The book below, Saga of Emmanuel, has been submitted by Rev. Vernon
Swenson, 208 West Normal Drive, Lindsborg, KS 67456, USA, telephone 785-227-3602.
The views expressed in this book are my views and not necessarily the views of Bethany Lutheran Church, Lindsborg,
KS. This book is out of print. You are encouraged to download it and share with others.
This writing is intended for worshippers in Christian congregations who believe their congregations, though small, should not close. They believe their congregation continues to have a ministry of God's grace in the community that only a Christian congregation can provide. Even a remote possibility of their congregation closing causes excruciating pain.
CHRISTIAN CONGREGATIONS NEED NOT WITHER AND DIE! There is an alternative to decline that inevitably ends in the death of a congregation. There is the alternative of health and joyful ministry! Read the story of this fictional congregation. Intentionally discuss the alternative. Courage, motivated by love, can help you do that. You may find this story can be the story of your congregation except in one aspect. You need not go through the pain of closure. By taking preemptive action there is a better way. By picking up this book and reading this foreword you may have already begun that journey. May the Holy Spirit guide you each step of the journey.
Pentecost Season, 1999
It is with gratitude I present this second book on congregational ministry to the church. To the Lutheran churches of Tanzania, Liberia, Canada and the USA I say "Thank You" for the privilege of serving in your midst.
Some thirty years ago a predecessor of mine at Wembere, Tanzania, Pastor Douglas Lundell, introduced me to Roland Allen's book, Missionary Methods: St. Paul's or Ours". My understanding and vision for ministry has never been the same since. It has been a journey of Bible Study; reading; teaching at Mwika Bible School, Tanzania, and Gbarnga School of Theology, Liberia; and pastoring congregations in Tanzania, Canada and the USA. This has been coupled with intentional observation. To all of my coworkers and friends I say "Thank you!" My life has been enriched.
To my wife, Doris, I express my deepest gratitude for her guiding and steadying hand during these 50 years of ministry together. Her ever faithful partnership in reading, counseling and editing the written material has been invaluable. Also, I owe a debt of gratitude to Charley Kempthorne of The Life-story Institute for assistance in writing and Charlotte Ternstrom for the proofreading.
Lastly, I give my thanks to God, the Father of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who in my baptism called me to His service and has continued to renew that call through the years; and to the Holy Spirit who, I believe, has sustained and illumined me in my thinking and writing. Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
FOREWORD............................................................................. 1
WORDS OF APPRECIATION................................................. 2
TABLE OF CONTENTS........................................................... 2
The Gathering.............................................................................. 3
The Worship............................................................................. 10
Fellowship................................................................................. 20
Under the Cottonwoods............................................................ 25
New Beginnings........................................................................ 33
Home Again.............................................................................. 37
ENDNOTES............................................................................ 46
What Can Be Done?................................................................. 48
RESPONSES........................................................................... 49
Excerpts From Responses......................................................... 50
COPYRIGHT: I believe the Holy Spirit has been my guide in writing this book and is the author behind the story. It is intended to be good news and good news should not be kept to ourselves. 2 Kings 7:9 Therefore, this book is not copyrighted. If quoted, a credit line will be appreciated.
The afternoon wind blew gently from the northwest. The cool, gentle wind was the leftover of a cold front that had moved across the high plains on Friday evening. That cool front, after a sultry day, had left a rainfall of about 1.30 inches. It was much needed rain -- just enough to bring the wheat to maturity and cause the milo and sunflowers that were in the ground or soon would be in the ground to sprout. Things were looking up. It had been a dry winter but this rain promised a fair to good crop if the farmers could just get it off. As they watched the clouds build up in the northwest there was some anxiety. There always is at this time of the year. Too often the black clouds also bring high winds and hail. There had been a spat of pea-sized hail but not enough to really do any damage. Everyone was feeling good, but a bit apprehensive about the coming wheat harvest The labor and the investments of a year could be wiped out in a few minutes, except for what is covered by insurance.
Ken and Sara Johnson and their children, Trevor, 8, and Lisa, 5, were the first to arrive at Emmanuel Lutheran Church of Grainville that Sunday afternoon. Bill and Sandra Small with Becky, 6, soon drove up. Sam and Dora Schneider came next and parked in front of Emmanuel. These six adults and three children were about the only regular attendees left at Emmanuel. There still were 27 names left on the church records. Some were elderly and found it difficult to get out, a few had moved out of the community, others came only occasionally. The rest just seemed indifferent.
The Johnsons have about three sections of cultivated land plus some range land and a small herd of beef cattle. Bill and Sandra both work in Dexler; Bill is a mechanic at the Ford garage and Sandra teaches fourth grade. They hobby farm a quarter section. They just like to keep their hands in the soil. Sam and Dora retired to Dexler two years ago after selling off their machinery and cattle in a public auction. Farming had been a good career for them. They were married and started farming when Sam came home from WWII. They had seen good times and bad times, but most of them good.
After the exchange of greetings the families "passed the time of day" for a few minutes Dora, always a person to get things done, said, “I think we had better go in and get things lined up for the coffee and potluck. Seems kind of different to have both a meal and coffee. We haven't even had a coffee since Aunt Ida's funeral.”
Bill offered, "Anything we can do to help?"
Dora, "Not now, but there will be plenty to do when it comes cleanup time."
Picking up their baskets of food the women went into the church and began getting the kitchen ready for the coffee and carry in supper. It had been a long time since the 30 cup coffee pots and serving dishes had been used so they needed to be rinsed off. There was hot water in the faucet. Ken had turned on the water heater on Saturday evening when he had gone down to check things out. The water heater had been shut off for the past two years to save on the utility bills. The kitchen was full of talk about school being out and what the families were planning for the summer. Not a lot of extra things to do; Trevor was going to be playing with the Pee Wee team in Dexler.
"Remember when we had enough young people to play workup after the mission meetings? Some games they were! The Edstrom kids were especially good at baseball," reminisced Dora. "Those were the ‘good old days.’” Dousing a stack of plates into the sudsy water she monologued on, "Families were larger in those days. At one time we had four children in Sunday School." She heaved a sigh, "Well, I guess it doesn't do any good to lament too much but I sure don't like to think about what is happening here today. We have been trying to put it off so long."
Sara, switching the faucet to the other side of the sink, started to fill the coffee pot. "When did you and Sam first start to sense what was going to happen? When Ken and I got married the worship attendance was already down to about 20 or 25 and things were starting to get tough financially for the congregation. It was getting hard to meet our share of the parish budget. When did you really start to see the 'handwriting on the wall' about Emmanuel's future?"
"Oh ----- a long. time ago. I guess about thirty years ago. We saw the farms getting bigger, families smaller, kids going off to college and not coming back. When the high school closed in '51 we knew it wouldn't be too long before the grade school would go too. When Adolph's grocery closed that was about the end of this town. Pretty soon it was only the coop and the church left. But... you know, it really goes back a lot longer than that. Since the very beginning it has always been kind of a touch and go situation. Pastors were always hard to come by. My Dad always used to tell how things were before the 'Dirty Thirties'. But when I think about it maybe the 'Dirty Thirties' were some of the best times in this congregation. None of us had much of anything so we learned how to be self reliant -- even in things concerning the church. There have been some pretty good times and there have been some pretty tough times, but we could always see that the trend was downhill."
"Did you ever talk about what was happening and the future?”
"Not really. Guess we were afraid to do that. When the mission support was taken away we knew that we were in big trouble. We knew we couldn't support a pastor by ourselves. But other ways were found. When Samuelson resigned we were then linked up with Salem. That helped for a while, but attendance went down, preachers' salaries went up and the price of wheat went down. Oh, how we all struggled! I sure felt sorry for our pastors. They were good ones, but one can sacrifice just so much. Somehow, even preachers have to find money to send their kids off to college and put aside something for retirement. So, they were forced to move on to bigger places. But, every time a pastor resigned, the synod always seemed to come up with a new solution. We have been through all kinds of alignments. Every one of them was supposed to be, 'THE SOLUTION'. We were ALWAYS going through the 'numbers crunch', trying to figure out how much each congregation would have to pay to make up the parish budget."
"I know how that is. I remember hearing about that when Ken and I got married. I really wondered whether or not I should join because I knew it would increase the congregation's financial obligation to the parish and we were not so sure that we could pick up the extra responsibility. Ken was already giving what I thought was very generously."
Sara continued. Well, this putting small congregations together isn't such a good idea all the time. It fixes a problem for a little while but then it comes back. Every time you do it you lose some of your autonomy You have to change worship service times, drive your kids to another place for confirmation class and then there are those seemingly endless council meetings.
Pulling the plug in the sink she continued, "Sounds like I'm just complaining. Well, I am. They say it is good therapy to vent yourself once in a while. You have to let it out some time. My heart is just broken.
"Didn't anyone suggest that there might be a better way?"
"Not that I ever heard of.There most likely is. There are some country churches that seem to get along by having a preacher who has another job. But that is just not the way we were brought up. That was never suggested here. We were brought up to expect that we deserved a pastor with a seminary degree just as well as the big church down in Kansas City."
"I remember that preacher we had years ago. What was his name? Klendah? Ya, that's it. We always thought that was a funny name. Sure not Swedish! He used to tell us about his seminary history professor, back in Augustana, who would say that when things really got tough in the church 'then God was standing just around the corner with a big surprise'. Maybe, just maybe, when we go out of these doors here today God will be standing just around the corner with a big surprise. Wouldn't that be great! At least we can hope. You know there still are people around here. Two years ago we had 54 out for our Christmas Eve service! I've got to quit talking. It's soon time for the service to start."
With that the conversation in the kitchen ended. The dish towels were hung on the rack to dry and the women went out to join their families.
Outside, in the lacy shade under the locust trees, trees that had been planted and nurtured by Sam's father, Sam was saying, "People used to say that trees would not grow in this barren desert. They were wrong. They do when they get planted and cared for." The men were greeting the worshippers as they arrived. Sara and her mother, Blenda, arrived from Jasper. Jasper is another small town about 20 miles to the north. They did not come out very often but would for special occasions. Blenda suffered from arthritis. Dick, Sara's husband, very seldom darkened the door of any church. Their, now adult, children seemed to follow in their father's footsteps. Everybody looked up when Bill and Jane Sander drove up in their deep blue Ford with a Missouri tag on it. They had moved to the Ozarks after they retired. They were just going down to fish and soak up the sun. Now they had come back to visit old friends and, believe it or not, the real estate agent in Selma had said to Sam, "They are looking for a house to buy, but don't spread that word around just yet. They miss their old friends.
Looking up, Ken said, "I think it is time I go in and pass out the bulletins. We have bulletins today! Sara and Sandra made them up last Thursday and ran them off at Boogaarts. We thought the people might want a little memento of this service."
The people continued to arrive, some from nearby, some from far away. Finally at 2:10 the Bishop drove up. Six weeks ago when the Assistant to the Bishop was there it was suggested that he should be invited. It was a long shot, but it just so happened that he was going to be at Salem in Buffalo Wallow in the morning for the installation of their new pastor, so he worked it into his schedule to stop in at Emmanuel for the afternoon service.
Bill reached out to shake the Bishop's hand, "Greetings and welcome," as he gave the Bishop a hearty western handshake. "We really are glad you could make it. We didn't think it would be possible on such a short notice, but you are here. Having you with us today will mean a lot to our people here."
In his casual, friendly sort of way he replied, "Glad I could make it. I wish it were under happier circumstances, but I feel the official presence of the church is important on a day like this." He threw his blue serge garment bag over his arm and headed for the church door. Inside he looked around and spotted the little room off the entry way and went in to hang up his vestments on the over the door coat hanger. You could tell he had been around a lot of churches. It did not take him long to get his bearing. As he entered the sanctuary he was greeted by Ken who was passing out the bulletins. "Where is the rest room?" he asked.
"Just around the folding doors over there," replied Ken as he pointed the way.
Other worshippers continued to arrive. The sanctuary was beginning to fill. There were some from the other neighboring Lutheran churches of the parish and the pastor and three persons from the neighboring Methodist Church in Dexter. Eyes kind of widened as two couples from the Dixon Community Church took their places. It was different to see them in a Lutheran church.
It seemed that every member still on the church rolls who lived in the area was in the church. Some hadn't been seen in a long time. Mary Samuelson had been especially invited to come and play the organ for this service. She had been the organist when the small Hammond organ was dedicated back in '52. That was quite a day. The church was full to hear this new marvel of technical ingenuity. Her husband died a few years ago. She moved off the farm and since then there was always a problem about music leadership. Sandra could play the hymns and had really worked on the liturgy but for this day she felt they should have a "real organist" who could really do a prelude and a postlude. Even though Mary had transferred her membership to Grace Lutheran in Buffalo Downs she made the special effort to be back for this day. As she sat down on the organ bench a flood of memories went through her mind: worship services, Christmas Eve candlelight services, weddings and, of course, funerals. A tear or two formed in her eyes as she recalled her husband's funeral three short years ago. Wiping her eyes she reviewed the bulletin for the day, opened the service book, placed the sheet music of hymn variations before her and then the church was filled with stirring music. Amazing what could come out of that Hammond organ!
The church was well filled. During the prelude the Bishop, Bill Small and Trevor, the acolyte, waited for the cue for them to process down the aisle. The cue this day would be the opening strains of "Faith of Our Fathers
Last to arrive was Gary Reitz with his three children. About eleven years ago, when Gary got a job with the county department of roads he and his bride, Meroe, rented the vacant parsonage. They were good renters and when the congregation concluded that they most likely were never going to have a resident pastor again the congregation gave them the first option to purchase it for $8,700.00. In a different location it would have been worth a lot more. But who wanted to buy a house in Grainville? There were several vacant houses that were gradually deteriorating.
The former parsonage really was a nice house. It's a ranch style with three bedrooms and an office on the main floor. The office had an outside entrance on the east side. In the basement there is a large open rec room with the stairway entrance right off the front hallway. Clearly it was designed as a place for youth and other groups to gather. So it was intended and so it was used at one time.
Gary had attended worship sporadically after they moved into town. Their oldest daughter, Tiffany, was baptized at Emmanuel, most likely at the insistence of the grandparents on the father's side. Tiffany now is 8. Steve and Debra are 5 and 3. They have not been baptized. Tiffany and Steve had attended Vacation Bible School two years ago when the last Bible School was held. Seven children had been enrolled.
Things had not gone well for Gary and Meroe the last several years. Several persons in the community sensed the difficulties in the home and requested the supply pastor, Larry Gunther, to make a call in the home. He did. It was a rather awkward situation. Wearing his blue, short sleeved clergy shirt he knocked at the door. Meroe opened the door -
"Good evening, I am Pastor Gunther from Emmanuel Lutheran," he said as he extended his hand.
Looking towards the kitchen, Meroe raised her voice, "Gary, the preacher is here.'"
Pastor Gunther dropped his hand to his side and just stood there while the door closed. He was about to turn away when the door opened again and Gary was there. He stepped out.
"I'm Gary", he said, extending his hand. "I am sorry about the greeting you received. I recall we met once at the gasoline pumps at the co-op. Won't you please come in?"
"Thank you."
The two went into the living room. Gary motioned to Larry to sit down. "Would you like something to drink? We have some juice, or if you like I can make a cup of coffee."
"I had a snack at the last call I made so I would appreciate just a glass of water. It's a warm day and I am thirsty. No need to put ice into it."
The two sat across from each other holding their glasses of water, both kind of sizing up the situation, not exactly knowing what to say or do. Then Pastor Gunther continued, "We can just as well get right down to the reason that I came. I have actually come for two reasons. I will start with the one about the children and Sunday School. You know that I also pastor three other congregations and come here to Grainville only on a Sunday supply basis, so I don't get around to do much calling around here. Seems like I don't get a lot done at the other places either. However, a couple of the ladies at the church told me that your oldest child had been baptized in our congregation and that she had attended Sunday School some time back. We have not had a Sunday School going for about a year but there is talk about trying to get one organized again. Do you think your children would like to come and would you as parents like to have them come?"
"Well, I think it would be fine," responded Gary. "I always went when I was a kid; but this has to be a family decision. Let me call Meroe."
He went to the bedroom where she was. He closed the door and spoke softly. Pastor Gunther could not hear the conversation but he did hear the final words, "OK, I'll come."
The two came out and sat down on the davenport. Meroe had her arms folded across her chest. Gary introduced the subject they had been talking about and asked Pastor Gunther to explain it a bit more. He did, adding a few details about Baptism, the meaning of it and the responsibility for Christian Education. He closed, "We would sure like to reopen our Sunday School. We really don't have enough children in our church families to have a class going at church. But, if we can find a few children in the community who would be willing to come and whose parents would want them to come, we will do our best to give them a worthwhile hour. I hope that your children can be a part of it."
Meroe was not slow in responding "Well, if Gary wants to take the bother he can, but I want nothing of your Sunday School idea. Our kids have to get up early five days a week to get the school bus, they are tired out when they come home, and so am I. Then there are music lessons on Saturday and shopping to do. I think they need a day off just to do what they want to do. Anyway, the Sundays I have off we usually go out of town some place. We have got to get out of this little dump of a town sometimes. I never went to Sunday school or church as a kid and I am no worse off for that. I know Tim's family is a religious family, but I don't see that they are any better than my family. I didn't need Sunday School or whatever you call it, and I don't think our kids need it. But that's up to Gary. If he wants to drag them out of bed another morning he can, but I will have nothing to do with it. Neither will I block it, but don't be asking me to come down there and work with it. I have plenty to do already. I have laundry to sort and fold. Please excuse me." With that she got up and went to the bedroom, closing the door not too gently.
Gary and Pastor Gunther were both taken aback. Gary raised his hands and spread them out in a gesture of frustration and helplessness, "What can I do?"
Finally, Pastor Gunther continued, "Under these circumstances I tend to feel that the idea of getting the children involved in the Sunday School at this time will cause more frustration and division in the home than the good it will do. So I would just suggest that you continue to do your best to quietly teach the children here at home by your daily life and talk about Jesus and the faith as you have opportunity. If we can do anything to help you by providing books or other resources let me know and I will see what we can come up with. I know in the past that there have been courses produced for home Sunday School but I don't know what, if anything1 is available now." With that he reached for his hat, indicating his intention of leaving. They got up and both went outside and stopped outside the door.
"I am sorry that things turned out this way," Gary continued. "I don't know what has gone wrong in our home. I never expected this when we got married. I thought Meroe would gradually come along and we could have a life in the church together. But it has never worked out that way. The day when Tiffany was baptized was not a happy day. I started to see what was happening that day."
Pulling his keys out of his pocket Larry headed for his car. Gary followed. Looking each other in the eye they gently embraced each other. Pastor Gunther drove off. As he started to back up he saw the bedroom curtain move just a little. "She knows that I have left."
Driving down the road Pastor Gunther thought to himself, "I never said a word about the second thing I wanted to talk to them about." Gary did not head for the house right away. To relieve some of the stress he headed towards their little garden and started to pull some weeds. "I wonder what the second thing was that he was going to talk to us about?" he mused. "I think I know. I think Meroe also knows."
When Debra was about a year old Meroe got a job at the truck stop on the interstate. Gary wasn't really in favor of it but she said, "I need an outlet outside of this house and this dead town. I need to find my own identity and this is the first step in doing it." She did. She is a gregarious person and a good manager. Promotion from server to cashier came soon and then to manager of the evening shift which was from 3:00 to closing time at 11:00. It really seemed to work out quite well. She cared for the children in the mornings and Gary in the evenings. They were able to arrange for Debbie Nelson to come into the home for the afternoon hours until Gary came home and for special times. The extra money was nice and Gary came to accept it as maybe a good thing. She had the opportunity to meet a lot of interesting people, some travelers and some truckers who were away from home.
Slim became attracted to her and they would sit at the coffee table in the corner and talk. One time Gary stopped in to pick up some milk on his way home from Claflin and saw them at the corner table. He said nothing but was uneasy about what he saw. He reasoned, "If I say something it is just going to raise all kinds of questions and will certainly end in an argument. Don't you trust me? will be the accusation."
Debbie also notices a subtle change in Meroe. She just didn't seem to be quite as
interested in the home as she had been. Her questions about the children became fewer and the times she and Gary
went out for an evening less and less frequent
The blow came when Gary came home from work one afternoon and found a note on the table. The house was pretty much in a mess. Closet doors were open with most of her clothes gone, drawers were in a mess and some pictures were off the dresser and walls. On the table was the note. It read,
"From now on Slim and I will be trucking.
You will hear from me soon. Meroe."
Gary was devastated. Neighbors said they had seen a tractor-trailer truck at the house for a couple of hours. In a few weeks Gary did hear. Divorce papers were delivered. Only one good thing was salvaged out of it. Gary got custody of the children. This all left Gary in shock and somewhat confused. The children were all confused. Gary's parents came down for a few days but if it would not have been for Debbie and her steady hand things would have been much worse. Dreams were crushed. Gary was first angry with Meroe and then with himself.
The community gathered around them as best they could. "If only they had had a pastor who was known and trusted," the members of Emmanuel said to one another. They could call in someone else from another church, but that person would be like a foreigner. But a lot was going on in the heart of Gary. After the initial surge of anger there was reflection about how things could have been different. "If only we would have had friends we could have confided in through the years." He remembered the years when his Mom and Dad bundled the family together in the car and were off to worship and they often visited with some of those same friends on Sunday afternoons. That was real bonding. Just too bad that Meroe did not have memories like that. But, today here he was, at worship. Maybe the warm invitation of Sarah had helped to bring him out. She also invited him and the children to stay for the potluck but he decided not to.
A Celebration of Ministry
Emmanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church
Grainville, Kansas
ORDER OF WORSHIP
Personal Prayer
Prelude, Lighting of Candles
Welcome and Announcements
PREPARATION FOR THE WORD
Brief Order for Confession................. page 56
Entrance Hymn.. (last verse--stand as able) #551
Apostolic Greeting and Kyrie............... page 57
The Hymn of Praise......................... page 58
Prayer of the Day - in unison - center panel
GOD SPEAKS TO US
The First Lesson.................... I Kings 19:4-8
The Psalmody, Psalm 34:1-B................ page 231
Special Music: "Jesus Loves Me”... Children's Choir
The Second Lesson................... Romans 12:1-10
A Brief Congregational Meeting
Presentations
The Alleluia.....(stand)................... page 62
The Gospel.......................... Matthew 13:1-9
Hymn.......................................... #236
The Sermon "Give Thanks For A Faithful God"
OUR RESPONSE TO GOD'S WORD
Hymn.............(stand)...................... #457
The Apostles' Creed........................ page 65
The Offering.....(seated)..................
The Offertory....(stand)................... page 75
The Prayer of the Church................... page 76
Hymn......................................... #298
The Benediction and Amen
Extinguishing of the Candles
The Postlude
Bishop Nordin, Bill and Trevor gathered in the little room off the narthex to robe and get ready to start the worship service. After the Bishop and Trevor had their robes on the Bishop said, "Let us pray.” He led in this brief prayer, “Lord, today guide and bless our every thought, word and action. May this service reflect your love and care. Amen." The others responded, "Amen." Bill assisted Trevor in lighting the torch and then the three slowly processed down the aisle -- Trevor, Bill, the Bishop. While Trevor lit the candles on the altar the Bishop and Bill reverently stood with bowed heads. Trevor moved to his seat in the front pew, the Bishop to his seat behind the pulpit and Bill to his seat behind the lectern.
"Good afternoon," Bill greeted the congregation.
“Good afternoon,” the congregation responded.
"Let us also greet each other with our customary worship greeting, "Bill continued. “The Lord be with you."
“And also with you,” the congregation responded.
"We welcome you to this worship service this beautiful afternoon. We especially welcome our guests from our parish congregations and other guests from other neighboring congregations. We welcome you who used to be members of this congregation and have returned "home" for this service. Your presence here today means so much to us. We also give our special warm welcome to Bishop Nordin of the Great Plains Synod of our Lutheran Church." Turning towards Bishop Nordin he continued, "Even though this is your first visit to this place several of us have had the opportunity to become acquainted with you in different settings -- Synod Assemblies, Area Meetings, through your writing in 'Gleanings', the synod newsletter, and in other places. Your love and concern for the welfare of the church is deeply appreciated." Bishop Nordin nodded in recognition of the welcoming words. "We also thank you in advance for leading our worship and bringing the message today.”
"I have three announcements to make.
No. 1. At our last congregational meeting in March it was decided to include a special congregational meeting as a part of this worship service. Members of the congregation have the privilege of vote, guests from congregations of the High Plains Parish have the privilege of voice and all of you are invited to remain in your places during the meeting. There is nothing done in secret in this congregation.
No 2. An offering will be received during this service to go towards retiring the outstanding obligations of this congregation. A further announcement will be made about that.
No. 3. Following the worship service we will have a ~5 minute break for beverage and cookies. All are invited. Then we will come back to our places for a time of remembering and sharing. We will close the day with a potluck supper. Again, all are invited. Tableware will be furnished. There is always plenty of food, so if you came unprepared we invite you to share in the bounty and fellowship. Bishop, now we call upon you to lead us in worship."
Bishop Nordin moved to his place before the altar. Looking over the congregation he spoke distinctly and warmly. There wasn't any microphone and no need for one. "I deeply appreciate your invitation to be here today. I do wish it were for a different reason but in the ministry of the church we are called to honestly face all kinds of situations -- some joyous and some not so joyous. We are all called to look up into the face of Jesus and seek His blessing." As he said these gentle words a few handkerchiefs and Kleenexes were slipped behind glasses.
Being sensitive to the fact that several worshippers in the congregation were not familiar with the Lutheran Book of Worship, he continued, "The Lutheran Book of Worship is actually two books in one. The first half is the worship book. The second half is the hymnbook. Let us turn to the 'Brief Order of Confession' as found on page 56 in the front part of the green book." (Guests who were not familiar with the book of worship found it helpful to be guided through the worship service.)
The worship continued as outlined in the bulletin through the reading of the Second Lesson. Sara read the First Lesson and led the responsive reading of the Psalm. With the words, "Here ends the reading," she sat down with Trevor and Lisa.
This was followed by the special music. Sandra had practiced with the children. They sang "Jesus Loves Me". Not exactly a polished presentation but it did say what Emmanuel Lutheran had been saying for 114 years. How would it be proclaimed after today?
Sarah read the Second Lesson. A powerful passage from Romans 12. A passage that was going to come back to them later.
I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God -- what is good and acceptable and perfect.
For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.
Let love be genuine, hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection, outdo one another in showing honor. (verses 1-10, NRSV)
Bill returned to the lectern, "On March 13 we called a special meeting of the congregation to make a decision about the future of this congregation. There were six voting members present. After considerable discussion and a review of the financial status of the congregation the following motion was unanimously passed, ‘That this congregation be closed as of June 1, 1997, and that the Bishop be informed of this decision.’ It was indeed with heavy hearts that we came to this decision but we who were gathered recognized the inevitable. All of us who were gathered for that meeting, and many others as well, had recognized for some time that the inevitable was actually coming to pass. We were not just enough people left to continue to pay the costs of keeping the ministry going here. For years it has been a story of ever smaller worship attendance and ever increasing costs. We were gradually running deeper and deeper into debt and we were fearful that if this depressing situation would be permitted to continue it could cause negative feelings amongst ourselves and in the community that surrounds us. We certainly do not find our situation to be an inviting situation. Very few new residents move into our community and the few who do do not seem to be attracted to this place of worship. We also made the decision that, in an endeavor to keep the doors open until this date we would take turns in leading the worship services. We also decided to request assistance from the Bishop to make this possible. He graciously responded by supplying us with some resources -- a book of sermons, some audio tapes and some videos. Those we have used. With the reduced operating expenses our financial picture has improved somewhat. What we have sorely missed is the Holy Communion Service.
"At the March meeting we also agreed that we would invite our Bishop to this final service and request that this service also be a Holy Communion Service. Since fewer than one third of our membership was present at that meeting, and we did not have an ordained pastor at the meeting, we decided that in order to officially close this congregation in a proper manner we should call a congregational meeting today to vote on the motion and that the Bishop should preside at that meeting. At our March meeting it was also decided that we would receive an offering at this service to retire the indebtedness. Our outstanding obligations are not great but still a challenge for a group our size. We owe $340.00 to the Fields of Grain Parish for pastoral supply, $142.50 to Ken Johnson for the advance he. made to cover our outstanding bill to the local co-op for propane gas and then a few dollars to the Lighthouse Bookstore for the bulletins and supplies for today. An offering of $500.00 should cover all of the outstanding obligations. We solicit your prayerful support. We hardly dared to mention it but we said that if the offering today should exceed our outstanding obligations the excess would be forwarded to our Synod for evangelism outreach. Dare we be so bold to believe that that might actually happen? In our 114 years of ministry we have never defaulted on a financial obligation Bishop, we invite you to chair our congregational meeting."
While Bill went to be seated next to Sandra the Bishop moved to the lectern. "During my years as Bishop of the Synod," he began, "I have never been requested to chair a congregational meeting such as this one. On other such occasions the final decision had already been made, sometimes by default, and all that was left was just to officially declare the congregation closed. My first reaction to your invitation was rather negative. But, when Mr. Small explained your request by telephone and I had some time to reflect on it, I concluded that this was indeed the way of integrity to bring the ministry of this congregation to a close. I see that there will be no unfinished business around here to haunt us in the future. Will the secretary of the congregation please read the proposed motion that has been prepared by the Executive Committee?"
Sarah stood in her place:
"The Executive Committee of Emmanuel Lutheran Church of Grainville, Kansas, prepared three motions to be presented to this congregation today. Since they are all related I will read all three of them and then place them, one by one, on the floor for discussion and action. They are:
That this congregation, Emmanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church of Grainville, Kansas, be closed as of this date, June 1, 1997.
(2) That an offering be received at this service to retire the indebtedness of this congregation and that any surplus be forwarded to the Great Plains Synod as a designated offering for evangelism outreach.
(3) That we give thanks to God for the years of ministry that God has given to this congregation which began 114 years ago today with the organization of this congregation on June 1, 1883."
"Thank you," responded the Bishop. "Now let us continue with the business before us. We will first use a voice vote and then if there is any doubt as to the outcome of the vote I will call for a written ballot. Will the secretary please move the first motion?"
Sarah stood and read the first motion again.
The Bishop continued, "This motion has been placed before us by the Executive Committee. Is there a second to the motion?"
After a rather long silence, Richard King, a former council member, seconded the motion.
"The floor is now open for discussion," continued the Bishop. There was silence with people mostly glancing at each other. "Hearing no discussion I call for the vote," the bishop determined. "All in favor of the motion please say, 'Aye'."
A low unison of “Ayes” passed over the room.
"All those who oppose the motion please say, 'No'," continued the Bishop.
“No” was firmly heard from a few persons.
"I would rule that the 'Ayes' have it, but since the vote by voice was not exactly definitive I rule that a written ballot be cast." Will the ushers please pass out the ballots? Turning to Bill, “Will you please nominate two persons to be the tellers? On your ballots simply write 'yes' or ‘no’.”
While the ballots were being passed out Bill nominated Sarah Johnson and Melanie West to count them.
There was a wait of just a few minutes while the ballots were gathered up and counted. The tellers came back with their report and handed it to the Bishop.
“The result of the ballot is nine ‘Yes’; three ‘No’ and four blank. The motion carried."
A silence followed. Most eyes were downcast and a few shook their heads' apparently in unbelief of what had just happened.
"Now we will move on to the next two motions.”
The second motion passed was a firm "aye" without any opposition. The third motion passed with a strong acclamation.
"This brings to a close our business meeting,” the Bishop said. "At this point I shall change our order of worship a little. Following the post-communion canticle we shall use the order of worship called, 'Closing of A Congregation' to appropriately and officially bring the ministry of this congregation to a close. Now let us continue with the "Alleluia" on page 62."
As Mary struck the opening chord of the Alleluia, the congregation arose and sang,
"Alleluia. Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Alleluia. Alleluia."
Somehow those words had more meaning that day than ever before. Just where are we going to go? That question was poignant coming just after the vote. "Where are we going to go?" The answer was so obvious. No place other than where we have been going the last 114 years -- To you, O Lord for, "you alone have the words of eternal life."
"The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew, chapter 13:1-9," the Bishop announced.
"Glory to you, O Lord," the congregation responded.
The Bishop read,
That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying:
Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen." (NRSV)
"The Gospel of the Lord."
"Praise to you, O Christ," the congregation responded.
The congregation turned to hymn #236. These are the words of the last verse.
Plow up the trodden way, and clear the stones away:
Tear out the weed, and sow the seed.
Prepare our hearts your Word to heed,
That we good soil may be. Begin, O Lord, with me!
The congregation was not very familiar with the hymn but they joined in as best they could. They saw that the words were very appropriate.
The Bishop began his sermon, "One hundred and fourteen years ago today a group of seventeen immigrants, adults and their children gathered under the cottonwoods on the Soderquist homestead. The dugout home was far too small for all of them to get inside and far too hot. It was much better under the cottonwoods. There weren't many trees on the prairie those days but a few had survived the droughts and prairie fires along the banks of Shallow Creek. Mr. Soderquist had been a part of the läsare (readers) revival movement in Sweden so he, and some neighbors of the same religious persuasion, believed that there should be a Lutheran Church in their community where the Word of God would be preached and the sacraments would be administered. In fact, at that time there were two babies in the group who had not been baptized. Even though they had been members of the revival movement in Sweden, a movement that was often very critical of the church, they held the orders of the church in high esteem and they were not prepared to take upon themselves the administration of the sacraments. Maybe a few of them thought in their hearts that it would be entirely appropriate in their situation but they never moved in that direction. This, they had been taught, was reserved for the ordained clergy. You, I observe, have been taught to follow the same teaching and practice. That, I understand, is the reason you have requested a communion service today."
By the time he reached this point in his sermon it was evident that he had read the 100th anniversary booklet which was in the library in the synod office.
"That was one of the reasons Mr. Soderquist had walked from house to house to invite the neighbors to his place and the meeting. He believed that they needed to organize a congregation where the Word of God would be preached and the sacraments administered. It was his dream and hope that after they had organized as a congregation the Augustana Synod would send a pastor to them. On their way through Chicago they had stayed with fellow Lutherans in their homes and had had the opportunity to become acquainted with some Augustana people and worship in their churches. They had not forgotten the warm welcome they had received in this strange land. To worship in their own tongue and use a liturgy they were familiar with was an unspeakable blessing.
“From time to time Mr. Soderquist had gathered the people together. They had sung hymns they knew, he had read a Bible portion and expounded on it. They were spiritually refreshed. But it was not enough. They needed a congregation and a pastor. It had been an exceptionally difficult time for them when the Bengston child died and there was no pastor to have the funeral. They naturally called on Mr. Soderquist, who was breaking sod on the south 80, to lead them as they laid the little body in the homemade casket made out of rough lumber to rest in what turned out to be the first cemetery in the community. They truly needed a pastor.
"Under the cottonwoods the little group sat on wagon seats, rude chairs or on the ground to discuss the situation, as they had done several times before. Finally they came to an agreement to organize a congregation but they did not know how to do it. Three men were chosen to be the church board: Mr. Soderquist, Mr. Heglund and Mr. Johansson, and they were given the responsibility to write to the President of the Augustana Synod. The letter was sent to Chicago. Their appeal fell on receptive ears. The following spring a home missions missionary pastor was sent to Grainville. There on June the 1st, under the cottonwoods babies were baptized, there was a wedding, the Lord’s Supper was celebrated and a congregation was organized -- all in one day. THERE WAS GREAT REJOICING!
"Even as our text says the Word of God was sown. The congregation grew and it had its struggles. Pastoral services were difficult to come by. Pastors were in short supply and there wasn’t even a parsonage in Grainville. Sometimes it would be months between the visits of an ordained pastor. Sometimes they had seminary students who would spend summers with them. Then, there was the language struggle. The congregation nearly died during that time. The old did not want to give up their beloved Swedish and the young wanted their children instructed in English. Finally the transition was made. Then came the drought years, often called ‘The Dirty Thirties’, and later World War II. After the war and, with a number of young hopeful families in the congregation, decisions were made to move ahead. The Word was truly sprouting, growing and producing a harvest. This beautiful church was built; a parsonage was built. With mission support a full time pastor was called. You know the rest. The farms expanded in size, the young people went off to find better employment. It seemed the congregation was not able to reach out to those left in the community. So, we have come to this day today where you have made the most difficult decision. You have decided to disband this congregation.
"But is the harvest complete? Are there no souls to be won in this township? Are there no new fields tobring under cultivation? No seed to plant?We all know the answers to these questions. There are unreached persons in the community. There are fields to bring under cultivation and seeds to plant. When my mind runs along this line of thought I think of another parable Jesus taught. It goes like this.
This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain -- first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come. Mark 4. 26-29. (NRSV)
"Let us quickly notice just a few things from the parable. The farmer still is a faithful farmer -- he plants the seed. Then he can do no more. While he sleeps the seed sprouts and grows. He knows not how. That is the way it is in the Kingdom of God. We sow the good seed. God causes it to sprout and grow; we know not how. You and I are called to be faithful -- to continue to till the soil and plant the seed in the many unreached hearts around us. Even as the farmer who went to sleep and did not understand how the seed sprouted and grew, even so maybe you have no idea as to how the seed you will plant will sprout and grow. It most likely will be in another congregation where you will transfer your memberships but I am not going to limit how God is going to work His wonders. All you and I are called to be is faithful. Have faith, dream and plant.
Amen."
Ideas were starting to form in the hearts and minds of several. Hope was being sown and dreams reborn. They knew not how but somehow the seed had fallen on good soil.
As the Bishop took his seat again Mrs. Samuelson took up the strains of "Jesus, Priceless Treasure". This was followed by The Apostles' Creed, the Offering and the Prayers. The congregation moved into "The GREAT THANKSGIVING" of the Holy Communion Service. The congregation came forward, knelt at the altar rail and received the bread and the wine with the words, "The body of Christ, given for you." and "The blood of Christ, shed for you." The oneness in Christ was deeply felt as they knelt shoulder to shoulder and then returned to their places after the dismissal of each table with these words by the Bishop, "The body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ strengthen you and keep you in his grace. Amen." It was a solemn moment, kneeling at the place where parents and grandparents1 brothers and sisters and friends had knelt for years.
The Canticle followed
Thank the Lord and sing his praise.
Tell ev'ry one what he has done.
Let all who seek the Lord rejoice
and proudly bear his name.
He recalls his promises
and leads his people forth in joy
With shouts of thanksgiving.
Alleluia, Alleluia.
The Bishop came forward and stood in front of the altar, greeting the congregation, "Beloved in Christ. We come to close this worship and this congregation with the order of worship entitled 'Closing of a Congregation'."
Let us pray.
We give you thanks, almighty God, that you have refreshed us through the healing power of this gift of life, as you have refreshed those before us who have received your Word and Holy Sacraments in this place. Turn our sorrow over the closing of this congregation into joy over new opportunities for life and ministry in other congregations. In your mercy, strengthen us and your whole Church in faith toward you and in fervent love toward one another, for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord.
The Bishop then invited the secretary of the congregation to come forward to present the record books of the congregation. Sarah Johnson came forward carrying several books of congregational records.
There was a tattered, brown Journal in which were recorded the first minutes of the congregation as it was organized 114 years ago. There were only a few shreds left of the black cloth binding that had covered the spine of the book. The pages were tattered and soiled. She also had in her hands the more recent secretary books and the loose leaf membership book with the pole binders that was purchased soon after the new church was built. She gave them to the Bishop with these words:
These records symbolize the joys and sorrows of the people of God in this place. Receive and preserve them so that the ministry of this congregation may be remembered.
The Bishop continued:
With thanks to God for the work accomplished here, I declare this congregation to be closed in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. May the witness of its people continue undiminished, empowered by Jesus Christ, the Lord of the Church. Amen
The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you.
The Lord look upon you with favor and give you peace.
Amen
The Bishop continued, "After the closing of a congregation it is customary for the worship furnishings and sacramental vessels to be offered to new missions or other congregations so that they can continue to be used in the ministry of the church. We want you to have a part in the decisions as to where they will go, so I shall keep in touch with your president. He will consult with you as we deem necessary. They will remain here in this building when this worship closes today but I would encourage you to store them in an appropriate manner and place until the decisions as to their future use can be made. However, there are certain items that may have special value and interest to you personally and it is my desire that you should have first choice concerning their use. I noticed in the Hymnal that I picked up for use this morning that it has a presentation nameplate inside the front cover. It reads, 'Given to the glory of God and in loving memory of Hilma Nelson by her family.' That worship book may have special meaning to someone and I think it would be appropriate that an effort be made to contact the family and make the book available to the family. As a matter of fact we would like nothing better than that all the books in this church, and also the sanctuary furnishings, find new homes and ministry in this community. So please make your wishes known to your president and avail yourselves of this opportunity.
"As a part of the liturgy for the closing of a congregation it is suggested that the worship furnishings and the sacramental vessels be removed from the sanctuary in a procession. We shall now proceed to do so. Will seven volunteers from the congregation come forward and assist me in doing this? We will process out of the building carrying these items as we sing a hymn, we will be dismissed outside and then return these furnishings to their places in the sanctuary. Who will come forward to participate, in this processional? It would be good to have representatives of all age groups of the congregation. Please stand and come forward.
Sandra Small, Sam Schneider, Dora Schneider and Michael Johnson stood up. Sarah nodded to Trevor and Lisa. They stood up. “I need one more person,” said Bishop Nordin. Everyone kind of looked around but nobody moved. Then a young man stood up. Some recognized him as Samuel Martin, a college student, who had just come home for the summer. The group gathered at the front of the church. Bishop Nordin took Trevor and Lisa to the candles, Sam to the altar service book, Dora to the baptismal shell and bowl, Michael to the communionware, Samuel to the cross and Sandra to the Bible.
After all were in place the Bishop moved to the cross, requesting Samuel to hold it high. He then read:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. 1 Peter 1:3
Moving to the altar as Trevor held one candle high and Lisa the other he read:,
Jesus said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." John 8:12
As Sam held the altar book high he read:
All the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before him.
As Dora held high the baptismal shell and bowl he read:
We were buried therefore with him by Baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. Romans 6:4
As Michael raised the communion service set he read:
As often as we eat this bread and drink from this cup, we proclaim the Lord's death, until he comes. I Corinthians 11:26
Sandra held high the Bible and he read:
The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand forever. Isaiah 40:8
Turning to the congregation he said:
You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, that you may declare the wonderful deeds of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. I Peter 2:9
"Go in peace. Serve the Lord."
The congregation responded, "Thanks be to God."
Bishop Nordin continued. "Now as we leave this sanctuary let us take our hymnals and sing No. 259, "Lord, Dismiss Us with Your Blessing". Mary looked up the page and started to play. The Bishop led the procession of the bearers of the worship furnishings and then the congregation followed. At the end of the third verse Mary diminished the volume of the organ, slipped off the organ bench and followed the congregation outside as they finished the hymn a cappella. They stood with bowed heads and then the Bishop charged them, “Let us each return to our ministries.” With that he turned and entered the sanctuary again with some of the congregation following him. At the front of the church he motioned to the bearers of the furnishings to place each item in its appropriate place. Then, following the acolyte, he went to the side room. Some of the worshippers went to the fellowship hall, others to their homes.
Those who went to the fellowship hall found that the serving table was soon covered with all kinds of delectable goodies. As everyone expected Mary had brought her usual bowl of rusks, filled to overflowing with crispy goodness. There were two kinds: the Swedish skorpor rich in butter and nuts and the “American” variety which were simply wiener buns split in half, generously buttered and sprinkled with a cinnamon, and sugar mix and then oven toasted a crispy brown. Both are delightful to eat but messy as far as crumbs were concerned.
"Yummy!" Lisa murmured as she reached for one. “Wait a minute.” her father quietly stopped her. “Remember, we always wait until after we sing the table prayer before we help ourselves to the food." There was a choice of beverages -- the usual coffeepot belching out its pleasing aroma, lemonade and diet Sprite for those who did not prefer coffee.
“We are ready." Melonie announced, tapping a spoon against the stainless steel rusk bowl. "Mary, please start us in the table prayer." With a clear voice Mary started "Be present at our table, Lord." When the table grace had been sung Melonie announced, "Let's let the children go first." Assisted by their parents they lined up at the table and then seated themselves at the low table with the smaller chairs. The adults then served themselves. Soon the buzz of conversation drowned out the clinking of cups and spoons. The allotted 15 minutes was soon up and no one seemed to notice.
The Bishop rose from his place as if to speak. "Shh, shh,” buzzed around and some tinkling of spoons against cups quieted the room. "I need to be in Denver at seven so I must be on my way to get there in time and get myself organized for the regional meeting this evening. Again I want to thank you for your hospitality today. This day has been a learning experience for me. It was so rewarding to be with a closing congregation that had things so well planned and in order. There are a few things yet to take care of; for instance, there are the care of the cemetery (he did not know that that had been taken care of years ago when the county took over the care of the cemetery and the name was changed from “Emmanuel Lutheran Cemetery" to “Emmanuel Cemetery"), the disposal of this building and its contents and the spiritual care of the members of this congregation that has just closed. As was mentioned in the order for the "Closing of A Congregation", it is anticipated that current members will be transferred to another Lutheran congregation. I recognize that distance makes this difficult for many of you, but maybe not impossible. However, I am hopeful that all of you will make the transfer. Faithfulness in worship does take commitment and sacrifice. I would deeply appreciate it if the secretary of the congregation could send me a list of the names and addresses of all the members of the congregation. Our office will work with you by contacting each individual or family and neighboring congregations concerning transfer of membership. I do not believe the spirit that has been evidenced here today will die. Indeed, it has been wounded, but wounds do heal and new life can come forth.
I can assure you one thing -- synod staff and I will work as closely as we can with you. Thank you and God bless you all. God's blessings until we meet again."
With that the Bishop headed toward his car. Those seated at the tables felt a bit stunned. Coming to himself Bill got up and followed him. At the car door Bill said, "We will be in touch with you in a few days." Looking into each other's eyes they clasped each others' hands. Bill's lips were slightly parted just as if he were going to say something. He dropped his eyes and the handclasp and said, "So long." Pastor Nordin turned the key and backed into the street. With a wave of the hand he was gone. Bill headed back to the fellowship hall. Down the highway Bishop wondered, "Should I have asked, 'Is there something more you would like to say?' Anyway, it is too late now. He has gone back into the hall; it would be disruptive to go back. If he wanted to say something he should have said it. It is getting late and I must push on." Pushing those thoughts out of his mind he focused on his driving and the coming meeting. Heading back into the hall Bill wondered, "Should I have said something about Mrs. Hendrickson? Maybe I should have. But, he didn't have any time to spare so it would not have been possible anyway. Why burden him with something he could do nothing about?"
Inside the fellowship hall the visiting was still going on. Finally, interrupting the visiting, Bill announced, "Our fifteen minutes is much more than up.Let's clear the tables and head back to the sanctuary.We will be a smaller group now, so let's all sit toward the front of the church."
They gathered the cups, saucers, silverware and glasses and brought them to the counter by the double sink. "We won't wash them now. We will wash them with the supper dishes," Dora decreed. That was uncharacteristic of her. She always insisted on a cleaned up kitchen. But ---- who was to contradict her? It was evident that she had been “head of the kitchen" for a number of years. Gradually the group gathered in the church. Again it seemed the appropriate place to be. They did not obey Bill too well. They were scattered here and there, in the same "stalls" they had always sat in. It was the appropriate place for them to be --the place they had been so many times before. The group wasn't large. Those who remained were the "regulars", some of the guests from the other congregations in the parish, several former members who had come home for this service and three or four members who usually did not attend. A spirit of friendship and congeniality seemed to prevail. The hurts of the morning seemed to have melted away into much more wholesome feelings of goodwill and hopefulness. Tim, deciding not to stay for supper, had taken his children and left shortly after the Bishop left.
Standing between the two front pews, Bill broke the silence, "Let's sing a hymn. Someone please choose one." As they picked up their hymnbooks it seemed everyone started to look inside the front cover. "This was given in memory of Aunt Millie," Barry whispered to Delpine. Richard spotted one with the name David Schneider in it and passed it back to Sam and Dora. This went on for a few minutes and several hymnbooks found their new homes. Christine Sander called out, No. 551, "Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee". We sang that at our wedding forty-two years ago. Mary went to the piano and started to play. The piano had not been tuned for several years but it still sounded pretty good. On it was a little plaque,. "Given in loving memory of Peter and Hanna Dahlberg by the Children." The group sang wholeheartedly.
After the hymn Bill said, "We have an announcement to make. Ken, will you please make it?"
"It's good news this time. The offering was more than enough to cover all of the outstanding bills." A round of applause followed that announcement. "The offering today amounted to $406.00 in cash and checks. In addition there are two pledges totaling $225.00. I have spoken to those who made the pledges and they have assured me the checks will be in the mail tomorrow. So, hopefully, on Tuesday or Wednesday I can go to town, make the deposit, write the checks to pay our bills and start the process of closing the bank account."
As had previously been planned, Bill asked Sam Schneider to reflect on the history of the congregation. He came prepared for this. e had a copy of A Century of Ministry, the one hundredth anniversary book, in his hand. He sort of rambled on about the early days, the dust storms, the droughts, the good years, the struggle to find pastors, the building of the church and parsonage. It was all history that most of them pretty well knew. After about twenty minutes he stopped and said, "Why should I do all the talking? You have stories to tell. Why don't some of you tell your stories?"
Stories about baptisms, weddings, Luther League outings, Bible School days, and seemingly endless council meetings followed. Finally, Samuel Martin spoke up, "We are here to remember the past but is that all? Maybe we should start to think of the future. What does the future hold for us? The Bishop challenged us to think in those terms. We are to be sowers like the farmer in the parable."
The spirit of gloom seemed to once again settle over the group. What was there for a future? Ken, being the treasurer said, "Well, at least we have the debt paid off, but that does not go far in planning a future. However," he paused, "this whole business has taught us one thing. The future cannot be like the past. We cannot be so dependent on money. Even if we all give generously we are too small a group to do things like we have done them in the past. We have to come up with something that better meets our needs here. We do need a church in this place. This community needs a church in this place. The Gospel needs to be held forth for our children as it was held forth for us when we were small. Does anyone have any ideas? Actually, we have gotten along pretty well the last few months. We have not gotten any new members. But, at least we have not lost any. We have gained some experience. In fact, I have heard some encouraging comments about what we have been doing. Maybe we have something to build on."
Samuel picked up the flow of conversation again. "You know, at the university we just pretty much do our own ministry. We have not had a resident campus pastor for over two years. The pastor from St. James comes over to meet with us once in a while to give us some encouragement and advise. But he cannot be there much at other times. He has guided us in getting some books on Bible interpretation so we students can read them and share as we are able. It is just amazing if you just get a little assistance into the background of a book of the Bible how much you can dig out of it. We have had some really good Bible studies led by members of our group. At least I think they have been good. You know what I think I'll do? I'll write or telephone Pastor Jacobson, tell him what we are trying to do here and ask for some suggestions."
Several of the heads were nodding agreement. Sandra spoke up, "I encourage you to go ahead and see if you can get us some guidance. Isn't that the feeling of the rest of us here?" Heads nodded. Bill again spoke up and took the lead. "It is getting time for us to get to that supper we have planned. Some of us have to get home before the cows come home. Samuel, would you read us a Psalm? Maybe someone would like to close with a brief prayer. Praying in public is not my thing, but maybe someone can lead us in a closing prayer."
Nellie Strom from Bethphage Lutheran had been silent all this time just listening. She spoke up, "I have always liked Psalm 46." Looking in the hymnal she found it on page 236. Samuel said, "Let's read it responsively." They began to read,
God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth be moved,
and though the mountains be toppled into the depths of the sea.
They came to he end of the Psalm.
Be still, then, and know that I am God,
I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in the earth.
The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our stronghold.
He closed the book and all the eyes were on him. "Why don't several of us just lead in brief sentence prayers?" he asked. Put your prayers of thanksgiving or petitions in brief sentences and close each prayer with 'Amen' . Then we can all join with our 'Amens'. We will close by praying the Lord's Prayer together."
All sat with heads bowed. This was a new experience for most of them and they felt kind of awkward. Who was going to be the first to lead? No one?
After an uncomfortable pause, Nellie began, "Lord, today we have come to a sad place in our lives. We have seen the closing of this church. It makes us wonder about our other churches also. We pray for your wisdom and guidance. Amen." A silence followed.
Sarah picked up the prayer and prayed, "Lord, we thank you for all the good things we have had in this place. We hate to leave it now, but now the time of 'Good-bye' has come. Amen."
The group seemed to be relaxed and comfortable. Several more led in prayer. Then after a silence Samuel prayed a quite inclusive prayer including prayers of thanksgiving, prayers for a good harvest, and blessing on the Bishop. He started, "Our Father who art in heaven...." The group joined in. All looked up and smiled. Lisa piped up, "Let's sing, 'Jesus loves me’.” They did. Bill reminded the group to go to the sanctuary and find any hymnbooks or other items the members wanted to take home. As they looked inside the hymnbook covers names were called out. Soon every family had at least one book and some had two or three. There were still a number left in the pew racks.
Then they went to the kitchen. The hot dishes that had been warming in the oven were pulled out. The salads were taken from the refrigerator. The table was soon set. The coffeepot that Dora had replenished was spewing out its aroma.
The meal was enjoyable. Good food and lots of it. Conversation about all of the community news was around the tables. After the meal the pies and cakes were brought out. Everybody felt better. After the dessert the guests from the other Lutheran parishes said their thanks and good-byes and went on their ways. Some of them had about 60 miles to drive and some had chores to do when they got home. Once again it was down to the faithful six doing the cleanup, with the children helping as they could. The casserole dishes and other carry in items were put back in their boxes or baskets. The dishes scraped and washed. The coffeepots were washed and laid on their sides to dry completely. Gradually things were put away. The water heater was turned off, the refrigerator wiped out and door left open. Sarah picked up the dishtowels to take them home to wash and return on another day. Then the final words, "That about takes care of it." Checking to see that all the lights were off and the windows closed they gathered up caps, purses, food boxes and hymnbooks as they went outside to load things into their cars and pickups. Standing around in a little circle they watched as Bill closed the door, put the key in the lock, turned it, pulled it out and looked around. Holding the key in his fingers he asked, "What do I do with this?"
Ken replied, "I suppose it should go to the Synod office. It is now their building and they should have a key to it. I can send it along with the final check after I have been to the bank and closed the account. Several of us have keys so we can get in to put the final things away and check things out every once in awhile." Everybody seemed to agree. Bill handed the key to Ken. He slipped it into his pocket
"This really is final, isn't it?" said Sandra."Where do we go from here? I have been wondering where we are going to go for worship next Sunday. I just can't feature us driving all of those miles, week after week to another Lutheran church. I just can't feature our family going to any other place but Emmanuel."
"Why don't we just keep on doing what you have been doing?" questioned Samuel. "Can't we just meet some place, use the liturgy, read the lessons and study them as best we can? We do have hymnals and we do have Bibles. Isn't there any place we can meet? We cannot meet under the cottonwoods on the old Soderquist place. They are long since gone.
"Let's have church in the park," Trevor suggested.
"A good idea! We can meet under the cottonwoods. That's been done before." Sam affirmed.
Sarah spoke up, "I have been waiting and hoping for someone to suggest that we should keep on worshipping together. Samuel, could you prepare a devotional on one of the lessons for next Sunday?"
"I will do my best."
"If everyone", continued Sarah, "will bring their hymnbooks, Bibles and lawn chairs we can have a worship service. We will not have any bulletins so you will need your Bibles for the reading of the lessons. They did it 114 years ago and we can do it again. Didn't we hear in the Second Lesson this morning those great promises about God giving gifts to the church? Don't we believe that the Holy Spirit can make those same gifts come alive again among us?" The group nodded in agreement, some with a bit of disbelief.
So it was decided that they would meet at 10:00 the following Sunday under the cottonwoods. The sun was moving toward the horizon in the west; the wind had shifted to the southeast. "If that wind keeps up we could have another rain," Bill observed. As they got into their vehicles it would have been the end of a perfect day, except for one thing -- Emmanuel Lutheran was now only a piece of history. Or, was it really only a "piece of history"? They drove off with a spark of hope in their hearts. Maybe, just maybe, God was standing around the corner. As Sam backed the car out and headed down the street Dora looked back. "Was God really around the corner?" She didn't see anything different, just closed doors.
Monday was an ordinary day. Those who had attended the worship service on Sunday were back at their daily tasks. The minds of the few who had been regular attendees often flashed back to the fact that next Sunday they would not be getting into their cars and pickups to go to Grainville to worship. The doors of the beautiful little church would be securely locked. If any visitors should come and look at the signboard outside the church they would be misled. THERE WOULD BE NO WORSHIP AT 10:00 A.M. Should someone go in and take the worship hour announcement off the signboard and replace it with “CLOSED”? Yes, that needed to be done, but who was going to do it? Someday, but not just yet. The grass and weeds would grow and that would soon indicate that this was no longer a place where people met regularly for worship and cared about keeping the place neat and trim.
Tuesday morning dawned hot and sultry. At this time of the year there were not many chores to do, but Ken always made it a practice to take a run to the pasture to see that all was well with the cattle. He liked to be around the cattle, so he always gave them a bit of cottonseed cake in the morning and then, as they were eating, he would walk among them with a hand held sprayer and spray a little fly spray on their backs. "Makes them more comfortable," he said, “they graze better and put on more weight." But that was not all. He just liked stroking their backs and they liked it too.
Coming back to the house he plugged in his razor and shaved. He did not shave every morning, but today he thought he should since he intended to go into Centerville to do some business after going to the co-op in Grainville. He needed to go to the co-op to order the fertilizer he planned to start putting on the sunflower field on Wednesday. He had to plan a bit ahead to make sure equipment and supplies were ready.
Coming out to the kitchen Ken saw Sarah was just finishing putting on a hearty break-fast: over-easy eggs, toast, hash browns, coffee and a choice of corn flakes or rice krispies for those who might want some "dessert".
"Where are the kids? Still sleeping?" Ken asked, noticing only two plates on the table.
"Yes," It was so late when they got to bed last night after the game that I thought I would just let them sleep in today. "OK?"
"Good, l vaguely remember that when I was their age Mom used to let me sleep in sometimes. The time will come soon enough when they will have to get up and get going. I just wish we could all do it sometimes. Maybe after I get the crops in we can all relax a bit. It is good cultivating weather today so I had better stay at it. The forecast is for showers later in the week, not that we couldn't use some more rain.
At the table Ken took Sarah's hand in his and together they prayed, "Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest and may these gifts to us be blest. Amen." Breakfast time was always a pleasant time of the day. They intentionally made it that way. There was some time to visit and talk over the plans for the day.
"I will be working on the Schneider quarter this morning. After dinner I plan to go to Grainville and then on to Centerville. I need some parts for the drill and a few other supplies. Then I also want to deposit the offering from last Sunday. Want to take the kids and go along?"
"Think I will," responded Sarah.
At about 10:00 Sarah was looking out the east window and saw the mailman's car. He stopped at the box and then went on.
Sarah called to Trevor and said, "Why don't you and Lisa go and get the mail and then we will have a cold drink while we look at the mail? Be sure to put the mail in this bag." She watched as they walked down the driveway together, "Life couldn't be better than this," she mused to herself.
The mail consisted of the usual things. A credit card statement, the "Centerville News", "The Lutheran", a Wal-Mart Ad, an appeal from the heart fund and two letters addressed, "Ken Johnson, Treasurer."
"Dad will be interested in seeing these," she said, as she looked at the return addresses. Placing them on the back of the buffet she turned to Trevor and Lisa, saying, "We need to get out in the garden and pick some peas for dinner. Won't it be good to have some creamed fresh garden peas? Nothing quite like that. Nothing is as good as home grown stuff."
"Out to the garden we go, they sang, swinging their hands in keeping with the melody. Everything looked great after the rain. No watering for a few days. The cabbage and tomato plants were looking good. Lisa exclaimed, "LOOK.!" as she saw the first tiny tomatoes on a tomato plant. Bending over the row of peas the pan was soon full and they were off to the house. They stopped at the picnic table to shell them. Trevor could snap and open the pods quite well. Lisa found it more to her liking and ability to play in the sandbox under the shady locust tree. Then they were in the house getting dinner ready.
The pickup drove into the yard. Dad got out, pulled off his boots at the back door, went to the sink to wash up and asked, "What did we get in the mail today?"
"It's on the buffet," Sarah answered. "The usual stuff, a couple of bills, some ads, and two letters for the church. I am sure you will be interested in them." He headed toward the buffet. "Please don't bother with the mail now. Dinner is ready to put on the table."
Not paying any attention, he picked up the letters and the letter opener from behind the white antique wash bowl and slit the envelopes open. A smile crossed his face as he pulled out the contents. Two checks, one for $100.00 and one or $125.00. "That completes the offering for last Sunday. Now I can go to the bank, deposit these, write the final checks and close the church account.
"Come now, let's sit up or the food is going to be all cold. Trevor and Lisa, where are you?" Sarah called with just a touch of irritation in her voice. Around the table they held hands and prayed, "Come Lord Jesus...." Raising up their heads Sarah said, "Sometimes I think we should learn a new prayer." Sarah said.
"We have tried that before but we always come back to this one. I kind of think the reason is that it is the prayer we always prayed in my home while we were children," Ken commented.
"We didn't pray at the table, or at any other time when I was a child," Sarah reminisced. "However, I do remember one time when Grandma was very ill seeing Dad standing by the beside and I think he was praying."
"You didn't pray at the table!" Lisa exclaimed! "Why not? Didn't you believe in Jesus?"
"Yes, we did, but my family hardly ever went to church. When we were little Dad would take us to Sunday School, but that stopped when we got to be about ten years old. I often wanted to go to church, but Dad and Mom just didn't have time for that. I heard other children talk about going to Confirmation class. I wanted to go but I was never invited. I am glad now that Grandpa and Grandma have started to go since they moved to Hope. I think it was the influence of your Dad's family that brought them along."
The rest of the meal was filled with small talk about last night's game, the crops coming up, and the co-op picnic coming up on Saturday evening. While Sarah and Trevor cleared the table and put the dishes into the dishwasher Ken made out the deposit slip for Sunday's offering and the checks that had arrived in the mail. They climbed into the extended cab pick up, buckled up and soon the dust was swirling behind them.
After a stop at the Grainville Co-op and driving to Centerville, Ken dropped Trevor, Lisa and Sarah off at the pool for a swim.
"Wish I could go in with you for a little while but I just can't today. I'll be back here in about an hour and a half, then we will go to the grocery store, get a snack and head for home. I want to get back in the field while this beautiful weather lasts."
The next stop in Centerville was at the bank. Greeting Rhonda at the cashier's window Ken said, "I want to make this deposit and then I would appreciate it if you could give me a print-out of the church account. I'm going to write some checks and then we will close the account. How do you do that? I have never closed an account."
"I have worked here for over thirty years," Rhonda replied, "and have handled Emmanuel's account for all those years. We really felt badly when we heard the church was closing. Just another loss to our community. As far as the closing of the account is concerned that is simple. When you have completed all of your business and all the out-standing checks have cleared the bank you come in and we will give you a final statement."
The business at the farm supply store did not take too long and before long Ken was at the fence of the pool calling for the family to come out. As they showered and got dressed he sat on the bench in the shade under a tree. t was a very pleasant place to be with the wind blowing through his hair and flapping his partially unbuttoned shirt. A quick trip through the grocery store and they were at the Dairy Queen window for some ice cream cones. They were eaten by the time they reached home. Later, as Ken and Sarah watched the weather forecast after the ten o'clock news, the forecaster said, "Tomorrow will start off like today. High humidity, southeast winds of 20 miles per hour, sometimes gusting up to 30. Then the cool front now centered in Montana will push across the area bringing thunderstorms, some possibly severe."
Wednesday dawned just that way. Ken was on the tractor again in the morning. The weather forecast coming over the radio was the same. Turning on the radio after dinner the forecast had changed. "The National Weather Bureau has issued a severe thunderstorm watch covering eastern Colorado and everything west of Hays. These storms could be serious with high winds, heavy rain and hail. Tornadoes can quickly develop out of such storms and all are advised to keep tuned and be prepared to take shelter." At about three Ken noticed clouds starting to build up in the northwest. Keeping the radio on he listened for further reports. Seeing some lightning flashes across the blue-gray sheet in the northwest he said to himself, "Time to get out of here." Lifting the cultivator he headed in high gear for the pickup parked at the edge of the field. Shutting the tractor down he ran to the pickup and soon was at home. Sarah and the children were watching the approaching storm from the back deck. They were relieved to see him drive into the yard.
"Looks like it could it be a bad one," Ken surmised as a worried look passed over his face. Trevor and Lisa looked up at him and said, "Daddy, do you think it's going to be a tornado?" "Never can tell. We will just have to keep the radio tuned in and be ready to go to the basement if we need to. Trevor, would you like to work on that birdhouse we started and never got finished?"
In the shop they turned on the radio, took the cut out pieces of the bird house off the shelf and started to fit them together. Soon the music on the radio was interrupted with, "The National Weather Service has just issued a tornado warning for Clay, Sand and Mercer counties. All persons in these areas should take shelter immediately. There has been a reported sighting of a funnel cloud eight miles west of Grainville. The storm is headed toward Crookston. All persons in this area should take shelter immediately."
Switching off the light over the workbench they headed into the house. Down into the basement the family went. Crawling under a sturdy table they turned on the battery operated radio. The same announcement was repeated several times again with the additional information of golf ball size hail, high winds and driving rain. There were lightning flashes, thunder crashes and driving rain against the west windows of the basement. That was all they saw and heard. Then it let up. Ken ventured to take a look towards the west. He saw an edge of blue sky just on the horizon. "It's over for here." With that they all climbed out from under the table and headed upstairs. Out of the east window of the living room they could see the dark blue of the cloud as the storm continued to move east.
"Think we better go to town and see what's happened. Maybe there is someone needing help." Climbing into the pickup and getting buckled up they headed north towards Grainville. Things looked just great. There were a few leaves scattered along the road because of the heavy wind, but everything was refreshed by the quick rain shower.
Four miles to the north, just at the south edge of the Small section there was devastation. "Look at that wheat!" No one could tell now that there had been beautiful wheat there an hour ago. Just as if a line had been drawn across the fields and road the wheat that had been waving grain now looked like it had been run over with a mulching mower. As they approached the Small homestead the trees looked like November. The Smalls were out in the yard. Ken turned in and drove up the driveway.
"Hi," he greeted them. Climbing out of the pickup they saw the devastation. Every window on the west side of the house was gone. The paint was pounded off and it was evident the roof would not shed much water. After greeting the Johnsons, Sandra said, "We are thankful we are all safe. Bill drove into the yard just before the storm broke. The power is out and we do not have batteries in the radio so we have not heard a thing about the countryside."
We've had the radio on," Sarah responded. "The reports we have heard are that a tornado touched down west of Grainville but did not do any real serious damage. The machine shed was taken on the Heiberling place but no one was hurt. A couple of tractor trailers and a camper were turned over on the interstate. We did not have any damage at our place. The hail actually started just at your section line. We are going into town to see how things are there. If you need any help just give us a call."
"We're OK and will be OK. Just thankful we took out hail insurance a few days ago. Thanks for stopping by."
Driving three miles more between the devastated fields they crossed the old highway into town. The concrete elevators continued to stand reaching high into the sky. They crossed the tracks and took a turn to the left. The first house on the north side of he street was the Koester home. Tim and the children were just getting out of their car. They were trying to take in the devastation. The trees were stripped; play equipment was toppled over."
The Johnsons climbed out of the cab. Surveying the damage the two families greeted each other. All the windows on the west side were gone, the paint was pounded off and the roof was clearly finished. Pulling out his keys Tim said, "Guess we better go in and see what the inside looks like."
Stepping inside the living area things looked quite normal; the usual untidiness of a family leaving the house in a hurry -- some toys, magazines and papers laying here and there. The children's bedroom was quite different. There were big puddles of water on the floor and the beds were sopping wet where the driving rain had reached them. The master bedroom was about the same, only worse.
"Well, you won't find the beds comfortable to sleep in tonight," Sarah observed. "While we take a look around town and the church why don't you gather a few things together for the night, strip the beds and roll the wet bedding up and come out to our house to spend the night? We'll wash and dry the bedding tonight and tomorrow we can come in and help you pull the mattresses out into the sun to dry."</