I never got the chance to write about the small country church I have been serving at for the past semester. Last Spring, I was asked by a friend of a professor to help with the special music for a service at a small country church. It is a church that has been around for over 150 years, went through denomination changes (most recently leaving the Methodist denomination), and has seen generations of families grow up there. This is a church of about 50 people who all live within a ten mile radius of the church, which is primarily corn fields. So, this is a church that has a rich history of being a community of farmers and their families. This small town, simple, farm country church has been such a learning and growing experience for me.
The first time I visited, I was surprised by how much the congregation centered around two family names. It really was like a family reunion every Sunday. They began their service with two kids walking down the center aisle with big staves to light the candles on the table by the pulpit. I later asked why they do this, and their response was, “it is just what we have always done to mark the beginning of service.” I could tell that a lot of the beautiful and unique things about this congregation is because of this very reason: just things they have always done. Which, in terms of theology, emphasizes the importance of their faith existing more than just here and now. That it is a faith that has been developed and built upon for years and years and generations and generations.
The service went on with a prayer, announcements, a hymn, and the prayer. In their prayer time, it was titled in the bulletin, “Praises and Requests,” so this made me curious. What happened was one of the members came up and gave updates on previous praises and requests, then opened up to hear more from the congregation. This really excited me and felt so unfamiliar to me. People were praising God for the weather to grandchildren to successful planting, and requests were made for family members, neighbors, and the community. This showed how much this church is just a reflection, or an offshoot, of their community. This went on for like seven minutes and I was thinking this could take the whole time! I had never seen anything like that happen before and it was so encouraging, and I wasn’t even a regular member of the body! From there, we prayed together and said the Lord’s Prayer together. After that, I sang my special, which was also a new experience for me. I thought it would feel like a performance, but really it felt like a necessary and natural part of the service. It was a moment of reflection but also praise as we experienced beauty through music together! Then after that was the message, and we ended with a hymn.
I loved my first visit to this church so much that I decided to keep going back! I had never experienced a church feel like a family in that way before. I think I saw the ways that had limited their theology and experience with worship practices, but I also saw how it made their love for God and others so tender and pure. I want to be a part of a church like that, and I want to serve at a church like that. To offer what I have learned, to be the crazy kid from Boston, and also learn from them.
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