THE WEIRS TIMES, Thursday, October 28, 2010


METHODIST CHURCH, WEIRS-1889


by Rev. Victoria Wood Parrish Contributing Writer


When I was a child, be-


ing a part of a church community was as much a part of my life as go- ing to school or going to the doctor. My par- ents had been active in their church, so of course their children went with them. There was Sun- day school and children’s choir, drawing on the bul- letin during the sermon, summer camp and youth retreats. The important people were Miss James, the old lady who seemed to be in charge, the min- ister and my friends and their parents. In college, it was my choice to go to church or no; and some Sundays were just perfect for sleep- ing in. However, if you wanted to see anyone who wasn’t a professor or your age, you went to church. There, you could laugh at the kids, get free coffee and donuts and maybe find a seat at a pot-luck dinner (lots of free food!). There was also a college fellowship group that did service projects and ate dinner together – a good way to make friends. As a young adul t , church became a place to get away from work and other hassles – an hour of peace. There were al- ways a few young adults there and sometimes we got together. As I sat in the pew, I looked at all the older adults and was amazed at their wis- dom. They seemed to have everything together when I was trying to sur- vive. They liked having us younger folks around, and again – we found food! Many of the young adults ended up marrying each other, and those who remained single still had friends. Then came the middle


COMMUNITY CHURCH MEDITATIONS WHO’S IN THAT PEW?


years. Those of us raising children banded together. We taught Sunday School. We sent our children to- gether to church camp in the summer. Because we were friends, our children were friends. We sup- ported each other through divorces, job changes, pa- rental deaths and moves to new communities. Those who were older than we were seemed to be calm and patient. They seemed to be happy widows or aging couples. They ran the nursery and knitted sweaters for the church fair. The men took care of the building and always seemed to know what needed to be done. Now I am one of the older


ones – not yet retired, but the children are grown and getting married. I have trouble figuring out who is younger than I or older. It seems like we are just a group of people who are between, say 30 and 90 – we all are the same. (The younger than 30 also blend together. Are they teens or young singles? Who knows! Who cares! They are just nice young people.) I have also learned


something about the older people who I had thought to be calm and wise and happy. They are really no dif- ferent than any other age group. They are dating and falling in love. They are getting divorced. They are caring for parents. They have buried parents and children and they still grieve. They say stupid things as well as wise things, and they get just as embarrassed as the teens do. They are afraid of dying and looking for- ward to dying. They worry about finances, health, children, grandchildren, the stock market, the weight of snow on the roof and driving in the win- ter. They don’t feel wise, although they do feel like they have learned some things. They want to be right, but worry about being wrong. They have faith and they are search- ing for faith. They don’t want to be alone. Now I know that when


I go to church, I am not sitting with a bunch of people who are calm and wise and loving. They may be. But they are also


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each fighting their own battles. They want to be loved and they want to help each other. In the pew are young


men and women suffering from divorces – and older men and women with the same pain. There are couples who


are just married and cou- ple married for 65 years. There are people with


new diagnoses and people who have survived – and can help others through the process. There are people who


have made awful life deci- sions and are looking for a new path. Who’s in the pew? Peo- ple just like you.


Rev. Victoria Wood Par-


rish is the pastor of the First United Methodist Church in Gilford, NH, located on Route 11-A. It is a congregation of open hearts, open minds, and open doors. We invite you to worship with us on Sundays at 10:30 AM Children’s activities and nursery are available dur- ing the 10:30 morning wor- ship. We also invite you to the United Methodist Church in the Weirs, 35 Tower St., which worships at 9:30 AM. There are also many other local congrega- tions who would welcome you to worship.


35


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