This past weekend we attended the 100th Anniversary celebration of the last church we served, Neerlandia, AB. It was a delightful weekend.
Saturday morning was cool and breezy. It looked as if rain showers might develop. But we were fortunate: it turned into a perfect midsummer day. Enough breeze to keep a person cool, and enough sun to make everything shine.
First up was the building of a 2/3 size replica of the original log church. These fellows were having fun!
Dale unlocked the parsonage for me so I could check out all the upgrades that had been made since we left. When we arrived there in September of 1993 the house had been recently renovated: sunshine ceiling and new cupboards and flooring in the kitchen; new carpeting and painting throughout. I thought at that time that it was a very nice home. With all that has been done since, it's a lovely modern home. Their last pastor left recently, so there is no one living in the house right now.
We passed the morning visiting with many friends. My friend Cora and I spent time solving the "Graveyard Trivia Quiz." I guess we thought we were more interesting
than the headstones, as this is the picture I came home with from that part of the morning!
The eats were organized somewhat like a carnival. You could purchase tickets for $1 each and with them you could buy Dutch treats (whipped cream filled pastries), coffee, tea, hot dogs, hamburgers, etc.
When Jim and I decided it was lunchtime there was a huge long lineup for the lunch tent. We decided to get a pastry instead, and that lasted us just fine until the supper at 5:30.
There was a "penny carnival" for kids, a slide show of members' pictures and their comments about being part of this church. There was a "Dress Up Photography" set up. These two sisters chose to appear as travelling ladies in the 40's--or thereabouts. I had taught violin to the daughter of the woman in green, and enjoyed and still do, a fulfilling relationship with them.
I returned to watch the building of the log church replica occasionally throughout the day. The fellows worked very hard, even though the day was quite hot by mid-afternoon. They didn't manage to finish the building, but that didn't seem important.
It turned out so cute and attractive. They had thought to maybe auction it off to help fund the "Honduras Trip" that the young people make to help a needy church in South America, but the log cabin proved such a hit that people are saying, "No! Keep it and use it for a meeting place." The original log cabin was not valued when the first lumber church was built. Maybe this replica will pay homage to those early settlers who scrimped and saved to have a humble place of worship.
Supper was served buffet style and was absolutely delicious. We enjoyed salads, buns, barbecued beef and desserts. There was plenty for everyone and we all sat around and visited after the meal. I was sitting next to the gentleman with his back to the camera, the oldest man in the congregation at 95 and still a good companion at the dinner table.
Saturday morning was cool and breezy. It looked as if rain showers might develop. But we were fortunate: it turned into a perfect midsummer day. Enough breeze to keep a person cool, and enough sun to make everything shine.
First up was the building of a 2/3 size replica of the original log church. These fellows were having fun!
Dale unlocked the parsonage for me so I could check out all the upgrades that had been made since we left. When we arrived there in September of 1993 the house had been recently renovated: sunshine ceiling and new cupboards and flooring in the kitchen; new carpeting and painting throughout. I thought at that time that it was a very nice home. With all that has been done since, it's a lovely modern home. Their last pastor left recently, so there is no one living in the house right now.
We passed the morning visiting with many friends. My friend Cora and I spent time solving the "Graveyard Trivia Quiz." I guess we thought we were more interesting
than the headstones, as this is the picture I came home with from that part of the morning!The eats were organized somewhat like a carnival. You could purchase tickets for $1 each and with them you could buy Dutch treats (whipped cream filled pastries), coffee, tea, hot dogs, hamburgers, etc.
When Jim and I decided it was lunchtime there was a huge long lineup for the lunch tent. We decided to get a pastry instead, and that lasted us just fine until the supper at 5:30.
There was a "penny carnival" for kids, a slide show of members' pictures and their comments about being part of this church. There was a "Dress Up Photography" set up. These two sisters chose to appear as travelling ladies in the 40's--or thereabouts. I had taught violin to the daughter of the woman in green, and enjoyed and still do, a fulfilling relationship with them.
I returned to watch the building of the log church replica occasionally throughout the day. The fellows worked very hard, even though the day was quite hot by mid-afternoon. They didn't manage to finish the building, but that didn't seem important.
It turned out so cute and attractive. They had thought to maybe auction it off to help fund the "Honduras Trip" that the young people make to help a needy church in South America, but the log cabin proved such a hit that people are saying, "No! Keep it and use it for a meeting place." The original log cabin was not valued when the first lumber church was built. Maybe this replica will pay homage to those early settlers who scrimped and saved to have a humble place of worship.
Supper was served buffet style and was absolutely delicious. We enjoyed salads, buns, barbecued beef and desserts. There was plenty for everyone and we all sat around and visited after the meal. I was sitting next to the gentleman with his back to the camera, the oldest man in the congregation at 95 and still a good companion at the dinner table.
In the evening we all went into the sanctuary for a long, interesting program. I'll post some more about that tomorrow.
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