Sunday~Worship, and "Home"

In my childhood, with my grandmother, we often worshiped in this little chapel in the town of Moose, Wyo.  while my grandfather, my father and uncles would go to fish or hunt on Sunday mornings.  The men would also hunt and fish on almost every other morning too, leaving before it was light and returning in time for supper.  This little chapel, the Chapel of the Transfiguration, holds many blessed memories of the times in this valley.

Inside it is tiny, with handhewn pews of carved pine and a simple cross in front of the window over the altar, framing the mountains beyond.  The chapel is part of the Episcopal Church, and always has been a mission of St. John's Episcopal Church in the town of Jackson. It was built in 1925 and is the same today as I remember it as a little girl.  I can recall the times with my grandmother as we would prepare for service and drive from the cabin to the chapel, always sitting in the second pew  on the left, together. 
Simple wonderful times of worship in this place.

Things change, and we have become involved in another chapel South of the town of Jackson.  When we come back to the valley, I look forward to returning to worship in this church with these
wonderful folks.  The Chapel at River Crossing...

It is not part of the Episcopal Church, and it also not an Anglican Church.  In the beginning, Anglican liturgy was used for the early service and the second service was very contemporary, with Worship and Praise.  But that has changed once again, and their services are non-liturgical in style.  We begin with Worship and Praise, we greet one another at the Peace.  The sermon follows with scriptural teaching, and ends with the breaking of the bread and communion together.  What I have noticed is this:

the church is more modern and so much larger. But  beyond the altar which sits at the base of the  stairs made of huge pine logs, the cross is imposed on the lectern. Simple candles are lit, and huge pine logs frame the window. Outside is the scene of the mountain range and the beauty of the surrounding valley, just like at the Chapel in Moose.

We arrived late on Saturday night and were up and out very late that night.  But I could barely sleep anticipating our return to this church family.  Service was to begin at 8:45, and we were up at 6:30 to be there on time.  Walking in, I felt like I was coming home; it felt like we had not been away long at all.  It was so familiar and so good to be there.  The service started at nine, and I thought maybe the Pastor of our church would not be there.  Last year, his son-in-law Jason led the service.  After a long summer of worship, our Pastor Mike Atkins and his wife Patty were taking some time away.  This summer, the church had it's first theatre production, designed to draw visitors as outreach to the community.  I knew it was a busy season.  And I was prepared to miss our Pastor again this year.  He was nowhere in sight, and as we began to worship, Jason was leading worship and praise with the band.  And then I noticed that somehow Pastor Mike had slipped into his seat in the front row. Both Jim and I felt a Peace about this time in our church.  We truly had come "home" on this Sunday.

This is the church where I accepted God's will in my life, the Chapel at River Crossing.  Pastor Mike led deliverance that first year, and he called all of those members up to the altar who were prepared to surrender their own will to God.  I will never forget it, because I had been so opposed to the altar call.
I was looking for something back then, and Mike knew how to reach me.  And as I sat in my seat and listened to Mike Atkins speak about surrendering your own will, and calling God into your life, to be the all in all...I could not stop myself from approaching the altar, and kneeling before God, and accepting God's will as my own. What a great night that was.
And What a change that night has made in my life!

It was a great Sunday this past Sunday.  It was a blessing to see everyone again, to hear Mike's teaching, to worship with this wonderful congregation.  It felt like home.  It felt right.

As you leave the church, this message is carved above the entryway:  it means alot to see this!

HOME, where I DO belong. We will have several more Sundays with this church family.
We went off to town for breakfast after service, and met some folks in the parking lot who were also looking for Mike Atkins.  They said they were "Lost" and could we help them?"
We sure could.....they weren't lost at all.  They had found The Chapel at River Crossing, Pastor Mike Atkins, and his congregation.  Home at Last...Amen!