You Can Go Home Again
November 6, 2008
By John W. Kennedy
Last month I went back to my birthplace of Carbondale, Pa.,
visiting for the first time since my family moved away more than 45 years ago.
We moved before I reached kindergarten. I must confess I didn’t remember
anything upon first seeing the hospital of my birth, the manse I lived in and
the church where my father preached.
My brother Dave, who turned 65 last month, accompanied me on
the trip. He spent his junior high and senior high years in Carbondale, so it
truly marked a nostalgic visit for him. Like much of America, northeast
Pennsylvania has fallen on tough economic times in recent years. Many of the
once-bustling stores on the downtown streets are gone.
When our family moved to Iowa in 1963, the Presbyterian
church my dad pastored in Carbondale had 400 attendees. On the Sunday we
visited last month, about 100 sat in the pews. The majority of those who remain
had been members when my dad left. The beautiful structure — granite
exterior walls, multiple stained-glassed windows and a finely crafted wooden
pulpit — remains intact. But
the dwindling membership has resulted in the church selling the manse a couple
of years ago and hiring a part-time minister.
My brother noted that the service hasn’t changed much since
1963. A bulletin lists the order of service; a pipe organ blasts out hymns,
which are sung from a hymnal; a robed choir sings an anthem; men in suits and
ties somberly distribute Communion.
After the service, several parishioners expressed gratitude
to us that Pop had been with them through both joyous and difficult times. One
fellow told me he had named his son after my dad. Another fondly recalled how
Pop had given him his first Bible at age 7. A woman recounted how she cried for
days after our family moved away.
Our vacation also allowed us to travel to Otisville, N.Y.,
where Pop had preached for five years after serving as a chaplain during World
War II. My brother has memories of his early elementary school years there. The
Otisville church had only about 60 members when Pop preached there, so we
didn’t know if it would still be around. But we learned the community is
thriving because it’s now considered exurbia to New York City.
The pastor’s wife happened to be outside the Monday
afternoon we stopped by and she showed us around. The church has three
services, with 200 combined attendees on Sunday morning. The church built a new
education wing five years ago and has thriving youth groups. A glance at the
bulletin showed how the congregation is striving to stay relevant. Weekly
activities include food pantry distribution, a hike for young professionals,
and an open mike coffee house.
The experiences at both churches illustrated that God’s Word
doesn’t return void (Isaiah 55:11). Faithful proclamation of the gospel from
yesteryear has yielded fruit today.
— John W. Kennedy is news editor of Today’s
Pentecostal Evangel and blogs at Midlife Musings (jkennedy.agblogger.org).
