January 27, 2013

• Dad’s Hocking Hills Mennonite Church

  

  My parents; Bennie and Lutisha Glenn started attending Turkey Run Mennonite Church close to Bremen, Ohio, in the late ’50′s.  I am not quite sure just exactly when but I think it was in ’57 when my oldest brother was a baby.  I don’t know when they joined….it was before my time.    (I am a ’59er.)

  Anyway, sometime in the early ’60′s they along with Marion Good’s and Norman Brunk’s pulled out of the Ohio Mennonite Conference.  There were issues at Turkey Run where Marion and Norman were in the ministry.  I think it was in 1962 or ’63 when our 3 families formed a new congregation.  Norman’s had moved into the little town of Carbon Hill and the Conservative Mennonite Fellowship had bought the old public school for Messiah Bible School.  We started meeting in the chapel of MBS when the Bible School was not in session.  During that time we met in homes….at least I remember having church at Norman’s some….that is rather vague in my mind. Margie Wray and her 5 daughter’s joined us soon after the congregation started.  (I wish I knew more of the history of that….I guess I need to investigate and start asking them questions. )

    l-r:  “Big” Dave Yoder, Miriam, Nat Glenn and “Little Dave”.  The Yoder’s are like our cousins. 

  (The little fellows are Big Dave’s grandsons.)

  I am not sure when the building of our church building started but probably in 1967.  By that time, David and Miriam Yoder’s had moved in from PA.  We had church in the basement for awhile until the upper level was finished.

  All through the years, there was a lot of ups and downs for my Dad.  He had some spiritual struggles and Satan didn’t leave him alone much.  But somehow he would pick himself up with God’s help and would give it another go.  I have to admire him for that…..he had a lot of things against him.  He wasn’t raised in a Christian home, and to try to break into the Mennonite culture isn’t always easy.  Many have tried and gave up….but he was determined to stay with it in spite of all his struggles and failures. 

  There was some stigma of being from non-Mennonite background that really bugged him.  One of the worst things he endured was: “Glenn.  Glenn?  That’s not a Mennonite name.  Oh, YOU must be from the OUTSIDE!”  Or “You must be from the world!”  He found a good come-back for these thoughtless remarks with: “Sure Glenn is a Mennonite name….there are a lot of Glenn Mennonites around here.”  He could say that with honesty with 8 children in his family.  Or he’d say:  “Sure I am from the world, where are you from, outer space?” 

  With this type of stigma, I do think that he let it bother him too much at times.  Especially when we wanted to fit in and he didn’t want to see his children becoming “dyed-in-the-wool” Mennonites.  I could never understand why he felt so strongly about us fitting in when it was he that chose our destiny as far as being a Mennonite.  After all, we could’ve been part of any other type of church or none for that matter.  

  Now that I am older, I think I can see his viewpoint better….he was criticized for not thinking like a Mennonite.  He didn’t think like a true-blood Mennonite and often thought outside the box.  For a long time he felt like he was the low man on the totem pole because he wasn’t raised to think like a Mennonite….and often his thoughts were either ignored or thrown out just because they came from him.  I am not sure that others purposely did that but there are many other folks who were proselyted into the Mennonite culture that attest to feeling the same way.  I am thinking that it was worse in the 60′s and 70′s than it is today….sort of a racial thing like how people used to view the Negroes.  

  Anyway, over the years, he struggled with his temptations and failures and with feeling accepted by the brotherhood.

  I grew up, left home and got married.  My life with my husband and little family led to Guatemala eventually so we only got to be with my folks a couple of days every couple of years…. we didn’t keep in close contact due to not having personal phones and toll calls were terribly expensive.  (It cost us about Q16 a minute to call home and tell them when our first son was born in 1985!  Exchange rate Q1.35 to $1.00)

  The Carbon Hill church experienced problems over the years…..people came and people left.   It eventually fell apart in 1998.  After missing several services the ones left to pick up the pieces decided to do just that and started rebuilding the congregation.   It was a hard time for them but those who were left were committed to do it and all of them wanted it to work.

  By then my Dad was the oldest male member of the congregation.  One of the nicest things he ever heard was when William Bear told him, “Bennie, this church needs you….your wisdom is very valuable.”   Dad needed to hear that.

  

  I do not know when they started building the new church out of town over on Rt. 595 but by then we were living in Wisconsin so I suppose it was in ’05 or ’06.  By then we had regular contact via phone and I could hardly believe the difference in his outlook on it all.

  This church was his special baby and he was very proud of it! I think just about every phone conversation he would tell me what all they’d accomplished since the last time we’d talked.  It was a red-letter day when the building was ready to be used for the first time.  He loved it….that was very obvious to me.

  He would tell me how much he appreciated Phil and Danny Weaver and Tony Brunk.  He would mention others but those 3 were high on his list.  I feel that those men loved Dad and let him know that he was appreciated and that his opinions held weight.  

    (I wish I could edit these pictures…on far left…Wes Brunk with my brother Veasy.  Phil Weaver is on the right.  Next photo , Danny Weaver is the shorter man on the right.  Sam or Paul Weaver, (I am not sure which)  Both were Dad’s good friends.

  (Raymond and Elmeda Bear, Rachel and Marcus Bear and Juanita and Brian Bear—all used to attend Carbon Hill.  Marcus and Brian’s Dad, Gaylord, was our minister, who died in Feb. 1981.)  Danny’s wife Marvetta in foreground.

  I remember the day he told me “After all those years in the Mennonite Church, I feel loved and accepted.   I love our congregation!”  I had to cry both for joy and sorrow…..can you imagine struggling along for over 50 years before you could say something like that?   Sad isn’t it?  But I am glad that he finally felt that love…he definitely deserved it.

  So I think it is fitting that he was the first to be buried there.  His heart was definitely there. 

  

  I want to publicly applaud the congregation at Hocking Hills Mennonite for loving and accepting my Dad in his twilight years.  You have been a great blessing to him and Mom.  May God bless every one of you.

  • 9:26 pm
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