Church in the Windshield

 

The Talmage United Methodist Church

July 29 2018

Travel north of Abilene, Kansas on Fair Road about ten miles and you will come to a little town of Talmage.  This small town’s population is about seventy five; it’s a friendly little town and my home town.

Sheron and I turn right on Ohio Street and drive east toward Francis Street three blocks away.  Age old trees stand on either side of the street shading the street with branches that nearly touch the roof of the car.

Driving the short nostalgic drive, I reminisce some of the “old timers” that use to live in those houses. My mind drifts for a moment and I wonder who lives in those houses now?

We park in front of this stately old red brick church which has been such a part of my life for now almost seventy five years.  There is a sign out front that gives the service time and the name of the pastor, Rev Julie Truhlar. She won’t be there today though because I am filling in for her while she attends summer school in Wilmore, Kentucky.

My wife and I sit in the car for a little while and I appreciate once again the beauty of this structure.  I see the corner stone that remains etched in the edifice of time and it reads “Established in 1917.”  From a recent celebration, I know that the corner stone contains a metal box chuck full of historical artifacts. I know also that the corner stone has recently been removed; the contents examined and current items added to update the time capsule for future generations.

My eyes gaze upward toward the top of this magnificent structure and I see foot tall letters embossed in cement.  The letters supported by two huge pillars and two stately half pillars, proudly announce “Methodist Episcopal Church.”

The pillars stand on top of corner rounded steps that can easily support more than one hundred people at the same time for photo opts. Sheron and I climb the steps that lift us to a Holy Sanctuary and place of worship . . . one . . . two . . . three . . . ten in all, we count.

We enter the sacred sanctuary, where we are greeted by a few long-time old friends and some new found friends as well.  In a little while, more people would come; one by one they will drift in; but no more after seventeen.

Seventeen dedicated people are doing their best to keep the church doors open. Seventeen people who remember when the church provided worship for a hundred plus people on any given Sunday.  I ponder on that for a moment and breathe a silent prayer of “Thanksgiving” for those so dedicated.  God bless them each one.

Before the service starts, I look upward to once again appreciate the ultra-high dome. It is a gorgeous dome and it always gives me the awesome feeling of being close to God.

During the day, light shines through beautiful stained glass windows contained in the dome enhancing the worship service.  At night, there is one high wattage bulb that hangs from the center of the dome to illuminate the pews directly below.  After almost seventy five years of life, I still wonder how the bulb is replaced.  Perhaps there is an opening at the top of the dome where one can reach the bulb . . . or maybe a cable that pulls up the whole light fixture . . . I wonder.

Suddenly, I hear the music prelude being played and my mind is jerked back to the reality of the worship service. I have been greatly blessed and now I need to bring a message that will bless others as well.

After going through all the ritual of the church service, the singing . . . the prayers . . . etc. comes time for the message.  The message today comes from the Gospels where Jesus fed five thousand men plus women and children. Jesus fed the people by using a young boy’s willingness to share his five barley loaves and a couple of fish. New inspiration from the well-used story came when Jesus divided the crowd into hundreds and fifties.

Jesus took the overwhelming problem (feeding the five thousand) and broke it down into small amounts (hundreds and fifties).  The implication being that we can tackle overwhelming problems in our lives by breaking them down to small amounts.

The service ended; Sheron and I said our benediction to the congregation. We felt that we had been to worship today and somehow I think the congregation felt they had been to worship as well.

So take overwhelming problems a little bit at a time and God will be with you and bless you.

Until next time, We will see you in the windshield. 

Ron & Sheron, the drivers behind the windshield

Epilogue:  If you would like to visit a warm friendly little church on a Sunday morning, stop by and visit the Talmage United Methodist Church, 2970 Francis, Talmage, Kansas.  Worship service starts at 10:00 a.m. They would be happy to have you and their pastor Julie Truhlar does a wonderful job.

Church in the Windshield
 

Lucas United Methodist  

August 26, 2018

 

Drive north on the main street of Lucas, Kansas to the water tower and there you will find the neatest well-kept Methodist church. It is a brick structure beautifully landscaped and everything about it says “Welcome”. 

The church parking lot includes the water tower and what a great symbol! Churches traditionally represent the living water of Jesus Christ and here is a whole tower of (symbol) of that living water.

As we entered the church, we were greeted by friendly people; a warm and caring congregation. We received many “Hello’s. . . Glad you are here . . .  and Good to see you”. It made us feel like we were a part of the church family and in a way, I guess we were.  You see, I have “filled in” a number of times there though not today.  Consequently, we had already made a lot of friends there.

But, there is something about the church that makes it more than friends. There is a special spirit in that church; a spirit of “working together . . . praying for one another . . . listening to one another”.

There is a special spirit about the building itself . . . it’s massive for a rural church. There is a large cross in front of the sanctuary . . . beautiful stained glass windows and an eternal flame, symbol of the spirit.

There are chimes on the tower that ring out God’s glory with hymns and song at varies times of the day. Beautiful music from the chimes on Sunday morning remind area residence that it is time for church . . . and time for worship.

Members of the congregation started the church service that morning since the pastor serves three churches and would not be in there until later. The congregation sang hymns projected on the wall through very modern technology . . . and an excellent sound system.  A number of children came down front to hear a wonderful story led by a member of the congregation.

Then we heard the firm steps of the pastor and our long-time friend Pastor Les Rye as he entered the sanctuary.  He came down front . . . turned . . .  saw us and waived a friendly greeting.  It was good to be in his church again. He was dressed in a long sleeved shirt, jeans and western style boots, most appropriate for a rural mid-western church. 

Pastor had a great message today as he always does.  Today’s message came (in part) from the book of James . . . “Be quick to listen; slow to speak and quick forgive . . . Control the tongue and be in control of your life”.

At the end of the service the congregation slowly left the sanctuary each in turn shaking-hands with Pastor Rye. Some engaged in thoughts and positive comments about the morning message. Pastor Rye took the time to listen to each story or comment and share some of his own thoughts as well. Certainly, this is one of the traits that make him so popular and well accepted in the community. 

Sheron and I left the church that morning being challenged by God’s word, the pastor’s message and the warm spirit of a friendly congregation. It’s that spirit that makes the Methodist Church such a vital part of the Lucas community.

Epilogue: If you would like to attend a warm and friendly church; experience God in a great way then stop by the Lucas United Methodist Church. The service starts at11:00 a.m. each Sunday and the church would love to have you.

Until next time, share the spirit and the living water. Let us hear from you and maybe we will see your church in our windshield.

Ron & Sheron, the drivers behind the windshield

 

 

Bunker Hill United Methodist Church

July 8 2018

We visited the Bunker Hill United Methodist Church on July 8, 2018. We arrived a few minutes early to find a well-kept small white country church that seemed to say “Welcome.” The church stood alone beside a street gray rock colored pavement. Cars were randomly parked in front of the church on both sides of the street. Other cars were parked on the green and brown grass that bordered the south side of the church. Wide metal entry steps seemed to announce and echo our arrival to what would become a great worship experience.

 

We were greeted by a warm and friendly congregation with open arms.  It felt so good to be accepted by such faithful Christians; we instantly felt like we were a part of the church family. The pastor, Rev. Michael Eurit shared a great message entitled “98lb Weakling“. We are weak but God is strong and will see us through both difficult and good times.

 As we left the service that morning, we felt that we had truly been to worship and God was in this place.  God was in this place through singing, warm hand-shakes, friendly greetings and a sense of true caring. One of the songs, an old favorite of many, “Jesus loves me” seemed to set the mood for the day. 

This little country church obviously is a stable pillar of hope for the Bunker Hill community. Certainly it has seen its share of weddings, funerals, and social gatherings over its many years of existence. Though empty through the week, this little church opens its doors every Sunday morning to live and share the good news of Jesus Christ. Wouldn’t it be great if our lives could reflect God’s love everyday as does this little Bunker Hill United Methodist Church?

This friendly little church celebrates a unique Christmas tradition each year by decorating and lighting the church with real lanterns.  The soft warm glowing flicker of the lanterns creates an atmosphere of spirit, peace, and tranquility as people come to worship.

When we drive through Bunker Hill now, we drive by the church and experience God in a new and refreshing way. We will remember the church and the church family; the warm after-glow of worship and the uplifting message that carried us through the week.

Until Next Time keep on sharing Jesus’ love and the warm after-glow kindled.

Ron & Sheron, Drivers behind the Windshield

Epilogue:  If you are traveling on Interstate 70 on a Sunday morning and would like to attend a wonderful caring little country church then, turn off at Bunker Hill (exit 193); go a mile north.  The church is a couple of blocks east of the highway.  The service starts at 9:15 a.m.  They would love to have you.

 

Church in the Windshield
 

Geneseo United Methodist Church

September 2, 2018

 

If you travel sixteen miles south from Ellsworth, Kansas on highway 14 you will come to stop sign which is highway 4. Turn left on highway 4; drive a couple of mile and you will come to Geneseo.  Geneseo is a quiet little town with a great little United Methodist Church. There is something about that church that makes you feel warm, “compfy” and welcome.  Is it the bell out front, the four towering pillars supported by steps, or something else?

It’s about twenty minutes ahead of service time; Sheron and I gaze through the front window of our pickup.  Once again we experience the beauty of the pillars, the steps and the bell.  We notice that the church is well-kept and the lawn is nicely groomed.  The view of the front of the church points our vision upward toward the heavens and we feel the presence of God. But there is something more . . . what is it? 

We climb the steps and enter the sanctuary; there we receive the warmest friendliest greetings.  People greet us like they have known us for a long time and in fact they have.  Sheron and I have been invited to the church a number of times to “fill in” when the pastor is gone or on vacation. So we feel like we are a part of the church family.  But it is not just us; this church greets everyone like they have been friends forever . . . even new people.  

 

Once again, I enjoy the view of the sanctuary and I silently give God thanks for this church and for their pastor Guy Rendoff who has taken some well-deserved time off this Sunday. I take some pictures before church time so I can put them in the blog later. Then I see it high above the pulpit; the philosophy and mission of the church.  The sign reads, “Reaching out in love, to all God’s children.” Wow . . . that reminder is before the congregation every Sunday morning during the worship service.  That is one of the keys to this church’s success.

The usual announcements were made at the beginning of the service by various members of the congregation. And I gave a welcome to all who ventured out that morning; we sang hymns and prayed the morning prayers. Sheron did a beautiful job with the children’s time as she always does. 

There were several children in the children’s time today and Sheron gave them each one a large air filled hand. The index finger of the hand pointed toward God and there was a big #1 printed on the back of the hand.  God is number one in our lives.

Then it happened, a nice looking young lad dressed in a dark blue suit jacket and jeans came down front to read the scripture. His dad dressed in a light brown sport coat and jeans came with him to give moral support. Dad stood behind the boy and slightly to the left so he could follow the reading of the scriptures as well. The young lad did a marvelous job reading the scripture, so poised, and read with such confidence, grace, and clarity.  I was so proud of him and proud of his dad as well for standing with him.  I would not be surprised if that young boy would become a preacher at some point in time. God has already blessed him with some ministry tools.

I had the privilege of sharing the message from the book of James Chapter one which said, “Be quick to listen, slow to speak and quick to forgive. It seems to me that it fit in quite well with the church sign and philosophy, “Reaching out in Love to all God’s Children.”

Until next time, keep on reaching out and loving all God’s children. Let us know and we might see your church in our windshield.

Ron & Sheron, drivers behind the windshield

Epilogue:  If you are traveling along highway 4 some Sunday and would like to receive a wonderful blessing, stop by the Geneseo United Methodist Church.  It is located at 407 Eighth Street in Geneseo, Kansas. The service starts at 10:00 a.m.

 

 

 

Church in the Windshield

Brookville United Methodist Church

VBS Program July 22, 2018

Pastor Bill Gies

Its 9:00 a.m. when Sheron and I leave for the Brookville United Methodist Church located about forty miles from us.  We arrive early in Brookville and see a beautiful well-kept white wooden church located across the street from the city park.  There is one lone small blue car parked in front of the church.  We assume that it might be the pastor’s car but we are not sure. 

 

There is an attached building on the right side of the church and we assume that it is the fellowship hall and maybe some classrooms. It also is a white well-kept wooden structure. 

Our eyes move slowly to the right and we see eight interesting cement block pillars. Four of the pillars are on one side of an estimated one hundred foot square and four pillars on the other side of the square. There are two or three heavy gauge wires tied across each two pillars. Sheron and I wonder about the purpose of the pillars.  Perhaps the pillars and wires were to support a grape vineyard, we speculate.  Maybe it was a part of the old abandoned Brookville Restaurant located just on the other side of the plot. We ponder that for a while in silence.

Suddenly, the silence is broken by the sound of a motor scooter approaching the vineyard.  A young lad dressed in a blue shirt, and wearing a baseball cap hid his scooter behind a bush.  The bush located in front of the vineyard gave perfect cover and security to the motor scooter.

Cars and pickups began to arrive and averted our attention back to the church. A couple of people came to greet us and invite us to come inside for cookies.  One person dressed in a blue shirt turned out to be the pastor, Rev. Bill Gies.  

We entered the ground level sanctuary and were greeted with a surprise.  The front of the sanctuary was decorated with camping gear and bushes.  There was a puppet stage to the left center of the sanctuary and a blue tarp representing water taped to the main isle.  This was Vacation Bible School Sunday.

 

A cheery voice said, “Come on in to the fellowship hall; have a cookie and a glass of water.”

We obliged and entered the fellowship hall to be greeted by a whole room full of young people; all dressed in blue shirts.  The youth enthusiastically served cookies and water to all who entered.  What a special treat? These youth were so excited about Vacation Bible School that it gave us a lift just to be there.  

I wondered around the fellowship hall for a while and looked at some of the church’s pictures and plaques.  Then I saw it uniquely hanging so stately on the wall; a swinging photo album of years gone by. The obvious mission of this church was kids and Vacation Bible School. The swinging album proudly displayed pictures of Vacation Bible School each year back to 2002.  WOW! Needless to say, I was impressed.

Here is a church that looked out of its window; saw the city park across the street. It looked at its structure and said, we have a large room and an updated facility. We have modern technology and people with skills: let’s do a ministry for kids!

Soon the church service started; youth and children enthusiastically sang praise songs embellished with lively actions.  Some swayed with the music and some just swayed; some sang and some just waved. But all of God’s children were accepted, encouraged and applauded.

Isn’t that what church is all about . . . accepting . . . encouraging . . . and applauding? Perhaps, we adults ought to be more like the children.

Until next time, keep on encouraging and applauding. 

See you in the windshield!

Ron & Sheron, the Drivers behind the Windshield

 

Church in the Windshield

Buckeye Brethren Church

June 17, 2018 Father’s Day

Ten miles northeast of Abilene, Kansas stands a little white well-kept out on the prairie type of church. The church stands across the street north from an old grocery store now long since closed. One family lives in a house next to the grocery store. Just across the street east of the church stands a nice looking red brick building that houses an insurance company.

 

There is a grass driveway that leads to the church where people park along one side in random formation. Though the parking formation is random, members of the church usually park near the same place each Sunday morning. Interestingly enough each person has their own routine time of arrival, first one and then another until they have all arrived.

 

Sheron and I enter the church by way of a nice looking red colored door on the south side of the church. Upon entry of the church we climb a few steps to gain access to the main floor.  There is a wooden stand at the top of the stairs where we observe a hand full of bulletins. 

I pick up one of the bulletins to see the service order for the day. I check to see if my name is spelled right and it is as always.  You see, this little church learned how to keep its doors open.    It does it by inviting guest ministers to come to the church and share a message.

 

Consequently, I am invited to come to the church once in a while and share the message for the day.

Over the years, pastors and laity shared God’s message from many different points of view.  Thus the church has a very healthy understanding of faith, hope and the love of Jesus Christ. 

I greet people and make my way to the front of the church as it is time for the service to start. As the service starts I observe the congregation and notice that all twelve or so are present; there are smiles on their faces and there is sense of warmth and caring in the sanctuary.  These people truly care for each other.

Sun shines through beautiful stained glass windows on the east; there is a wonderful atmosphere of worship.  I announce the first hymn and a member of the congregation sets the CD to play accompany music through the sound systems. 

After the singing comes a time of prayer; I ask for people to share their joys, thoughts and prayer concerns so we can focus.  Then it happens, everybody starts talking about the fire at Buckeye on the previous Friday, two days before the church service.

The fire started in a vacant building just south of town and they think it started because of an electrical short. Strong southerly winds blew sparks and embers across the grocery store and over the roof of the church. People were anxious that the old grocery store and the church were going to be burned but fireman came, they said.

 

Fireman came from at least six different fire districts with maybe a dozen trucks; saved the grocery store and protected the church. Sparks from the fire though fell on the dry grass immediately north of the church and set the cemetery a blaze.  The strong southern wind swept flames through the cemetery as quickly as an eagle diving to earth to snatch its prey.

In a moment, fire jumped the north boundary fence of the cemetery and moved swiftly in the dry grass toward a homestead three quarters of a mile away. Could it be stopped in time to save the house and out buildings? Yes, it could be stopped and it was but not until it was within a few hundred yards of the dwelling. Thank you, Lord, for area firemen and mutual aid agreements of fire departments.

 

We had a prayer and I shared God’s message for the day, but I think the fire message was more prominent. Here remains the church strong in the spirit and spared in the fire!  Who could top a message like that?

 
Until next time keep the faith and stay out of the fire.

Ron & Sheron, Drivers behind the Windshield

Epilogue:

If you are traveling and would like to have a great experience, visit the Brethren Church in Buckeye. They would gladly welcome you.  The service starts at 10:30 a.m. each Sunday.

 

Let us know where you are located and maybe one day, we will see your church in our windshield.