Dotty Metzler (as told to Bill Ritter)

When Paul and I talked about our memories of the old church, four things came to mind. All of them are anecdotal. All of them are personal. But that seems to be what people find interesting. So here they are.

First, I recall sitting in the congregation, when a lady turned to me and said: "You come so faithfully. I see you here every Sunday. I wish we could get your husband to come. Is there anything I could do to be of help?" Thanking her for her offer, I pointed to the choir loft and said: "See that guy in the robe? That's my husband, Paul."

Second, I remember the round communion rail that has been mentioned so often by others. I really enjoyed kneeling for communion. But I often approached the rail with Paul's father who, because of his physical limitations, could not kneel. Which explains why I often received communion standing up. I know I shouldn't have felt embarrassed by being different, but I did. And something of that feeling remains with me today, even as I tell the story.

Third, my academic major was child development, so I volunteered to teach in the nursery school. They needed teachers and I thought that the nursery was a place I could be of help. You have probably heard about the little educational building behind the church. Almost all the classes went there, including the nursery class. We had a child in that class who was a biter. She bit everything and everybody. And, in spite of all my training in child development, I found myself at a loss over what to do. Eventually, either we solved it or the child grew out of it. But what a challenge it presented at that stage of my life.

Finally, both Paul and I remember Coy Eklund, who was an insurance manager for the Equitable Life Insurance Company. He taught an adult Sunday school class that literally filled the choir loft. He was an excellent teacher and his witness remains with us still.