I have continued my efforts to find a worship service to attend despite working every Sunday morning.  Finally last night we were successful and attended a service at Fort Oglethorpe Presbyterian.

We made it home from work just in time to change clothes and head out again.  When we got to the church there was just one car in the parking lot, so we waiting for a few minutes and some other cars drove in.  Eventually about 20 people attended the service.

Fort Oglethorpe Presbyterian looks more like a house from the outside than a church.  But inside there is a plain sanctuary with lovely dark wood pews and wood on the ceiling.  Fort Oglethorpe was originally a military base and didn’t become a town until 1949 when the military base was decommissioned.  The church was built as the Post Chapel and was used to train military chaplains as well as hold worship services for those stationed at the Fort.  It didn’t become a Presbyterian church until 1983 when the town started growing.

We were happy to be in worship again.  The small congregation was a mix of ages with the children and youth sitting in the front.  Not only were they front and center, when we got to the sermon discussion time, they were the first to suggest answers and when we got to the prayer time, they took their turns praying out loud.  Pretty impressive!

We sang hymns (two by Charles Wesley), offered up prayers for the world and for the church, and discussed Matthew 7:12, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”  In contrast we also looked at Titus 3:3-11 which is a condemnation of those who continue in wickedness.  Rev. Doyle Allen summarized the discussion of the two passages by telling us that God faces us with his love, mercy, and grace which changes how we face others and how we face the world.

There are many ways to rephrase Matthew 7:12.  Tom often jokes, “Do unto others before they do unto you.”  As I was thinking about what Rev. Allen said, I found this rephrasing:

After the service several people welcomed us and we left feeling thankful that we were able to worship again.