A Most Interesting Weekend....

Julie, Beth and Wanda

We spent this past weekend with the family that owns the truck we drive. They belong to a German-Baptist Church. I wasn't exactly sure what that meant until we spent some time with them and went to church with them Sunday. What a fascinating experience! I am going to try and relate our church-going experience with those of you that are interested!

We arrived at the meeting house at about 10 til 10AM. Our hosts pointed out that if we needed to use the restrooms we would have to go to the outbuildings (and it would be MIGHTY COLD). The men and women sit on opposite sides of the church. We were told we could sit together, but we wanted to follow their traditions as much as possible, so for the first time since we've been married Tim and I didn't sit together in church. Another of their traditions is that they greet one another with a holy kiss (fortunately for us that does not include "outsiders" so we were able to greet with a handshake). The benches were just simple wooden planks...one to sit on and one across the back for a bit of support. (Let me just insert here that I REALLY appreciate the cushions on our church pews!) The service began at 10 with a song. They do not use instruments, but sing in 4 part harmony. It was beautiful, just a bit slower than I'm used to. They each have their own little hymnal which they are responsible for bringing along with their Bibles to the service. After the song, a minister stood and read a chapter from the Bible. Then, we sang another hymn, then knelt for prayer (my rear end was welcoming the break from that wooden bench). Next, another minister got up and read another chapter from the Bible and talked about praise and how important it is to continually give God praise. Then, the main speaker for the morning got up, read another chapter from the Bible and started his sermon. It was a wonderful message full of depth and meaning! He used many more scripture passages throughout his message. (Tim and I were both amazed at how much scripture they read during the service). After his message (by now it was about 11:30) we knelt for prayer again (big sigh of relief). Then, the final minister got up and summed up what had been preached that morning. Finally, we sang another hymn and then we were dismissed. The entire service lasted 2 hours (not much different from our Sunday School and church combined). I thoroughly enjoyed the service (I'm thinking I may have to bring a cushion with me if I go again, though).

There were about 250 people in the service, many of those were young people. It was really interesting to find out about their youth activities and singings. Their worship and traditions are VERY similar to the Amish churches, but their doctrine is much closer to ours. We had a great time visiting them and learning about their faith. I can hardly wait to go back and visit again!

As you can see, we had much laughter! :o) These girls were a real hoot! You may notice Wanda's two girls did not wear coverings or the hand made dresses. They are not baptized members of the church yet, so they do not have to follow all the rules and traditions of the church.