Tomorrow morning I have the honor of preaching at the church that my great grandparents founded. It has long been a dream for me to have this opportunity. And now, as the church is supporting us in our mission to Sudan, I'll be able to preach about our motivation for serving. For the sake of privacy, I'll refer to it only as the "Memorial Church" and provide limited detail from the church directory.
"The Memorial Church began as a Sunday School on Easter Sunday, April 15, 1906 in the home of (my great-grandparents). There were no churches or Sunday schools in the southern part of town at that time. My relatives were deeply concerned for the children of the south side because many families never attended uptown churches.
Fourteen pupils attended the first class, which soon expanded as the interesting classes proved popular and successful. Classes were held in all rooms of the house, including the staircase. In warm weather, the piano was moved to the window for outdoor services. The students sat on planks placed over potato crates.
In the summer of 1907, a 24x36 foot chapel was built on the farm to accommodate the increasing class sizes. It was dedicated on September 29th of that year. The chapel was called "Memorial Chapel" in honor of (my great-great grandfather) and people from the community furnished it with oil lamps, window shades, an organ, and chairs. By 1915, there was need for an organized church. And on November 25 of that year, with 25 active members, it was made official.
The congregation purchased a lot (about 2 miles down the street) in 1919 and moved the chapel there from the farm. It took a week to move by the ingenious method of using teams of horses to pull the chapel, placing logs underneath, and rolling it down the street to its present location."
The details continue, but for the sake of a short article, I'll conclude by saying that the Lord has blessed my family with a godly heritage... something for which I am very thankful. This Sunday morning will be very special!
