Once Upon A Time

Once upon a time, many years ago, there were three small rural churches of the same denomination located about 1.5 miles apart.  The congregations were very small and had great difficulty financially to maintain their little houses of worship, let alone pay a minister.  In order to solve their pastoral problem the three churches pooled their meager financial resources and shared the same minister.  Each Sunday, the minister traveled to one church for a 9:30 service, drove one and a half miles to the next one to conduct worship at 10:30 and then drove another mile and a half for the 11:30 worship service at the third church.

There is historical precedent for this practice.  In the days before the automobile the minister traveled by horseback from church to church.  The circuit rider would be at one church every other Sunday or perhaps conduct one service in the morning at one church and an evening service at another.  It takes a while for a horse to travel a mile and a half. With the advent of the automobile, however, all three churches could have their own service every Sunday morning.

Each Sunday as the three congregations gathered for worship at their respective time and place, they fervently prayed for the scattered sheep of the Good Shepherd; that every schism might be done away; that there might be one fold and one shepherd.  

Once upon a time, many years ago, there were three fairly large churches of the same (almost the same) denomination, each located on their own corner of a busy intersection in a small city.  One church was African-American (Methodist); one was called the Methodist Protestant Church and the third was called the Methodist Episcopal Church. Unlike the three small rural churches each of these had their own pastor. And because they had their own pastor they could gather for worship at any time.  All three chose 11 o’clock on Sunday morning.  

Again, there is historical precedent for this special 11 o’clock hour.  It was established years before to allow the farmers time to finish their morning milking and other chores, hitch up their team of horses and make it to the church on time.

Each Sunday these three churches gathered at 11 o’clock.  For years the congregations fervently prayed, each on its own corner, for the scattered sheep of the Good Shepherd; that every schism might be done away; that there might be one fold and one shepherd.

But year after year, in both cases, nothing came of their prayers.  Three small rural churches, a mile and a half a part, still pray today for one fold and one shepherd—a mile and a half apart.  The three churches (African-American Methodist, Methodist Protestant and Methodist Episcopal) each on their own corner in a growing city still gather at 11 o’clock and still to this day pray for the scattered sheep of Christ; that every schism might be done away; that there might be one fold and one shepherd.

And the clock ticks on in Prague...