Stories

When I sat down to write my mother's obituary , I thought it would be the hardest thing I ever wrote. I knew the rules: keep it short, use simple language, just the facts, ma'am. But how could I sum up the life of the person I've known longer than any other? How can I possibly make a tribute that was worthy? I made a chronological list of her accomplishments, and the obituary just wrote itself. The funeral director warned me that it would cost us to print all that, and I told

My grandmothers have been two of the most influential people in my life, with the exception of my parents. They were Granny Powell and Granny Lockhart. They were related only by the marriage of their children, my parents. Most unusual of all was the fact that they were the dearest of friends, and I was fortunate enough to have been raised near them for nearly 13 years of my life. They would sit together in the late evening, as the sun would dip slowly into the western sky. Th

In case you've been wondering why there's been no sewing lessons or Wednesday night Bible study for a while, here's the story. Debbie Tibbs had her scheduled knee replacement surgery on Thursday, January 22nd. At first it seemed like a success, but her recovery was difficult. For one thing, they sent her home with only Pastor Tibbs as caregiver. Bad weather interfered with anyone else lending a hand. He became ill, possibly from food poisoning, as Bob is not a great cook. De

A few years ago, First Christian Church lost its music director. We decided to take some time and think through exactly who we needed to look for to flesh out our worship team, and pray about it. Meanwhile, we would keep our eyes out for someone who might join us in that role, but found no one. Rotating volunteers led congregational singing, until Mike Lewis stepped into the job. We decided to designate organist Bobbie Mitchell as music director, and that what we really neede

Don Piper wrote his story of death and life in a book titled 90 Minutes in Heaven . He wrote... "a light enveloped me, with a brilliance beyond earthly comprehension or description. Only that. In my next moment of awareness, I was standing heaven... I became aware of a large crowd of people surrounding me, shouting and praising God." My husband, Phil Fox, used practically the same words to describe what happened to him on July 18, 2011. He saw a brilliant light, and standing

I guess when I was growing up that I may have been a little rambunctious, probably somewhere between Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn. Not a little angel but also not a little devil. I will never forget a lesson my father taught me about taking responsibility for my actions. I grew up in a neighborhood with plenty of boys my age. We always got up early during the summer because there was plenty of mischief that required our attention and we certainly wanted to have plenty of time to

When asked to write about what Advent means to us, my first thought went to Christmas Eve. I cannot imagine being anywhere else on Christmas Eve other than at First Christian Church. Standing there with my husband and son on either side of me, candle in hand, listening to the beloved story of the birth of our Christ, that is Christmas! Standing there with other church members who are my 'family,' singing "Silent Night," that is Christmas! All of us with that special feeling

I had five brothers and a sister. We grew up in North Dakota during the depression and were lucky to have a shrub in the house. We had real candles on the tree. We couldn't leave the room if the candles were lit or it would set everything on fire. All we knew to do was hang a sock. When I went to check mine, there was an orange on top and that made me happy. There were a few other things in there, and a can of Dutch Cleanser in the bottom. My brother had done that. Everybody

The year 2000 was my youngest daughter's first Christmas with the family in America. She was two and a half, and I wanted it to be perfect. After the kids finally went to sleep the night before, I stayed up very late to arrange Christmas just so, as parents of small children do. After about an hour's sleep, my husband woke me up to help him with a nosebleed. The bathroom already looked like a murder scene. We couldn't get the bleeding stopped, and after a couple of hours we d

In the late 1950s, times were hard. My dad was a dairy farmer and made $25 a week, with a family of six to feed. Christmas was a special time at our house. In addition to all the special church activities, we could ask Santa for two gifts, one of which Santa would try to bring. When I was six years old in the first grade, my parents remodeled the upstairs of our farmhouse, making a large bedroom for my two sisters and a smaller room for me. I had a twin bed and a dresser, and

Christmas is a time for shopping, baking, decorating, and making plans. It is also time to anticipate events to come and reflect on Christmases past... One of my favorite memories of the holidays is that of our traditional Christmas Eve as a youngster. We didn't have to "dream" of a white Christmas when I was growing up, we lived it each year. We always spent Christmas Eve at our house with my parents and my siblings. Of course, we had already been out in one of the woods aro

"...and on earth, peace." Luke 2: 14 Dear Lord, it's me again. I could use some of the peace, Lord. Things are so hectic. There is this Christmas dinner to go to and that party and the play and concerts. (Oh, I must remember to make some goodies to take for the organ concert.) Ham is going on sale at Kroger tomorrow; I have to make sure and get there. I need to get the cheesecake made. My kids think we can't have Christmas without chocolate cheesecake. I haven't even bought

I cannot think about Advent and Christmas without remembering the music associated with this time of the church year. I also cannot think about that music without remembering the person who taught me so much about it. That person is, of course, my mother. Miss Verna, as some of you may know her, has been a church musician all of her life. Trained as an organist, pianist, vocalist, choral director, public school educator, and private lessons music teacher, she worked in each o

As I reflect on memories of Christmas past I can't help but see how the meaning of Christmas has evolved for me into an entirely different focus. I believe as we age, our ideas change considerably. What once meant so much: the presents, the excitement of children, the wonderful meals, and of course the house decorated so beautifully, don't seem to be so important as when I was younger. The once merry time for giving gifts, practicing goodwill, just for a season, seems not to

On Sunday when I went to church, I felt fine, but on Monday and Tuesday I felt like I had a virus. Wednesday arrived, and I didn't feel well, but better, and tried to do a few things around the house. I remember cooking supper which was still on the stove. My husband Claude said I had a butcher knife and meat fork on my plate as utensils. He said I was raising my hands to my mouth as if I were eating. When he spoke to me, I smiled. Realizing that something was wrong, he led m

Our cherished, century-old pipe organ was built and installed in 1926 by Henry Pilcher's Sons Organ Company . Later, the console was added by Austin Organs . Its purchase could possibly have been made in part by a grant from the Carnegie Foundation, as well as major donations from our church. Over the years, the FCC organ has been played by many memorable organists, including Elizabeth Killinger, Siota Davis, Pat Parkey, Jeannette Ladenburger, Joyce Holbrook, Bobbie Gibson, V

Lee Ann Strunk wrote this tribute to her grandmother for an FCC Advent publication years ago. This will begin a series of stories shared by FCC members. My maternal grandmother, Eugenia Shelley Gover, was a lifelong inspiration to many. She always had a smile on her face, worked as a florist for 50 years before it became fashionable for women to work outside the home, and was active in church, civic, and community activities. She was born in 1903, in a generation of change. A

Joyce Fox rose to address the congregation during the worship service last Sunday. In case you missed it, here is what she said from her written notes. Sadly, I do not have documentation of her witty asides- you had to be there. She gave me permission to post this. Joyce Dear FCC members, this was written to you . In my current battle with cancer, I've needed to remember that my God knows all the details and He reminds me that whatever the situation is- it's in His hands , a

On Tuesday, Joyce completed her course of radiation treatments. She got to ring the bell at BRMC! Joyce didn't know that a bunch of her friends from FCC would be there to witness this milestone (because we kept it a secret). The completion ceremony was followed by a group lunch, and a good time was had by all. We love you, Joyce!