First Baptist Church
building an inclusive family of faith
Summer of Renewal
May 29 - I'm just now getting a chance to post to this page. It has been a busy month. Statistically, I have:
- heard 12 sermons, 8 lectures. 3 concerts and 1 storyteller
- attended 3 workshops
- attended worship at 7 different churches
- received communion 4 times
- visited 4 libraries and 4 bookstores
- visited 6 cemeteries (it would have been 7 but after driving around for awhile on gravel roads in a forlorn corner of White County, Illinois searching in vain for Macintosh Cemetery, we decided it was time to head to the Cracker Barrel in Mt. Vernon)
- attended 1 major league baseball game
At the end of the week, we went to a baseball game in St. Louis. On a rainy night, the Cards lost in 10 innings to the Pirates, 8-4. A disappointing game but Pujols did hit a home run, and we got to see the new ballpark.
I was in Minneapolis May 17-23 for the Festival of Homiletics. Over 2100 preachers from every state, several countries, and most all denominations were there - there was an overflow crowd at Central Lutheran Church and Westminster Presbyterian Church. It was a phenomenal lineup of speakers, preachers, and musicians and the best event of this sort I have ever attended. If you are interested you can check their website .
While in Minneapolis I went for a walk with some friends near the collapsed I-35 bridge. We walked across the 11th Avenue Bridge to get a closeup look at construction on the new bridge - it is pretty amazing. Crews worked nearly 24 hours a day all through the winter and they are ahead of schedule. Here are two photos I took, the first of the south end of the bridge (downtown Minneapolis in background) and the second of the north end:
While in Minneapolis I went for a walk with some friends near the collapsed I-35 bridge. We walked across the 11th Avenue Bridge to get a closeup look at construction on the new bridge - it is pretty amazing. Crews worked nearly 24 hours a day all through the winter and they are ahead of schedule. Here are two photos I took, the first of the south end of the bridge (downtown Minneapolis in background) and the second of the north end:
While in Evansville and then in Minneapolis, I visited some interesting churches. I went to a "U2charist" in Evansville. This is a worship service that is based around the music of U2, begun at an Episcopal Church in Maryland, I believe, which has become fairly popular. Then in Minneapolis, I attended two "emergent" churches. It's hard to define what this means, but basically these are churches that are attempting to be culturally relevant, as "contemporary-style" services might be, but are at the same time very interested in Christian tradition, the arts, and ritual and symbol. Rather than downplaying tradition and symbol in order to be "seeker-sensitive," they embrace it. For example, the sanctuaries (or auditoriums) of many "contemporary" churches look a lot like a junior high auditorium, with few if any religious symbols. The churches I visited were filled with religious artwork; at one, artists in the church were painting or sketching portraits of all the members, which were displayed all over the walls. There was a huge goose (yes, a goose) that was hung high in the air at this same church. (The Wild Goose is a symbol of the Holy Spirit in Celtic Christianity - I loved the goose.) I noticed that one of the churches had an art studio and a little shop for local artisans.
Both churches celebrate communion every week and use resources from both contemporary and ancient Christianity. While quite different in style from "traditional" worship, the emergent church is in some ways a reaction against "contemporary" worship, seeking both a deeper engagement with historic Christianity and an authentic worship that arises from the community. In one service, all of the music was written by folks from the church. Ancient and modern existed together: one service included readings from ancient Christian sources - read in unison by worshipers who sat in used couches and love seats arranged in a big circle while the pastor or worship leader sat on a stool in the middle and spun around in order to face everyone. (I kind of liked the couches.)
When we renovated our sanctuary a few years ago, we considered various possibilities but nobody thought of that option!
One of these churches was started 10 years ago by 20- and 30somethings who now have children, and this is changing the dynamics of the church - they are figuring out how to do children's ministry and how to have a youth group and the congregation is now quite a mix of ages (and species: dogs are welcome, and there was one canine in attendance the day I was there, which was cool.) The other church I visited has not been around quite as long and the majority of attenders were in their 20s and 30s. Which may be a good thing, because I tried several upholstered couches before I found one that was suitably comfortable for this (young) baby boomer. (I guess the advantage of not-so-comfortable couches is that folks are less likely to fall asleep...)
Blessings,
Dave
July 7 - I'm finally posting again. We are back from our epic trip to Switzerland, Germany, and a bit of France. We had a wonderful time and I'm sure you will be hearing about it for some time.
We flew into Zürich and spent the first couple of nights in Meersburg, Germany, a beautiful little town on the Bodensee, or Lake Constance. The oldest still-inhabited castle in Germany is here; it was the longtime home of the bishop of Constance. We stayed in a hotel that has been operating since the 13th century. (The white building with the geraniums and the little spire is our hotel.)
Both churches celebrate communion every week and use resources from both contemporary and ancient Christianity. While quite different in style from "traditional" worship, the emergent church is in some ways a reaction against "contemporary" worship, seeking both a deeper engagement with historic Christianity and an authentic worship that arises from the community. In one service, all of the music was written by folks from the church. Ancient and modern existed together: one service included readings from ancient Christian sources - read in unison by worshipers who sat in used couches and love seats arranged in a big circle while the pastor or worship leader sat on a stool in the middle and spun around in order to face everyone. (I kind of liked the couches.)
When we renovated our sanctuary a few years ago, we considered various possibilities but nobody thought of that option!
One of these churches was started 10 years ago by 20- and 30somethings who now have children, and this is changing the dynamics of the church - they are figuring out how to do children's ministry and how to have a youth group and the congregation is now quite a mix of ages (and species: dogs are welcome, and there was one canine in attendance the day I was there, which was cool.) The other church I visited has not been around quite as long and the majority of attenders were in their 20s and 30s. Which may be a good thing, because I tried several upholstered couches before I found one that was suitably comfortable for this (young) baby boomer. (I guess the advantage of not-so-comfortable couches is that folks are less likely to fall asleep...)
Blessings,
Dave
July 7 - I'm finally posting again. We are back from our epic trip to Switzerland, Germany, and a bit of France. We had a wonderful time and I'm sure you will be hearing about it for some time.
We flew into Zürich and spent the first couple of nights in Meersburg, Germany, a beautiful little town on the Bodensee, or Lake Constance. The oldest still-inhabited castle in Germany is here; it was the longtime home of the bishop of Constance. We stayed in a hotel that has been operating since the 13th century. (The white building with the geraniums and the little spire is our hotel.)
From Meersburg we traveled to Ramstein, where Susan lived when she was Zoe's age while her dad was stationed there in the Air Force. We took a couple of day trips from Ramstein and then went on to Strasbourg, France, a beautiful city that is the "capital of Europe," home of the European parliament and other European institutions. Its cathedral features intricate stone lacework and took 300 years to complete. Until the early 19th century, it was the tallest church in western Christianity. Zoe and I climbed to the top of the tower - all 329 steps. Whew!
We loved the food, architecture, and culture of Strasbourg. From there we drove through the Black Forest of Germany into Switzerland. We stopped at the Emmental Show Dairy where they make the famous cheese and then at nearby Trachselwald Castle, where Anabaptists were once held prisoner.
We spent the night in the very small, rural community of Trub. Sheep outside our hotel window had bells around their necks that we heard all night. Here is the view from our room.
The next morning we went to the nearby village of Fankhaus and to Hinter Huetten, the ancestral home of the Funkhousers. My great-great grandmother, Lucretia Funkhouser, was descended from people who lived on this farm, in this house, parts of which date from 1608 - maybe you can read the date carved above the door.
Christen Fankhouser lived in this house and was one of many Anabaptists in this part of the Emmental, or Emme River valley. Among other things, they believed that baptism was for adult believers, in the separation of church and state, and that followers of Jesus did not participate in war. Because their beliefs and practices disturbed the social order, they were subject to severe persecution. As one of the community leaders, Christen Fankhouser was wanted by the authorities. (Part of the local pastor's job was to root out Anabaptists.) Christen built a secret hiding place in the barn and would hide when the Taufer (Anabaptist) -hunter would come around. This is the only intact Anabaptist hiding place remaining in Switzerland.
Mennonites and similar groups are Anabaptists. What became the first English Baptist congregation was influenced toward believer's baptism by Mennonites in Holland and as Baptists, we are "spiritual cousins" to the Anabaptists.
Christen Fankhouser was eventually caught and imprisoned in the tower at Trachselwald Castle before being sent to the prison in Bern. Conditions were horrible. In 1710, after 16 months of imprisonment, he was deported along with over 50 other Anabaptists and a similar number of very poor people. They were put on a boat in Bern for Holland and eventually Pennsylvania, but the Dutch authorities intervened and freed those on board. After living in the Palatinate of Germany (Ramstein is in this area) and Alsace (Strasbourg region), Christen and his brother-in-law secretly returned to the area, but it was very dangerous. After his brother-in-law was arrested, Christen left for the Jura mountains of western Switzerland, where he lived until he died. He spent many years apart from family, suffering for his faith. Johannes Fankhouser, my ancestor, lived in the Palatinate before sailing with his family from Rotterdam to Philadelphia in 1730.
Here we are standing in front of the house. Various family histories disagree as to whether Christen Fankhouser was my direct ancestor, or perhaps the brother of my direct ancestor, but either way, I am descended from people who lived in this house. Simon and Regula Fankhauser, the current residents of the home, have developed a very nice display/small museum. Regula is working with a Swiss pastor to research the history and genealogy of the Trub Anabaptists and the Fankhauser family. She gave us a very informative tour, and it was all quite moving for us.
Christen Fankhouser was eventually caught and imprisoned in the tower at Trachselwald Castle before being sent to the prison in Bern. Conditions were horrible. In 1710, after 16 months of imprisonment, he was deported along with over 50 other Anabaptists and a similar number of very poor people. They were put on a boat in Bern for Holland and eventually Pennsylvania, but the Dutch authorities intervened and freed those on board. After living in the Palatinate of Germany (Ramstein is in this area) and Alsace (Strasbourg region), Christen and his brother-in-law secretly returned to the area, but it was very dangerous. After his brother-in-law was arrested, Christen left for the Jura mountains of western Switzerland, where he lived until he died. He spent many years apart from family, suffering for his faith. Johannes Fankhouser, my ancestor, lived in the Palatinate before sailing with his family from Rotterdam to Philadelphia in 1730.
Here we are standing in front of the house. Various family histories disagree as to whether Christen Fankhouser was my direct ancestor, or perhaps the brother of my direct ancestor, but either way, I am descended from people who lived in this house. Simon and Regula Fankhauser, the current residents of the home, have developed a very nice display/small museum. Regula is working with a Swiss pastor to research the history and genealogy of the Trub Anabaptists and the Fankhauser family. She gave us a very informative tour, and it was all quite moving for us.
The visit to Hinter Huetten was a highlight of the trip - but one of many highlights. From here, we went to Bern where we stayed for 5 nights. We ditched the car and took some day trips by train. Here are a couple of shots in the Alps.
Finally, we went on to Zürich before flying home. Ulrich Zwingli was the leader of the Reformation in Zürich long before John Calvin was active in Geneva. Like nearly everyone else - the Anabaptists being the notable exceptions - Zwingli believed in the unity of church and state. The church in Zürich broke from Rome, with the support of the city council. (The Roman Catholic bishop lived in Meersburg, in the castle we visited.) Here is a statue of Zwingli in front of the Wasserkirche. He is holding a Bible in one hand and a sword in the other. He died in battle as Protestant Zürich fought against nearby Catholic cantons.
Some of Zwingli's followers decided that the reforms in Zürich did not go far enough and they adopted Anabaptist views, with the first adult baptisms taking place in 1524. One of the leaders of the movement was Felix Manz. He did not live long and was drowned in the Limmat River, a favorite means of executing Anabaptists. (You want water? We'll give you water...) Within a few years, there were no Anabaptists remaining in the canton of Zürich, and the Emmental area of Bern canton became the center for Anabaptist activity in Switzerland. I was reading a plaque along the river at the site where Manz was drowned, and after reading it I turned around and saw about 35 people standing behind me. It turned out that they were a group of German Baptists who like me were touring Anabaptist historical sites in Switzerland. It was a great serendipity!
Here is the Grossmunster in Zürich, Zwingli's church, where disputations took place with the Anabaptists. For some reason, Felix Manz and other Anabaptists always lost these disputations. The Grossmunster is said to have been built by Charlemagne, and a statue of him, originally outside the building, is now in the crypt.
We traveled by planes, trains, and automobiles, and also by buses, trams, boats, and aerial cable lifts. Oh, and by foot, of course. If I had time, I would tell you about the Rhine cruise, Trifels castle, the joys of the Swiss Railpass, markets in Bern and Zurich, the trip through the Golden Pass, Lausanne and the Olympic Museum, the medieval town of Murten, and more. But that's it for now. I'll probably post to this page once more, and I look forward to seeing you in less than a month now!
Blessings,
Dave
Blessings,
Dave