Upstate New York is not part of the Bible Belt.
This probably isn’t a big surprise to most of you, but just in case you’ve never been to Upstate NY, let me tell you a few things to prove my point:
My family worship as part of a wonderful, small congregation.
And when I say small I mean it.
We get excited when attendance breaks 20.
On rare occasions there has been just 5 of us (including our little guy and the pastor).
It’s the kind of church where everyone knows your name.
And the prayer chain consists of three phone numbers.
We gather in a beautiful, historic church that was built in 1840.
In case you didn’t know, there wasn’t a lot of indoor plumbing in 1840 and our church was no exception.
However, the fact that our church still doesn’t have a bathroom in 2009 probably qualifies it as exceptional.
Thankfully there is a gas station within walking distance. They let us use the “facilities” when we need to. I think they feel bad for us crazy, church going folks.
And as you might imagine, I’m really looking forward to the potty training days.
Other than the non-bathroom, the church building is comprised of the Narthex and the Sanctuary.
I use the term “Narthex” loosely, but I think that would best describe the 5′ x 10′ foyer that you step into.
Or you could call it a furnace room, since it does double duty.
You will notice that I didn’t mention a Nursery. Or a Sunday School classroom. Or a Pastor’s Office. Or a Fellowship Hall.
That’s because we don’t have them.
Just the Narthex and the Sanctuary.
We’re keepin’ it simple.
And that’s just one of the things that I love about it.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
LOVE it.
What a hoot! As a clergy family, I can relate to all types of "church" settings. I prefer the simple, although our congregation sharply disagrees on the matter. Thus, two service (one contemporary, one more traditional), meeting in different parts of the building.
We average around 200 on Sunday mornings, and I love being part of this community of believers. We're a bit out from town, and everyone knows everybody's name … and their business!
Thanks for checking in Sharon. You're always welcome at peace for the journey.
I hope to check back with you in days to come.
peace~elaine
Awesome! I love small churches and I think it's great that you have such a cool old building to worship in!
Even though we are in the "Bible Belt" our church is very similar…small, and the children stay in the services with their parents. Yes, we do have bathrooms, but we do meet in a newer building…although it is a renovated shooting range!