I hope you had a time of re-creation this summer!
For our vacation Shirley and I visited our eldest son, Josh. Josh presently resides in northern Sweden, some 60 miles south of the Arctic Circle. Josh is working on a project documenting the Sami language. The town he lives in is Arjeplog, a community of some 2,000 people in a county of some 5,000 inhabitants. It is a beautiful community, at least in summer, surrounded by lakes and forests. And we were most graciously received by those we encountered. We experienced radical hospitality!
One of the major structures in the Arjeplog community is the church. There is only one church structure in town. It is a very interesting structure with fish scale siding on the outside and religious frescoes on the inside. (The church can be seen at http://www.webbkameror.se/webbkameror/arjeplog/arjeplog_torget.php.)
Thankfully, the Arjeplog church publishes a short history of the parish in several languages including English. The first church building was constructed in 1641, with a major addition undertaken in 1650. This first structure was torn down in 1760, and a “new” church built. In 1894 there was a major remodeling project. In 1969 the church was repainted. Those are the facts printed in the church history of the Arjeplog congregation.
When I returned to the office last Monday (8-17), I immediately went to see what progress had been made on our remodeling project. I found a great deal had been accomplished in the 10 days I had been gone. Although there is still a great deal to be done before we can begin using the space, I am told we are still on schedule to hold our Jubilee Celebration in the newly remodeled space on Sunday, September 20th.
It was while “inspecting” our remodeling project I was reminded of the Arjeplog church and that congregation’s remodeling efforts of some 115 years ago. How many more additions and/or remodelings will our congregation go through in the next 100 or so years? Hopefully – several more! What about repainting? Even as I compose this piece, our GOMAWs are repainting the hallways in our “new” addition.
Most importantly, I wonder what the nature of our congregation will be like in some 310 years? What will our church building look like after some 250 years? Will there be any memory of our remodeling project of 2009 in 115 years? The Arjeplog congregation has survived the centuries and continues to stand out in its community. So may it be said of Platte Woods UMC in the years and decades to come!
