No. 13: My 800 Pound Gorilla

This is Easter week. I should be blogging about Spring and renewal and hope. But sometimes before you can start something new, you have to find a place to put the old. I think that’s where I am, and I think I’m affecting Sammy. She’s seems agitated. How can I tell? She’s been eating Peeps all morning. 

I had no intention of mentioning this, especially so soon. After all, Sammy and I only started blogging a few days ago. But this is distracting me – like an 800 pound gorilla sitting on the corner of my desk.  So, if you will indulge me, I would like to tell you about our church, or, rather, our old church.

Until a couple of years ago, we belonged to Deer Mountain Fellowship, a wonderful little church about twelve miles up the mountain. Charlie and I were in leadership there. Charlie was an elder and I lead the Tuesday morning Women’s Bible Study. Sammy and Wayne were members, too. Fellowship was a real people church; the focus was not on the facility. Looking back, I can see that was our downfall… but you know what they say about hindsight.

The church building sat on two acres of land – land a sweet elderly couple, John and Iris Wenger, deeded to the church back in 1952 when it began. A tiny cemetery came with the deal  - it only had 27 ancient markers - which the church agreed to maintain. The Wengers owned the 300 acres that surrounded it. The church hummed happily along for more than 4 decades under that arrangement. The Wengers passed away and left their property to their son, Russ, who lived there too, and was a wonderful neighbor.

Then four years ago, something happened… something that changed the dynamics of this mountain forever. A development company bought the top of Deer Mountain and announced plans to build a luxury “destination” – resort, restaurants, shopping, condos – the works. Suddenly, this worthless rock was worth a lot. Overnight, the floodgates opened and speculators invaded Deer Mountain in hordes. And our little church was a casualty of progress.

Good grief, look at the time! Gotta run - dentist appointment. I’ll pick up right there.

Until next time –