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Surely
the presence of the Lord is in this place;
I
can feel his mighty power and his grace.
I can hear the brush of angels' wings,
I see glory on each face;
Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place.
- Lanny Wolfe
Webster
defines Sanctuary as a consecrated place….the
most sacred part of a religious building; a place for worship,
a place of refuge and protection.
This place
is all of those things….we come together here on Sunday
to worship and praise God; to confess our sins, to ask forgiveness,
and to offer thanks for His many blessings.
I would
invite you, if you have never done so to come into the sanctuary
when it is just you….with the light filtering through
the beautiful stained glass. I'm sure you will find it as
I have a place of peace, comfort and renewal.
This is
the place of baptism, confirmation, weddings, funerals and
memorial services, and special services and programs for the
enrichment of our Christian experience.
My family
has experienced all of these things in this sanctuary over
the past 52 years. My own experience began in another sanctuary
at Maple and Henrietta. I was baptized there, confirmed there,
sang in the choirs there and then as I was about to leave
for college my parents decided to build a new house, the Board
of Education replaced my high school, and the growing membership
of the Methodist church decided to move down the road to Maple
and Pleasant. I don't mind telling you I shed a lot of tears
as I saw my childhood disintegrate before my eyes. However
with the resilience of youth I did….as they say…."get
over it" and learned to love the new places as much as
the old….especially this place where so many of the really
important events of my life have taken place.
Fifty
two years ago, on the first Sunday in September my father
stood at this lectern and spoke briefly to a congregation
attending their first worship service in this sanctuary.
In 1957
Bruce and I were married here.
In May
of 1959 my father passed away and his was the first funeral
held in this sanctuary. The old church and its second floor
sanctuary did not lend itself to funerals so Methodists were
eulogized at the local funeral parlors. Because my Dad was
still working and an active community and church leader, Dr.
Runkel convinced my mother that Bell Chapel would not have
adequate space for his funeral. That marked a change in the
way we say goodbye to our loved ones. Since that time this
sanctuary has been a source of great peace and comfort to
our grieving families.
In December
of that same year our son was baptized in this place followed
over the next 3 years by his two sisters, Beth and Janet.
Bruce
and I sang in the choir for many years and our children sang
their way through the entire graded choir program. All three
of our children were confirmed at the altar rail.
Our daughter
Beth was sent from this sanctuary to serve for three years
as part of the mission team at Red Bird Missionary Conference
in Kentucky. On returning from the Peace Corps our son and
his wife were married here.
I spent
30 years as the director of the Primary Choir bringing hundreds
of first, second and third grade children to this place to
stand on those steps to raise their voices to God.
My family
and I have been privileged to hear the word preached by an
outstanding series of senior pastors from Dr. Runkel to Dr.
Ritter and from an array of able associates.
Can you
imagine a church with no music? I am proud of the fact that
I was part of the search committee who selected our present
music director and organist. The music we hear each week is
not only beautiful but uplifting and I'm sure as pleasing
to God as it is to us.
Now with
52 years of vigorous usage it is time to refresh this place….to
give it some of the tender loving care it brings to us. The
installation of the new organ affords us a perfect opportunity
to correct some wear and tear, to improve sight and sound
and to altogether enhance this worship place for the glory
of God.
I hope
you will want to participate in the Work We Have To Do to
restore and rejuvenate this beloved place. I would like to
close by quoting the words of Doris Hall:
"The
great composer. J. S. Bach inscribed his music with SOLI
DEO GLORIA: To God alone the glory! And so for
An
instrument of greater beauty and power,
Achancel redesigned for better singing,
Enlivened acoustics to aid corporate worship,
Better lighting and sound,
A congregation with faith, vision and enthusiasm,
SOLI
DEO GLORIA!"
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