Churches out west we have visited

Since my retirement last July 1, we have been privileged to worship at various churches throughout our travels, most of them in the west. The memberships of the congregations have also varied and except for Covenant Church in Boise where we regularly worship in the fall when we're in Idaho, most of the congregations have been small. Not one of them failed to welcome us warmly and their eager welcome did not seem to be from a need to get new members, but rather a genuine "This is our Father's house -- welcome!" Last Sunday we worshiped at First Presbyterian Church in Deming, NM. Counting Helen and me, there were 25 worshipers in the pews, 4 in the choir loft and a guest organist who got 9 out of 10 notes correct. But it was one of our best experiences. The pastor came from Scotland 46 years ago, intending to study in the U.S. for a year, and never went back. He is semi-retired, a widower, and serves this little church four days a week to suppliment a small pension. His sermon was the best we have heard, hands down! He held my attention the entire 20 minutes, spoke to my needs, encouraged us all, had some good stories, used humor well, and evidently was well read. Meeting and speaking with him after worship was a real pleasure. That congregation is blessed to have him as their pastor.

I have to say that every sermon we have heard has been well prepared, well delivered and relevant. Most of those sermons have been delivered by older generation pastors. Whether good or bad, the younger pastors' sermons are crafted and delivered differently than those of the older pastors and it isn't just the 'experience' factor, though that plays a part for sure.

In every church we have visited there has been a genuine positive spirit. These smaller churches don't seem to be concerned with the antics of the larger denomination. Primarily they are there to serve their community as they might, take care of each other and trust Jesus to be with them day by day. Most of them make an effort to do some sort of missions, but their resources are limited. And many of their members are of retirement age which limits their capacity to do missions beyond their doors.

Following the services we have attended, we often stay for the coffee hour. The members and guests are always very friendly. Yes, there is always a "Miss Ruby" -- the lady who is obviously in charge (of most everything!)

Here's a photo of FPC, Deming, NM.



At least in the smaller PCUSA churches out west there is life ... for now.