Thank you for all of your well-thought and thought-provoking replies to my last blog post. I intended to answer each one individually and probably still will when I can.
This week was a little crazy.
So when the week is too overwhelmingly crazy, we clear our throats and talk about other things.
Church, for instance.
Every Sunday, Ivan takes care of recording and sound from his perch behind a computer in the corner of the balcony. And every Sunday, I sit just a few feet to his left, in the front corner seat of the balcony pews. My spot is marked by the cushion Ivan bought me to make the hard wooden balcony bench a bit more comfy.
I have an interesting view from up there. Sometimes little children, peering over their parents’ shoulders with wide open eyes, see me grinning down at them and stare, transfixed, for several moments while I smile and wave. Sometimes they even smile back.
A few Sundays ago, during the delayed church Christmas program, the children went to the front to sing a Christmas carol.
Then the women.
Then the men. (Apologies for the blurry photo).
When I first came to this church, I thought it quite fancy. I mean! They had a slide projector. And a balcony. And 200 members, as opposed to 40. And everyone knows that people in the East are very proper and wear their veils just so and always keep their yards trimmed and don’t pop out with blunt, uncomfortable comments in members’ meetings.
I am still getting to know the people, so I am not yet certain if my assumptions are correct. But I do like them. They seem normal, and nice, and familiar.
I thought you might enjoy getting a glimpse of my perspective from the balcony of Mountain View Mennonite Church.
And they have banners! Love them!
I didn’t know there were any conservative Mennonite churches with balconies. I do remember the Amen corners with benches. I haven’t seen those in any other churches. I wonder what their real purpose was?
I did a quick search online and didn’t find an easy consensus as to their origins or purpose. But they aren’t limited to Anabaptist churches.
Wow! So you come down to Mt. View from Oakland. You’ve got a bit of a drive! My paternal grandfather, Mose Beachy, was the bishop of the Old Order Amish church when the church split in 1927. The people who stayed with the bishop became known as Beachy Amish, and Grandpa was asked to help a number of churches in other communities who also became known as Beachy Amish. It’s interesting to me that the very first Beachy Amish church has removed Beachy from its name. I was three years old when Grandpa died in 1946. I wish I had his letters!! I have copies that his brother Rufous wrote to him during the years leading up to the split when Grandpa got the blues as he tried to hold the church together.
I’ve heard the story of the first Beachy Amish church, and think it’s so interesting! It’s fun to be a part of a church with an interesting history.
Thanks for sharing!! Very interesting !!! I always enjoy what you write :)