God Has a Sense of Humor!

Several blog posts ago, I told how our new church in Gloversville had been blocked from advertising on the church page in the local newspaper because we didn't have a building. Then one of the local businessmen pressured them to put us on.

In 1980, after we had been holding church services at the YMCA in Gloversville for three years, the historic Kingsboro Presbyterian Church became available to us. Suddenly, our church gained lots of attention around town.

Built around 1800, the brick structure had been maintained beautifully. Its four-pointed white steeple rose high above the town. A Gloversville postcard featured it as a historical landmark. Everyone knew its location.

A small congregation of older people met in the sanctuary for a 9:00 a.m. service on Sunday then gathered in the fellowship hall in the basement afterwards for a coffee hour. We began our Sunday school at 10:00 a.m. and morning worship at 11:00.

Our first Sunday there, we cautioned everyone to be as quiet as possible so as not to disturb the older congregation. That morning, the other congregation stopped my husband to tell him how thrilled they were to see children and teenagers coming to their church.

"Don't worry about the noise," they said. And there was never any conflict between the two congregations.

In time, the Presbyterian congregation joined with the larger Presbyterian church in Gloversville, and we had full use of the building.

In the local library, Bob found a published copy of the diary of the first pastor, Elisha Yale, under whose ministry our church had been built. In the 48 years of his ministry, the area changed dramatically. When he had come in 1804, the town was called "Stump City" and was known for its rampant alcoholism. As a result of his spiritual influence, by the time of his death in 1953, no still could be found within a four-mile radius of the town. That was significant when travel was by horse and buggy or on foot.

In time, as our congregation grew, Bob began negotiating with the Presbyterians to purchase the building. By faith, he offered to pay $25,000.00 cash, and the Presbyterians agreed. But first, we had to raise the money. A lady in the church made a poster of a brick church building and people "bought bricks." We raised $25,000.00 and paid cash for the building! The sale was completed in 1986, shortly before God called us to pastor another church.

We chuckled at God's sense of humor. He had placed the newest church in town in the historic church building. Today, it is known as Kingsboro Assembly of God.

Has God ever done something in your life that demonstrates He has a sense of humor?