Last year we had the opportunity to celebrate our island church’s, Frederiksted Baptist’s, 50th anniversary celebration. While we’d only been part of the congregation for a little while, we were impressed at how much impact a small church, started by one man with vision and obedience, could have on our St. Croix community.
This past Sunday, we got to celebrate another anniversary with our other home church. Golden Prairie Baptist Church near Burns, Wyoming is a hundred years old this month! Golden Prairie is a small church building (accompanied by a parsonage and a row of tall trees that serve as a wind break) that sits quite literally alone out in the middle of the prairie. In the spring, the surrounding grass is alive with yellow prairie flowers and I’ve heard that’s where the name came from. Right now, a sea of golden wheat fields surround the church.
Golden Prairie’s celebration was wonderful. It included a terrific two-hour service (with intermission!) and then a great lunch. I have lots of favorite moments from the day. *Listening to Charlotte, Dave and Crystal, who Karl and I used to partner with to lead worship, led the congregation in singing In Christ Alone, (which always makes me cry) and other favorites. *Clapping and singing along as the praise band jammed through Amazing Grace and Lord I Lift Your Name on High and many others with the help of Justin on the harmonica. *Listening again to Betty sing a solo. *Having three of my favorite pastors of all my life in the same room. *Getting to listen to just one more sermon from Jim Brown. *Hugging and visiting with friends that feel like family that we hadn’t seen in a while. I could go on and on.
A man named Rick Bishop who pastors a small church in Glenrock, Wyoming, spoke briefly. I’d never met Rick before, but he grew up at Golden Prairie. He reminisced about how God used Golden Prairie Church to get his attention, and how the lessons he learned about God and life and people at the church have sustained him and led him and taken him many places. One thing he said continues to reverberate in my head. This is it: “The extraordinary things this church does are just ordinary things that become extraordinary.” As he said this I looked around. Children fidgeting, babies sleeping, familiar faces, faces I didn’t know, short hair, long hair, grey hair, bald heads, tattoos, and handlebar mustaches. There were flip flops and dress shoes and lots of cowboy and work boots, some dusty from feeding sheep or doing chores before leaving the ranch. Ordinary people with ordinary lives. An ordinary church celebrating an extraordinary anniversary. Everyone there because an extraordinary God sent His Son to live an extraordinary life among ordinary people.
So – I’m at home at Golden Prairie while at the same time I am missing my FBC home and family. Yet, I’m so thankful for the perspective I have as a member of these two pretty commonplace churches filled with just regular people. They are so different – in latitude and altitude, music and clothing, climate, employment, color and culture. Even so, they are more alike. What makes this true? Well, both congregations allow themselves to be used by an astonishing Creator to accomplish important things. This is the mystery and the joy of following Jesus. How people so different can be brothers and sisters, one body. Rick Bishop made one other statement that sums it up: “This is the way you’re supposed to do church.” Amen!
2 Responses to “This is how you’re supposed to do church”