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| East Fairview Mennonite Church, July 1948 |
I loved the following story she shared about her maternal grandfather William Kremer, whose family, including her mother, had always been a part of a 500-member East Fairview Church in Milford, Nebraska. Then sometime after 1954, just after Debra's parents moved from the area, that large congregation experienced a major split over some conflicts among the leadership that resulted in a three-way division.
Most of the Kremers left East Fairview, but not Grandpa.
"Bill," they said, "aren't you coming with us? We're all leaving."
To which Grandpa replied, "Nope. If I
can't get along here, I can't get along anywhere."
He died a member of
East Fairview.
Debra describes her grandfather as a "really smart, down-to-earth, well-read man", believed to be the first
Mennonite west of the Mississippi to graduate from high school, a fact of which the family was quite proud.
But he also had a lot of God-inspired wisdom and common sense. As in, "If I
can't get along here, I can't get along anywhere."
2 comments:
Thanks, Harvey. I've always loved this story about Grandpa and have found his wise words to be not only comforting, but a good way to slow down, take a deep breath and look at the whole picture. I hope and pray Grandpa's words have the same effect on your readers!
Not unlike my father's words which continue to ring clear for me, "If I left the church every time I disagreed with something, I'd've been gone a long time ago." He didn't graduate from high school, and he had some differing and strong opinions. But he had a sharp wit and a loving heart. And loyalty the size of Manhattan.
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