Rev. Sara Olson Dean serves two small churches, Wessington Springs (the Town Church) and Templeton (the Country Church). Wessington Springs is a lovely small town of about 1,200 folks. This week's experience was different for me because everyone was preparing for the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the town High School. There are six churches in town of varying denominations and they had all agreed to have Sunday service at the High School, so there would be no services at Sara's churches. Sara and I spent time visiting folks, watching little league baseball (her son Elliot is in his first year with the team) and talking about serving two churches at once.
It seems to me that Sara and her two congregations are perfectly suited to each other. Sara and Alex have two small children, Elliot 6 and Kate 3, so it is best for her to work part time. This fits with the needs of both churches, so she works 1/4 time for each, and spends the rest of her time with her growing family. They live next door to the church in the pasonage and Sara went out to her garden in the back yard to get basil and lettuce for lunch. Delightful.
Usually there are two Sunday services, 9:00 and 10:30. The two churches are about 15 minutes apart so travel is not an issue. However, having two services in a day is much like theatre when we do a matinee and evening performance. One has to retain some energy and enthusiasm for the second performance! I heard many comments over the week from congregation members who love Sara's sermons and visits, so she is doing well. As is the case with these small-town churches, people are very attached to their church home. Both Wessington Springs and Templeton are doing ok, and Sara is gently encouraging both congregations to think about the future, what they envision for their churches and to consider creative ideas for growth.
I had the honor of staying with Alex's parents, Kathy and Dr. Tom in their beautiful home on a hill. (First hill I've been on all summer!) They have a lovely view of the town and prairie. Dr. Tom has built a small waterfall and pond in their back yard, and Kathy has quite a lot of beautiful flowers. Kathy took me to visit her pride and joy: the Shakespeare Garden. Built in 1932 by Professor and Mrs. Shay, the Anne Hathaway Cottage is the only thatched roof building in South Dakota. The terraced gardens are made up of many small plots of flowers dedicated in memory of loved ones. Visit the website at: www.shakespearegarden.org I told Kathy I would like to move to town, live in Anne Hathaway's Cottage and direct community theatre in the Opera House on Dakota Avenue. But since people frequently visit and have teas in the little cottage, this idea will remain a dream. Kathy and I hit it off well as we are both theatre people. She showed me pictures of many productions of one-act Shakespeare plays done in the Garden. Looks like there's some good talent out on the prairie!
Saturday there was a small but enthusiastic parade for the 4th of July weekend. We ate lunch on the lawn and waved at the tractors as they trundled by. I very much enjoyed my visit in Wessington Springs, the warm hospitality, good food and friendly people.
No comments:
Post a Comment