Church in the Windshield

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.