The Circle of Life Trip

I’m fortunate in my assignment with the church that I get to do a wide variety of things. Most of them involve either being behind the wheel of a car or the keyboard of a computer. Over the past few weeks I have been a witness and an active participant in the life transitions of two congregations of church folks.

The Nampa, ID congregation voted a few months ago to turn over its building to the mission center for major repairs associated with mold cont

amination and then sell the building. To allow the people a chance to work through some of the grief issues associated with selling a building that has been a church home for generations, I volunteered to travel to Nampa and organize the repairs and work with a real estate agent to determine options.

For a week I worked in the building repeatedly vacuuming out water, trouble shooting water leaks, inventorying the building, and working with contractors to award a bid for the repairs. Buildings tell stories and church buildings tell stories about the people who have worshipped in them. It is our hope that the next owners will enable this building to keep telling stories. A popular theologian once said “We shape our buildings and then after we are done shaping them, they shape us.”

After spending a week in Nampa, I traveled to Pinedale, WY where we have two isolated church families. These two families are very skilled and gifted. It is exciting to hear about their community and try to figure out with the multitude of churches already in Pinedale just what the Community of Christ has to offer this relatively isolated mountain community.

Life and death. The vibrancy of new congregations often gives us a sense of happiness and success, while the death of congregations can often bring a sense of sadness and uncertainty about the future. I trust in a God whose purposes are bigger than my own and a future that is not yet written.

February Road Trip Part 6

Robin was a part of workshop/network gathering in Billings.  So I dropped her off there and picked up Dave Long.  Dave is a quality guy and the former Financial Officer for the Inland West Mission Center.  He and traveled five and a half hours northeast of Billings to a town called Culbertson, MT.  

Culbertson is the most isolated congregation we have and I wanted to make an effort to meet the folks there, even if I couldn't be with them on a Sunday.  Dave and I travelled up on Friday night and met with Scotty and La Vonne Scotson on Saturday morning.  Scotty and La Vonne are great people with a wealth of gifts and talents.  Their family runs three different furniture stores in thetowns of Culbertson, Sidney, and Williston.  In addition, Scotty also drives a charter bus.  

Scotty showed us the inside of the Culbertson church.  I didn't know this, but that is the church where Dave and his wife Sherry were married.  It is in great shape and has lots of character.  I plan to make it back to Culbertson some time in the not to distant future, I think I have some things to learn about tenacity from folks in isolated congregations.  

After visiting in Culbertson, Dave and met with a church member in Williston, ND.  We no longer have a church presence in Willistion, ND since the congregation closed a number of years ago.  We met with Art (the church member there) to perform some of the final duties associated with closing a congregation and to do our best to keep him connected to the body.  After our meeting Dave and I drove by the church in Williston.  We no longer own the building, but the old church name is still engraved in the front of it.  

February Road Trip Part 5.5

After leaving Great Falls, Robin and I traveled to Billings via the "high line" and then down through Judith Gap.  On the way it was unnecessarily cold and we were out of reach of most cell phone signals.  So we had do something novel.  We stopped and used a pay phone at a very interesting gas station/taxidermy/western wear store.  If you couldn't tell by my big parka it was REALLY COLD!!!!

February Road Trip Part 5

On my February road trip I was fortunate to be able to have Seventy Robin Linkhart travel with me through Montana.  I picked her up in Spokane, WA and then we traveled to the Whitehall, MT congregation for Pizza Church.  Pizza Church in Whitehall is always a good time and Robin and I stayed with Terry and Carol Ann Reiff.  

The next day Robin and I met with Judy Gardner, the pastor of

 the Helena, MT congregation, and spent some time exploring Helena.  We ended the day in Great Falls, MT with a fabulous meal at the home of Nathan and Karen Reiff.  Even though I still live in Independence, MO my membership is at the Great Falls congregation because I think it is important to financially support a congregation in the Inland West Mission Center and I want to support Nathan as pastor.  

February Road Trip Part 4

On Monday, February 23rd I traveled up to Colville, WA to investigate some property the church owns there.  We are interested in selling it and I had a list of things to accomplish for the investment company we have hired to maximize the property's value.  It was cold and snowy, but it was an interesting experience navigating a rural county courthouse looking for documentation.

When I got back to Spokane, John Van Der Walker and I met with the leadership team of Spokane Valley and we talked about Young Adult Ministry possibilities.    

February Road Trip Part 3

On Sunday February 22nd, I preached at the Lewis and Clark Congregation.  The folks at Lewis and Clark are great people and a lot of fun to share with.  A couple of months ago they had a streak of bad luck.  They had a water pipe break and fill their church building up with about 3 inches of steaming hot water.  Parts of the church are now gutted and awaiting repairs.  

When I was there we met at building on the campus of Lewis and Clark State College.  It was a little different environment, but I really enjoy visiting those folks and hope that I can be helpful to them.  After church I went out to lunch with several of the young adults to the Main Street Grill in Lewiston, ID.  Great place and great food.  

February Road Trip Part 2

The next morning I left Grand Junction and headed to Boise, ID.  While on the way I made a detour to Salt Lake City, UT to visit one of my favorite stores IKEA.  I did some shopping, got my fix of Swedish meatballs, then I was good to go.  While I was shopping Jo Ann Fisher called me and told me that I was likely to run into some heavy snow in Southern Idaho, so I scurried out of IKEA  and hit the road.  Fortunately, I evaded the snow and made it to Boise just fine - I even made it up the hill and down the road to the Fisher's house without a hitch.  

I was able to spend about a day in Boise with Jo Ann catching up on some stuff.  Then the next day I met with Renee and David Fisher in New Plymouth on my way to Spokane, WA. Renee is a potter and David is a graphic artist.  They are good folks and it was really good to get to know them and to see the church in

New Plymouth.