Childhood memories
In September 1952, Vernon Boyer took his bride, Joan, to a small town tucked in the hills of Western Pennsylvania. He got a job at the A & P as a meat cutter and she went to work for Sylvania. And they rented a small room on the third floor of the Odd Fellows Hall, where they started a small group with a widow and her son.
Those early days were defintely small—but the next year they increased their attendance by 50% - their son, (me), was born and began attending the small group, too ! 25 years of meeting there grew a group of 400 people.
Growing up in a small community in Western PA provided me with many memories and meaningful relationships. Marion and Gladys George became dear friends—Amish looking people who lived on a farm with no running water and only a coal stove to cook on. Yet, Gladys was one of the best cooks you will ever meet. (That's me and Dad in the picture - at one of his small group meetings.)
Folks like Marion and Gladys hosted small group gatherings in their home called “Home Prayer Meetings.” Dad’s small group of friends would gather for food, fellowship, and prayer. We kids would entertain ourselves in another room, or we would go outside and pester the livestock. (I remember being chased around the barnyard by an angry sow one time!)
Etched in my memory are also the sounds of voices united in discussion, personal sharing, and prayer. All I have to do is close my eyes—and I am there—I can smell the cooking of the church ladies. I can hear the voices of the men. It’s a small world…..after all !
What are some of your childhood memories of small group settings ?
posted by GroupLink at
2:33 PM
3 Comments:
Good stuff !
I can remember many times gathering at the house of my pastor (who was also my oldest sister's godfather) with a group of people; us kids would play in the back yard (and eat all the pears and grapes if they were ripe) while the adults did their thing in the house or on the patio. Like you, all I have to do is open my memory to smell the food or hear the conversation of the group...often, my Dad was the topic of the prayer (yep, he was a strayed lamb who came back to God on his death bed) and our situation was the center of the intercession. Not that we were the only needy family in our church, for it was a fairly average church of the time, but those were the prayers and conversations that meant most to me. It was also the way that I learned about all the stuff my Dad was doing...oooh, you don't want to know...when he wasn't at home- which was a lot! Anyway, small groups make it happen...small groups are where the love of God can be felt and experienced on a very tangible level...and I wish that everyone could experience the love, discipleship, spiritual growth, and fellowship that happens in our small groups! That's an open invitation for anyone reading this to show up between 6 and 9 PM on Tuesday nights...we'll make you welcome and try to let you experience the joy (and sometimes heartbreak) of group membership!
Thanks, Jon, for your input.
While I will not ask Jon to post his address on this blog, you may want to check out the website firstagbc.org to find info about small groups like his.
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