The Little Brown Church in the Vale

I was so excited to be able to go to a Sunday morning service at the Little Brown Church in the Vale!  After breakfast at the hotel, I loaded up my car.  I was thankful that I didn't have any flat tires after yesterday's travels on gravel roads!  I doubt I could have found a place to repair a tire in this small town on a Sunday morning!

It was a 15 minute drive to Nashua where I pulled up to that famous little church.  The church was located on Iowa Highway 346 just outside of town.

I was there in time for a sing-a-long that they have before church starts.  We were given a booklet with hymns/choruses that they sang from and they asked for requests.  One of the songs was "In the Garden" and I asked if we could sing that.  It was one of my mother's favorites!  Mine too!!  It makes me a little weepy with joy!

In the Garden

I come to the garden alone,

While the dew is still on the roses,

And the voice I hear falling on my ear,

The Son of God discloses...

And He walks with me, and He talks with me,

And He tells me I am His own,

And the joy we share as we tarry there,

None other, has ever, known!

He speaks and the sound of His voice,

Is so sweet the birds hush their singing,

And the melody that he gave to me,

Within my heart is ringing . . .

And He walks with me, and He talks with me,

And He tells me I am His own,

And the joy we share as we tarry there,

None other, has ever, known!

And the joy we share as we tarry there,

None other, has ever, known!

As we sang, people continued to come.  There was a welcome and call to worship given by the pastor, Drew McHolm, who is Scottish.  He had quite the brogue!   How I enjoyed him!

There was a greet one another time and the people moved about the room for about 10 minutes talking with one another.  I met a couple who were also visiting.  They were celebrating their 29th anniversary and had come here because they were married in this church.  I had read that this church has had over 10,000 weddings.  I asked them if this was true.  "Oh, yes!"  "How can that be?"  The lady I spoke with said that just this past Valentines, they had 18 weddings!  They had 2 pastors that took turns and got them all done!  If you click the link to the Little Brown Church above, you can see a photo gallery of some of the weddings.  And read about the history of this sweet church.

There was a time of sharing prayer requests.  In a small church like this, you can just raise your hand and ask for prayer.  Much harder to do in a church of 500!  The pastor gave a passionate prayer, calling on our Father for the needs, some which were so heavy.  One family going to the hospital with their 3 year old child who was not expected to live.

The sermon was "The Great Exchange".  Adam and Eve exchanged fellowship with God for a piece of fruit.  The disciples exchanged their fishing boat to follow Jesus.  We can make good choices or bad ones.  Jesus Himself kept the Mosaic law perfectly, but "He who had no sin became sin for us."  When we give our lives to follow Jesus, we exchange a sinful life for righteousness.  Not by what we do, but by what Jesus has done for us!  I loved the pastor's sermon!  He did not water down the gospel.

Afterwards, I was invited to the basement to enjoy a fellowship dinner.  I decided to do that before heading back to Kansas.  What wonderful people!

I shared with the pastor that our congregation in Japan often sang this song "The Little Brown Church in the Vale" in our services.  I have fond memories of that!  I played it for him* and he had others come and listen.  He had never heard it in Japanese.  A few weeks prior, an Amish church had come to sing the song there in the church.  I wonder if they sang it in English or Pennsylvania Dutch?

*A friend of mine found a Japanese congregation who sings this and you can play it to hear it in Japanese!  (Our Japanese church never had a choir; we were too small.  And we didn't wear robes either.)

Good-bye Little Brown Church in the Vale!

I had about 9 hours to get to Kansas so I bid them adieu, or I should say, sayonara!