The following reflection was written by Mrs. Doris Kuebler-Morris, the visionary behind our online member directory program. I believe it provides a beautiful narrative of her recent activities and also her deep personal faith.
May it bless you as much as it blessed me.
We have been photographing a group of rural churches in southwestern Indiana for an online church directory. Even with the assistance of maps and GPS trackers we found locating them difficult. Many were off the beaten path on winding, dusty roads. Finding them was like following the clues in a treasure hunt. We rejoiced when one we had almost given up on came in view. These modest sentinels silently told us their story of faith. They are part of the lives of our forefathers, established by people who loved God, had minimal transportation and needed to come together to worship. Often there were adjoining, well tended cemeteries telling the story of those early settlers. The church buildings themselves bore silent witness to the love and care they receive in our modern, throw-away age. We wished we had the time to explore their history and learn to know those people who cherish them today. We also realized the quiet beauty of these quaint buildings touched a need within us for communion with God.
Back on the interstate we wondered how we could replicate that quiet place within ourselves. That’s a challenge in our age of constant bombardment with information over which we have little control. Although the way we live our lives has changed, spiritual growth still calls us to one-on-one communion with God. We each find it for ourselves. We draw close to God through worship, prayer, study, nature, and the contemplative practices of our day. Serendipity gave us a different opportunity when we got off the beaten path and spent some time in the country with the houses faith built.