Dear Friends,

I was never into history for a big part of my life. For the most part, I thought it boring, and had little impact on my life. That feeling changed when I was in college.



Attending St. Joesphs College in NY to finish up by bachelor’s degree, I took a course in Eastern Europe history. The nun teaching the class was not one of those nuns that was sequestered to a convent. In fact, most of the nuns at the college were out in the world, working and serving their communities. This nun had done much traveling to Europe and knew history inside and out. Best of all, she knew the stories behind history. I eagerly looked forward to each class when she would reveal bits of information about historical figures.

The next times were while in seminary.

 When I took Presbyterian Church polity, the professor, Bill Chapman, knew the Book of Order and the history behind it as if he was there. Like the nun, he knew the stories behind the story. One day his wife visited the class, and she encouraged him to tell a story, and I told her that he did not need encouragement at all. His stories came naturally. His stories brought a boring subject like church polity to life.

The third time was when I took Old Testament. The Professor showed us how to read the Old Testament so that the stories made sense. Under her guidance, I learned that the history of the Hebrew people and the prophets ran parallel to each other that to understand the story, they had to be read together.

The fourth time was when I took Church History. The professor was so excited about church history that he would jump around the classroom. The desk was on a platform in the room and so I often hoped that he would not fall off it with all his exuberant movements.

I was reminded of this when I took time to watch some videos created by a pastor in Louisville, KY who did a series on the Book of Confessions. It was not just classes of what the confessions teach us, but the stories behind why they were written in the first place. The pastor spoke of the heroes of the faith who stood up against opposition to state what they believed about God, Jesus, and the Holy spirit. He also spoke of the politics of the time, and the role the monarchies played in the history of the church.

Thus, I have gained a new appreciation for the men and women who have come before me. Their stories teach us about who we once were, who we are today, and the possibilities of who we can become in the future. We need to study these people so that we can understand ourselves better.

I hope that as we approach the 250^th anniversary of our country, that you will take the time to learn from history. Take the time to study the events, but the people behind the events, how they lived, and what they believed to be right and true.  I will be posting resources following this article on the website, and maybe you will hear of opportunities we will offer at our church. God bless us one and all.

I thank God for you,

Pastor Kathy Nealand