on the counter as well. There were friends sitting together at tables talking and laughing who smiled or nodded or said hello as I walked by.

    There was a historic sanctuary in a historic church that had once been the First United Methodist Church until ten years ago when they built a new church and sold the old one to a private party who now graciously leases part of the building to Fresh Start Fellowship for their Sunday and Wednesday services. There were lovely stained glass windows and padded chairs lined up in rows and a stage with a large screen tv set upon a table waiting to pull up YouTube and provide both music and lyrics to the morning's worshipers.

     There was a room in the back where the little ones (including my own) went to play and unbridled laughter and screams and even a few cries could be heard as Pastor Kris Ewbank walked to the front and mother's took turns stepping out to check on the kids. There was an open forum kind of chat about things happening in the community and congregation that flowed seamlessly into a conversation about mother's that many took part in, unreservedly sharing memories and stories and gratitude on this Mother's Day morning.

    There was a thought provoking and touching Biblical message which pitted societies' version of a good mom against God's version.  Examples in biblical mothers such as Lois and Eunice were used to encourage us to seek Godly wisdom and to encourage our children to step out in faith like Timothy and John Mark of the New Testament. And when Pastor Kris had finished his sermon, there was an open opportunity to ask questions or share observations or realizations from the lesson that morning. It was relaxed and encouraging and heartfelt and open and real, and when everyone had said their fill, we were asked to gather together at the front where members shared concerns and asked for prayers and took turns praying for others. There was a call for a special prayer for single mothers in the congregation, and surrounded by those who had been their themselves, as well as all the other mothers and grandmothers and men in the congregation, we laid hands on one another and prayed for wisdom and strength and the ability to reach out to one another in love.

     There was no closing song or benediction, but there was an invitation to join the weekly potluck (which we passed on this week due to Mother's day and middle daughter's birthday). There was no parting "visitors" gift, but there was a pile of trash bags in the corner of the sanctuary and a request to help add to it with items for their inner city ministry. There were a few similarities to the Sunday morning worship services we're used to attending, and there were many, many differences.....which is exactly as it was supposed to be. Fresh Start Fellowship was started eight years ago with the goal of providing a different kind of church to serve others and worship God in a different kind of way in order to make a difference. And we were so blessed on our Steeple Chase this week to discover that they are continuing to do just that!

It may be different, but it's difference with a purpose.
These items are being gathered in the sanctuary to be shared in ministry.
Now that's a difference I can stand behind!

P.S.  Fresh Start Fellowship is hosting a women's conference this Saturday at the Fairview Community Center. They've asked me to be one of the speakers, and I would very much appreciate your prayers as I take this opportunity to do what I feel God leading me to do. I'd also LOVE to have you in attendance. God bless you, my friends, and thank you so much for being a part of our journey.
 

(P.P.S. Old picture! Don't expect me to look like that on Saturday!)

                                               

Cedar Springs: A Faithful Fellowship

   

 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!