"Precious years of memories
Oh what joy they bring to me
How I long once more to be
With my friends at the old country church"
As the Wright siblings have grown, their love for music and singing has always been a constant. I remember very specifically one of our trips to Michigan to visit her family. We were all out on a very, very crowded boardwalk. One of her brothers, Byron I think, started a tag - which is a small snippit of a song- and then they all joined in to finish singing the song in perfect harmony a capella. I was a teenager, so at the time it was a little embarrassing, but is now a sweet memory. The crowd around us started out by looking at them like they had two heads each, but by the end they were all hooping and hollering and clapping! This repeated itself several more times throughout the evening. Once at dinner, once in a crowded ice cream parlor, you get the drift. They were natural performers.Wright family reunions were always full of laughing, eating, and lots of music.
One particular song I can always remember them singing was "The Old Country Church," of which I've posted some of the lyrics at the beginning. That song has resonated so deeply with me throughout my life because I had a place like that. A place where no matter the stage in my life, as child who had just moved to a new town and school system, an angst-ridden teenager, or a young woman just starting her own family, my heart yearned to be there.
First Baptist Church, Zeigler, Illinois
Some of my earliest and happiest memories were created at First Baptist Church in Zeigler, Illinois. From the Vacation Bible School every summer, to the smells and sounds of the basement fellowship hall bustling during an after service potluck meal, my heart swells now just thinking about it.
I attended there regularly from the time I was four until we moved the summer I was eight going on nine years old. I continued to attend most weekends after that as well, because I would stay frequently with my grandparents who were members. That all changed the September after I turned thirteen years old.
My Grandpaw, Roger, passed away September 17, 2001. That day is still so fresh in my mind and heart. This day changed a lot more in our family than just missing him. Soon after my Grandpaw's passing my dad had plans drawn up to build an apartment onto the back of our home for my Granny. This was great news, as I loved having my best friend living with us. It was, however, bittersweet, because gone were the days of the beautiful house on Maple Street and regular attendance at Zeigler First Baptist - the only two places that had ever really felt like home.
The house that built me.
Ever since I have felt like something was missing. Trips back to FBCZ were comforting, yet tear filled. I would spend the entire time I was there sitting next to my Granny, in the pew where the three of us used to sit, and blubber like a baby. My fondest memories from there included folks from my grandparent's generation, and as they aged I would hear word of many of them passing. It was heartbreaking.
My father is an interim pastor, so I have attended many, many churches. None of them ever compared or felt like home. I did have a wonderful experience during my time in youth group at Harrisburg First Baptist, but it still wasn't the same.
I had always made the assumption that I was so emotionally attached to FBCZ because of my grandparents. I always felt that the tears stemmed from missing Grandpaw, and now Granny. However, this past Sunday I feel like I had an epiphany.
As I was engaging in worship at our new church home, One Life Church, I kept thinking of the amazing KIDS! department we have there. I have been able to serve in different aspects of that program for the past year or so. I was thinking of the joy that comes with that service, and also the trials. In that moment I felt a perspective change. This was my new home now. These kids are being nurtured in the way I was at FBCZ. I didn't miss that place solely because it is where I feel close to my grandparents. I miss it because that is where people loved me like Christ does. I had an entire network of people who supported, encouraged, and loved me like crazy. That is a rare thing to have.
Korey and I didn't attend church regularly the majority of our dating life or marriage. Lots of past hurts and hangups kept us away. When we moved to Henderson we felt that something was missing in our life. We visited many different churches and prayerfully settled on One Life - and things started changing in our life. We got involved in our community. We built relationships. We found financial direction. Most importantly, we delved further into our faith and have become intentional in fostering that in our children. Our life together has blossomed.
When I mention church Mimi beams. She loves going there. She feels supported, encouraged, and loved like crazy.
In God's perfect timing, He has taken away the sadness I feel when I think of Zeigler, and finally given me a place I've longed for, a new home.
The best part - now I get to be a small fraction of the experience for the kids there. I get to invest in their lives and create home for them. I hope to help them always remember their time there fondly and hopefully keep the desire for a relationship with a group of believers alive in them.
As I was thinking of all these things, the worship band broke out into a chorus of "It is well with my soul" and I lost it. I was transported back to my Granny's lap and all the times she sang me to sleep with that song, and her alto voice carrying the echo of that hymn in the sanctuary of that church. In that moment, it really did all become well with my soul.
"There's a place dear to me
Where I'm longing to be
With my friends at the old country church"
My Granny and her remaining brothers singing together on their last visit.
She literally used some of her last breaths to sing that song. What a treasure.
