Deflection

Last week mom and I drive by my grandparent’s church in Hebron, Wisconsin, and we found that it had a for sale sign in front of the church. Not only was this a. surprise but it was shocking, since so many of our family events took place there.

My grandmother was brought up in the Congregational church in Fort Atkinson. Since her dad’s family can be tracked back to the passage of the ship Mayflower to America, they were Puritans. In the 1603s, the Puritans became Congregationalist. From what I have been told, my great grandfather was a strict Congregationalist.

When my grandmother married my grandfather, they became Methodist. My grandfather took my mom to church every Sunday, but did not attend the Church service. With my grandmother’s big work load on the farm, she. seldom attended Church. (As a side note, my brother-in-laws mother told me that she remembers my grandmother playing the piano in church.). But, for as long as I can remember, my grandmother attended Church every Sunday and she was active with Methodist Women.

Before my Mom was born, my grandparents moved from a farm on Wisconsin 106 west of Fort Atkinson to Hebron; therefore, as the years past, there were many family events that took place at the Hebron Methodist Church. My Aunt Betty Jane married Stanley Kraeknke, my Uncle Bob married Ann, and my parents were married in the church. From what I remember, there was family wedding anniversaries held in the basement of the church. But then comes the sad part of church events, with my my grandfather, grandmother, Uncle Bob, and Aunt Ann’s funerals were held in the church.

After my grandparent’s passed away, my family purchased a carillon for the church. Until recently, it spread music through out the small village of Hebron.

As for my uncle’s funeral, it was particularly hard on me being held in the church. As I sat in the church, I was looking through a round stained glass window that I kept wondering about how many times y grandmother had looked through the same window. Then came the hard part. My cousin’s daughter was playing two of my grandmother’s favorite hymns that were played at her funeral: I come the Garden and the Old Rugged Cross. But that was the easy part of the hymns that were being played, since my cousin daughter was playing on the same piano that grandma played on with my grandma’s sheet music. That was too many events and items coming together to keep as straight face.

With events like this taking place in a church with so many family ties, it is hard to see this property sold. But we are only one family with these type of family ties.

Today, I talked to the last minister for the church. These small churches have been difficult for the Methodist Church, as their congregation as dwindled in size. As for this church, the congregation became in odds with the Methodist Churches administration. As it works out, the church is owned by the Methodist Church and not by the congregation. So, all gifts are part of the Methodist Church and not part of the congregation. It becomes difficult when people give funds to the Church and the Church designates how the funds can be used on not the congregation. Also, each Church is to give funds to the Methodist Church administration, but it is almost impossible for small Churches to give the funds demanded by the administration. Although this minster did not mention that the Methodist Church spilt this earlier this year, it seems like it had to be part of the issue with this church. So, during the middle of the summer, the congregation walked out of the church and in to the community building next door leaving everything in the Church, including all the hymnals and the carillon that our family donated to the church.

This reminds me of one of my concerns with memorials. As I hike on trails, I often see park benches serving as memorials for people that have past. Although these memorials seems to be nice at the time, it seems like memories will rot away and the person is then forgotten. When I was putting my will together, I kept this idea in mind. So, my will funds a couple of scholarships with my name and funds for a faculty with my name in the Mayo campus (I cannot get too far away from my civil engineering background). Although it seems like everyone will have to struggle with the issue of memorials, it is difficult to find one that fits over through the years. As I think about this issue, it seems like it would be a good issue for an essay.

Although it is sad to see how his country is moving, these small churches are having a tough time. I feel that we take these churches for granted and feel that they will always be there for us.