“Our part of the community was considered "the wrong side of the tracks". Lots of us were pretty poor. However, there was a sense of pride in our community and church.”
One of my fondest Christmas memories takes me back to a tiny little town in north-central Iowa. It was small enough that the town fathers and mothers saved a lot of money by nailing both city limit signs on the same post! Big event included going down on Saturday night and watching the maintenance man lock up the town gas pump. One time, the police chief did his target practice on the yellow John Deere image on the lumber yard across the street from City Hall. Scored a direct hit on the Deere deer!
We had nine churches and fewer than 5,000 people. My parents pastored (and still pastor after more than 50 years) one of those nine churches. Our church was within the shadow of railroad tracks. In our town, our part of the community was considered "the wrong side of the tracks". Lots of us were pretty poor. However, there was a sense of pride in our community and church. Lots of neighborhood kids came to Sunday school, vacation bible school, and youth group.
We had a really neat youth group. No, we didn't have a full-time youth pastor accompanied by all the whistles and bells that Christian kids seem to expect today. We met on Sunday evening before the service. We didn't have our own van or bus. We raised money selling peanuts, candy, candles, etc. from door to door in order to finance our projects. Youth camp was always a treat in the summer. Yep, we paid our own way. In the winter, one of our favorite activities was ice skating on a river that ran close to town. We'd often skate many hours for miles and miles.
Christmas was always a special time in our church. Some of the money we raised went to provide some special support for missionaries. I remember my father coming up with a special project around 1951. He had a vision for a Nativity scene stretching across the front of the church property. There would be all the traditional animals and people. Lights would make it easy to see at night. Christmas music would ring out every night over the outdoor speaker system.
The lumber for the stable came from native Iowa trees processed at a lumber mill a hundred miles from where we lived. We got the rough pieces left over as the tree was squared for use as planks and timbers.
The people and animals were made from a very durable rubbery material. They were quite expensive. Our youth group worked hard to raise enough money to purchase them. Joe Jensen, a fine local painter painted the village of Bethlehem for the background scenery. He used a tiny postcard picture as his guide.
I went to 5th and 6th grade at an old wooden three story schoolhouse about half a block from our church. It was torn down and replaced with a single story brick building the summer after I finished 6th grade. The principal's name was Miss Brooks. Due to the popular television series back then, I thought of her as "Our Miss Brooks". She was a somewhat plump lady who really loved and cared about kids. I'd been pretty bored with school in another state and was considered a trouble maker by many. Miss Brooks took me to her office one day shortly after I started coming to her school. She spoke low and slow. She told me that she wasn't going to allow me to misbehave in her school. That meeting grabbed my attention and turned me around. Thanks to her and many subsequent excellent teachers, school became a joy for me.
My mom recently reminded me that during the years Miss Brooks ran the school, just prior to each Christmas season she would take the school children across the street and explain the nativity scene to them. She would also tell them that in a way, the scene "belonged" to them and that they should protect it and treat it with respect. During those years, nothing was ever damaged or stolen. In the past few years, however, the backdrop, people and animals have been moved inside the sanctuary because of vandalism.
Isn't it fascinating that during the years that the school principal took the public school children to see the nativity and explained the true meaning of the Christmas season, there wasn't any vandalism? That wouldn't happen in that same school today. Vandalism forced our church to discontinue the outdoor display that used to draw thousands of people from all over the state of Iowa and southern Minnesota. Hmmmmmmmmm!
It's kinda neat to reminisce about the days of my teen years. When I close my eyes and think about Christmas, that lovely, beautiful nativity scene floats through my mind.
I remember the door-to-door sales efforts to help raise the money - when my feet felt likes blocks of ice in the cold and snow.
I remember the physical work involved putting it up AND taking it down every year.
I remember the sense of satisfaction as our young people pulled together as a group and brought this project to a successful conclusion.
I remember the vision of a father/pastor who cared enough about Jesus to figure out a way to display our concept of His birth to all who came by our display.
Well, if you wish, you can have your:
Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus, even all the reindeer including Rudolf.
Crowded malls, crammed and busy stores, the gaudy displays beginning toward the end of October.
"Little Drummer Boy" and "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer" until you're ready to go out behind the house and throw up!
The straightforward commands from greedy and spoiled kids as they bark out their "demands" for lots of high-priced gifts.
For me, I'll savor and enjoy some of the good memories of Christmas' past. I'll overlook the wretched, pathetic and hollow imitation Christmas many folks have constructed. I'll look forward to having all our kids, their spouses, and children home for the first time in about 15 years. I don't have a list drawn up of what I want for Christmas. I figure I already have far more than I deserve!
Jerry Meyer AKA PapaJ, past away June 21, 2005. He got an early Christmas present. Miss you bunches, Jerry!—Grant