Additional info on an old church

 

The church in Madison County NC has more information, so I'm giving a new post to cover what I've learned.

Here's the marker which stands near it.

"Early sessions of Madison County court were held in a log house on this site between 1851 and 1859. Bell Institute, a school operated by the Presbyterian Church USA, served the area. The school house and a dormitory stood a few yards west."

Location. 35° 51.037′ N, 82° 44.183′ W. Marker is near Marshall, North Carolina, in Madison County. Marker is at the intersection of Walnut Drive and Barnard Road (County Road 1151), on the right when traveling south on Walnut Drive.  

From Historic Markers

An enlargement of the area, showing "Academy St." and the area churches which are still open, but not the little unnamed church where the marker stands. I'm pretty sure the school house was on Academy St. or School St. which  is right off of it. The community is still known as Walnut.

And another great source of Madison County historic information, friend Vicki Lane commented in this way:

"It's not been a church for many years. I think it was Methodist or Presbyterian but not sure. It's a gorgeous building and was recently given to a local charity but what their plans for it are, I don't know. It has no rest rooms and, with the graveyard all around it, no way of putting in a septic tank."

I'm always interested in the background of an area...especially old buildings which even have historic markers in front of them!

And since the cemeteries are so near to this church, I imagine many of the ancestors buried there used to worship in the church.

 I offer this meditation which I came upon from "A Network for Grateful Living" which sends me a quote every day. The other day this came and was very appropriate for grieving the loss of life, which continues in so many unexpected places. 

A Meditation on Grief by Jack Kornfield

Church in Madison County NC

I'm adding this since Tuesday's news was so awful when I learned about Uvalde TX kids in a primary school being shot and killed by another young man with guns. 

First I am sad, and feel such despair that parents and teachers and staff of elementary school kids have again had this happen...AGAIN!! I wish I could send hugs to all those crying in Uvalde...this should never have happened, and it's terrible that it did. Many good people died yesterday...many children who had their whole lives ahead of them. I can't send thoughts and prayers any more, not one more time. 

Maybe Biden's anger at the politicians and the gun lobby will help some law get passed to restrict those automatic weapons. If they decide instead (probably) to put into effect a law that people with mental illness should not be allowed to have guns, I will not be happy at all.  Many people who have high anxiety or depression, or another diagnosis, may have a gun to protect their families and homes. They are not likely to go shoot kids at school. 

The problem is availability of guns. The Problem Is AVAILABILITY! That must have a law against it. MUST HAVE A LAW for our nation's children's sake.

 For this week's Skywatch Friday.

The trip to Vicki Lane's house...

We left Vicki's home and drove a different way, for a while anyway. I wish I knew the name of this sweet church!

The highway cut right between the church and one of its cemetaries.

There were more old graves beside the church as well.

I found it on Google Maps, and there even was a 3D shot from the road, much as mine.

...but still no name. It's at the junction of Walnut St/Rd. and something else.

Today's quote:

Your worth- it is an immeasurable and unchanging manifestation of your eternal and infinite oneness with the universe. It represents the cornerstone of the dual foundations of optimism and self-belief. Your worth cannot be taken from you or damaged by life's rigors, yet it can easily be forgotten or even actively ignored. By regularly acknowledging your self-worth, you can ensure that you never forget what an important, beloved, and special part of the universe you are.  

Daily Om

On my dying day

Well, it could be any day...
and I realized I wasn't so much accepting it as a fact, a little bit of lint I carry in my life's pocket, but I was sitting around watching for it, is that it creeping through those shadows around that corner?

So I fell into the trap of thinking "I may not be able to control my death, but I'll damn well be prepared for it."  It was an attempt to control that which is uncontrollable (mostly.)  The "mostly" is that I am not suicidal, nor do I take risks that taunt my death.  (And I haven't really prepared like arranging the disposition of remains or a memorial service.)

But what a slug I've become.

So I've gone back to meditating.  I've stayed out of church where it's mainly a mental masturbation.  (I do miss the friends, so I'll go back.)  I will also try to connect with something spiritual in the church.  I know it can be there.  I am probably the one that disconnected from wherever it is.

And I've gone back to another form of connecting with the universal truths.  I read a tarot card every day. How can a pasteboard card with an ancient symbol give universal truth?  Well, just as Jung said, the subconscious is available through different ways, and I am pretty sure my subconscious has some truth in it...if I can just access it.  My daily question is meaningful to me, and the card is an extension of all possible things that might answer that question.  It is just one answer, a picture and a meaning that I can consider.  Perhaps the considering is what makes the question, the card, and my subconscious come to some meaning.

I've got choices.  I can do whatever I want.

I am a verb.

Yep, I am doing.  (Yes, there's part of me that knows I'm more a Being, but for now, I've got to get going, not just sit and collect dust.)  I've only so much more time in which to DO.

volunteering

That's me in the church office, while waiting for the computer to warm up.  Yep, it still has to do that.

I volunteered to do just the weekly news while the administrator took vacation.  I said no to several other duties that might have needed to be done.  I just thought I could add one new thing a week.

It's gotten to be that way.  I can add one new thing a day as well.  The fact that I used to have the administrator's job but left when I felt it too stressful, was completely reaffirmed.  There's not any major thing that makes it stressful. Just that at a moment's notice something new and major might come up.

That's true of life, but sit in an office at a church, and it's multiplied times however many people come to the church.

No, I don't have any tales of woe to share.  I did the 2 newsletters for the 2 Fridays she was gone.  I didn't have major interruptions.  Sigh.  Things were sometimes a bit more pushed for last week.  So this week feels like a breeze, right?

Well, I've decided to accept the offer of Council on Aging of a low cost lunch served at the Senior Center Mon-Fri.  So I finally signed up on Wed.  I had to pick a day when I could go over when they were getting ready to serve, and when I didn't already have other time constraints.

The woman in charge wasn't there.  She's off helping her daughter have a baby, and the volunteer that was there thought she could do it, and I could come back and start on Fri.

So I did.  It meant leaving the studio where I work an hour and 15 minutes early, so as to arrive by 12:00 noon.  And when I got there, I had to laugh.  No they hadn't ordered me a lunch.  They didn't know why, and the woman who said she would wasn't even there today.  But several people were absent, so they had an extra lunch.

On Monday it may well be the same story.  I have really missed bureaucracy!

So today I did something new.  I don't know what tomorrow's new thing may be.  Going to that Senior Center 5 times a week is sure to be disruptive of my schedule.  I set my alarm so I could do all my morning routine in time to go to the early studio hours that are only on Fri.  Of course that gave me enough subtle anxiety I woke up hourly throughout the night to see if it was time for the alarm yet.  No kidding.  This old body would much prefer to just gently fight off the cats till I can't stand it any longer and get up and feed them.

Speaking of an old body, the right ankle is again giving me awful pains, and then little gripes...so I've been very nice to it today.  It's raining today.  So I took Tylenol thinking at least I know my joints aren't happy with rainy weather.  Ankle has behaved, but I haven't exactly been hiking.

I had cleaned up my kitchen a couple of days ago, and every day since.  That's rare for me.  I'm a once a week clean the kitchen kind of person.  So today I took advantage of all that counter space and made me a good dinner.  Silly after strangely (rarely?) having a balanced meal for lunch.  But that's what I did...cooked a pot of rice, mixed up cornbread, thawed salmon...which in itself has been difficult for me to think enough in advance to plan that tonight I will actually cook.

That's why the lunch is a good idea.  I just avoid cooking these days.  Not that I don't like to.  But I mostly don't trust myself that much.  I make mistakes, forget things, like ovens or burners being on.  That's such a big no-no, I'm really super aware, and (you may have noticed) the anxiety is too high to really enjoy working in the kitchen.

So today feels very successful.  I've even done a couple of loads of laundry.  Not all of it.  Heavens, I wouldn't be me if I completely finished something.  And there are also some dirty dishes in the kitchen.  But now I'm going to watch my Netflix streaming here on the computer (in case you didn't know, I don't have TV any more)...and fold clothes!

the work of a church

Here's our minister, Rev. Michael Carter.  I don't know how many other white congregations have a black minister, especially in Southeaster US...but we do.  We're currently working to be able to have a full time minister in the next 5 years.  At this point we have increased Rev. Michael's time from half time when he started a little over a year ago to 3/4 time now.

As a congregation that is tolerant, accepting, eager to help others, and diverse as all get out, we have lots of energy going different directions.  We are proud to be a Green Sanctuary, and a Welcoming Congregation to all LGBT folks. We look hard and seriously at racial issues since Rev. Michael has been here.  We look hard and seriously at many issues that require standing up against injustices.

I'm on the Board of Trustees this year, and for at least another one following, and I have the office of Secretary to the Board.  I also sing in the choir...when my coughing is under control. This week I'm helping while the Office Administrator is on vacation.

Each week I meet new people and welcome them to become part of this growing community.  And most important, I see friends who have become close in the 6 years I've been here.  I've jumped in and done several interesting and sometimes challenging tasks for the congregation.  Now I'm trying to keep my activities in balance with my physical limits.

Look at the pretty red and white cloth that is on a table under the daffodils.  The cloth was made by women who are members of our Partner Church in Transylvania (now Romania, but formerly Hungary.)  The Unitarian Church is the official church in the tiny town where our Partner Church is located.  There are very few members in that church, and the town is gradually diminishing as well.  Nobody knows how long they will continue to have their visiting minister come on the long and poorly paved road to give them any services.  Our women's group has had an annual "yard sale" that is much more than that term, in order to raise funds to support our partner church.

Our church is on a growth swing at this point.  We are moving toward renovations and improvements to the building, as well as more programming for the interests of the community.  I'm glad to be part of a monthly LUUnch bUUnch, a discussion group that Rev. Michael facilitates.  He and another member have also provided a weekly evening series of classes about Transcendentalism (which had a lot of Unitarians in that movement.).  Another evening program has been a monthly series of videos and discussion of various TED talks, facilitated by various members (including myself.)

The latest interest for me is an upcoming series of classes called the "Wild Quest" for Women and Girls, focusing on the Divine Feminine.  (This class still has a few openings and starts next month.)

I encourage you to check out our web page if you want more information about our little congregation.   Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Swannanoa Valley (UUCSV)

But I'm not writing to proselytize.  (Hey I spelled that right the first time.)  Well maybe I am a little.  I have no idea who my readers are, if any live within driving distance, besides friends who either already go to this church, or maybe have their own faith homes.  I just talk about lots of things here on my blog, and today I felt like sharing this important part of my life.

How do I know it's important?  The amount of time I spend there - the rich relationships that are founded around activities and friends who I've made there - and my own spiritual growth which continues to have stimulation there.

Next Sunday a dear friend, Cathy Holt, will give a workshop on Heart Speak, a way to have improved communication at 1 pm (March 23).  I'm looking forward to immersing myself in this, to remind myself of things I probably already know, but could sure use a refresher course.

The service on Sunday morning on the 23 will be by another dear friend, H. Byron Ballard, who will give us a real Pagan celebration of the earth changes that this season brings.

Tuesday night is a program with Rev. Michael talking about membership.  He may show the DVD I've seen before about a church that grew and grew and grew.  Honestly, I would be happy to stay about this size, maybe twice the current number in members, but that's about as much as I can feel comfortable with.  I already don't know all the people who are members...and I know that's going to continue unless I'm busy after church on Sundays meeting many of the newcomers.  They are our growth, our life as an organization, and besides, I find such interesting people come to UUCSV!

I also hope more young families with children will check out our liberal religious education.

I raised all three of my sons (from the 70s till the 90s) in Unitarian Universalist congregations.  It was really important for me to have them learn about all world religions before they chose as young adults what they would believe in for their own spiritual paths.  This just doesn't happen in any other church that I know of.

Why would any parent not want their child to have all the information available for this important choice?  I hear uproar coming from those who are firm believers that theirs is the ONLY WAY.  Do you know how many people are now UU's who were raised in that "Only Way" system?  Think about it for a moment.

You can subscribe to our weekly news (Current) and our monthly Newsletter on line...in case you want to know more about what is going on.

Lee and Robert

These goofy guys (and their wives and children) were among those who first started our congregation about 14 years ago.  We moved into this building 10 years ago July.  I'm gathering up some of our history in the stories of the first people who started the organization, to honor their efforts, and to record their words for archives.