We Have a Winner
The previous image was from Emmanuel Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Whippany, NJ. It is the church where the Dishman boys were baptized and grew up. Actually, Mark and Peter had some formitive years at Town North Presbyterian Church, since they were still in High School when the Dishman clan moved from Morristown, NJ to Plano, TX.
This place is full of memories for me. It’s where a huge portion of my spiritual foundation was laid. Even though I rejected that foundation for a few years, it remained. In my senior year of high school, I officially joined the Christian Church and publicly told everyone that I am depending on Jesus Christ to forgive my sins and make me a new person. 17 years later, I’ve been through a lot of joys and sorrows, and I’ve seen my need to grow a lot more clearly than I have wanted to. I’ve also seen how my life has been shaped through trying to follow Jesus. While I’m not yet the person I want to be (or rather that I should be), I’m also not the person I was. I think that somewhere in this "in-between" place is where I see the faithfullness of God in my life.
OK, that was a long aside for a guy that prefers to put more photos than text on his blog. Here are some interior photos of the building. Mom had a joke she liked to tell about Orthodox Presbyterians (hereafter referred to as OP’s). Question: "How many OP’s does it take to change a lightbulb?" Answer: "None. OP’s never change anything." At least in terms of the physical building of Emmanuel OPC, there is a lot of truth there. THey did paint the sanctuary, though.
In this room was one of the first places where I participated in Christian service. Twice each year, the louvers to the attic fan had to be opened/closed in that (then) un-airconditioned building.
A very tall step-ladder would be put up below a certain ceiling tile. I had to stand on the absolute top of the ladder (2 steps above the label that warned of the grave danger to all who venture to balance their weight that high) and move one of the ceiling tiles to the side . Then I had to grasp two rafters that were at least 2 feet higher than the ceiling tiles and pull myself up until I could rest my feet on the rafters. After that my job was a piece of cake — until I had to come back down. Sitting on those rafters, looking down through a hole to the very small top platform of a somewhat rickety step ladder about 5 feet below where I was sitting was not very comforting. Fortunately, a lot of men in the church were usually down there doing whatever work the men in the church did on church work days. I certainly wanted to be "one of the men" and so I didn’t hesitate too long before dropping down through the hole onto the top step of the ladder. I don’t think they every knew how my heart pounded when my arms hit their maximum extension about the same time my feet hit the top of that swaying ladder!
Here are the legendary louvers. Note that there are now air conditioning vents in the ceiling. Those appeared after 1989 when we left for Texas.
I don’t think that ANYTING in this kitchen has changed since my earliest memories. I wonder if Mrs. Warner is still around. One day she had put her Bible on one of those stoves. I didn’t notice this and I was playing with the burners. When we noticed a "just-branded cow" smell, I turned off all the burners and she picked up her very nice Bible. It had a nice spiral brand on it.
Here’s a room full of memories … Mom scratching my back while I fell asleep in the sermon … Pop singing the myrrh verse of "We Three Kings" every year … Vacation Bible School … rainbow suspenders … joining the church and first communion … Pastor Busch, Pastor Morrison, Pastor Letham, Pastor Davis … any many friends who turned out to be very important in my becoming who I am.
The baptismal "font."
The organ played by Mr. Charles Kapp.
The nursery …
… with the same toys that I played with as a 5-year-old. (The big wood train, not the dollhouse.)
How many times have my fingers been pinched by that see-saw thing?
Emmanuel Church is a much different church now. On this visit, I met the current pastor, Rev. Howard Curry. He told me that there are currently 30 people attending the church. Only four of them were there when I was a kid: Mr. and Mrs. Stevens, Roger Sucy and Becky Busch. They really want to reach out to their neighborhood to meet people’s needs there. I pray that they will suceed.
