If we are lucky enough, a human life is 80 to 100ish years. In the whole of human history that is a very short time indeed. Institutions may last longer (or not…).
The church I am serving, Washington Reformation UCC, will be celebrating 150 years of ministry at the end of the month with a grand celebration: cemetery walk, worship, lunch, story-telling—worship, singing, praying, memories, great joy, and of course eating together with anyone who will gather with us September 26 and 27.
There is a lot of planning for this weekend with plenty of excitement and anticipation and this preparation has me feeling a bit philosophical. I am excited to celebrate a small country church that has survived 150 years and all that comes with that: navigating the roller coaster of economics, social change, life and death, wars, pandemic (two of them!), political change, membership trends, and in our case a total destruction of a building by fire, all while attempting to interpret the call of God for individuals and church, who do not always agree on what that is, teaching each other, caring for, loving and forgiving each other while trying to balance loving your neighbor, serving and caring for others, and generosity in the midst of a culture that promotes greed, selfishness, individualism, and judgment. Sometimes I am astonished that churches are able to survive 10 years much less 150 years — and there are plenty of churches celebrating and surviving much longer than 150 years!
In the midst of the planning and preparation for this celebration, I am amazed over and over that this congregation and so many others everywhere survive the perils of life and culture. And at the same time, not amazed. Fortunately, the survival of churches depends on individuals and not on culture. And while people can be a bit fickle, they can also be the most faithful. Any religious organization in any place on any day will be populated with people who love their gathered community — church, synagogue, mosque or temple. These folks volunteer, serve, lead, pray, sing, cook, teach, clean, and care, ensuring religious service and survival. In many situations the same people take care of multiple tasks, often unpaid and under-thanked. If you peek into the history of any congregation, you will find faithful and diligent people who teach the children, clean the kitchen, fix the faulty plumbing, visit the lonely, and shovel the sidewalk. This is certainly a part of the history at Washington Reformation UCC, but it is a part of every religious congregation.
As our congregation prepares to celebrate150 years of joy and sorrow, service and struggle, love and learning, no one is certain if we will continue for 150 more years — at Washington or anywhere else. My hope and prayer is that there will continue to be generations of dedicated church members who will love God, love each other, love neighbor, and continue the traditions at this lovely country church. But there are no certainties.
If you are reading this article, then you are someone with an interest in spirituality and religion. Perhaps you even have a connection or are a member of a religious community somewhere. I thank you for your dedication and supporting your religious home, wherever it may be. If you have lost your connection with your faith home, I encourage you to reconnect if it is safe for you to do so. Survival is not a certainty, even though we imagine that it is. And finally, celebrate each year or month or day as if it were as monumental as 150 years!
— Reflections appears regularly on the religion page. The column features a variety of local writers, coordinated through the Monroe Area Clergy Group. Reverend Kelly Volk is the pastor at Washington Reformation United Church of Christ.
