What Are Your Favorite Childhood Church Memories?

It is a step back in time. Visiting the church in the small town that your grandmother attended is an opportunity to slow down, relax, and listen. An opportunity to take your time on a Sunday morning because the minister who the congregation shares with another parish does not start the service until 9:45. This gives him time to preach to the first congregation and then travel the short distance to his second service of the morning. An sit back and listen to the congregation members greet your grandmother and your father and share some of the same weekly stories about the crops, the kids, and the weather. An opportunity to listen to a sermon that is often pleasantly predictable. A sermon that at least once a month mentions the church steeple history.
You have heard the story of the the church steeple history more than almost any other story in this small town. The story of how this very same steeple was miraculously rescued and refurbished from the country church that caught on fire. Although the interior damage was significant, the church steeple design remained intact. Using a network of ropes wagons, and ladders the church members were able to keep the steeple from crashing to the ground even though the rest of the building was destroyed.
The pictures from that day and the later move to the new church location in town, visually document the church steeple history that is an integral part of every visit to your grandmother’s house. Nearly as tall as the small town’s water tower, the church steeple is actually first thing you see when you arrive from the east side of town. And, only fitting, the church steeple is the last thing you hear before the Sunday service began. As interesting and well known as any other family reunion story or late night event on main street, the church steeple history is how many people within a hundred mile radius know about the small town.
While the church steeples of the two other churches in town may have cost more, neither of them carry the rich history of the steeple that caps the Lutheran church where no matter how many people are in attendance, the first eight rows will remain empty. Everyone sits in the back. Instead of battling his congregant’s habits, the pastor simply plops down in back to visit before the service begins. He seems to also attempt to spend as little time up front as possible.
Is Your Church Looking to Keep Its Historical History During an Upcoming Remodel?
Within any parish or local community, it is not surprising to discover that the local church is often the oldest building. In addition to being the oldest, a church is also the largest of any of the pre-19th century structure, with the exception of a barn. As such, in some of the plains states of the Midwest, the church steeple is often the visual cue that a traveler is reaching a destination. If, however, the church steeple is destroyed or damaged by fire or by weather, the congregation can feel that they have lost part of their identity.
Finding a builder or supplier that can help a congregation restore a major piece of architecture like a steeple is an integral need for many churches. A similar design from somewhere else in the country, for example, can provide missing pieces or, at times, complete replacements.
In addition to the outside landmark that a steeple provides, other pieces of church furniture are important to congregation members as well. Today, pews are such an important part of most churches that most people would be surprised to know that for over 1,000 years of church history, these places of worship did not contain pews. In fact, church attendees stood and were free to walk around and mingle with other church members. Fast forward to today and not only do most churches now have pews, but antique church pews are growing increasingly popular in private homes, often used as bench seating in a dining area or entryway.
Church traditions do not change easily so many remodeling projects search for pews and steeples that will be as similar as possible to the original architecture.