ALLEGAN, MI (December 1, 2005) – The local Evangelical Covenant Church congregation held a Thanksgiving service this past Sunday that took the church back 400 hundred years in time.
In those times, men sat on the right side of the sanctuary and women sat on the left. If the men fell asleep during the service, they were hit on the side of the head with a hard knob attached to the end of a long pole. Drowsy women received far gentler treatment, being tickled with a feather on a pole.
Every year since 1994, Christ Community Church has been holding a traditional Thanksgiving service in the way that pilgrims would have worshiped each Sunday. “It’s a lot of fun, but it’s also a living history lesson,” says pastor G. Patrick White. The history lesson is abbreviated, however, as the original service lasted several hours. A half-hour pastoral prayer began the service – and the people raised their hands the entire time, White says.
When it came time for the sermon, many might have needed the encouragement of the tithingmen – the bearers of the poles – to stay awake. While some may feel like sermons today last three hours, the pastor during the 1700s was required to preach at least that long. To ensure the pastor preached the requisite amount of time, an hourglass was turned by a beadle, the official pastoral assistant. The device was to be turned three times before the sermon was completed.
For Sunday’s service, a half-hour glass was used, says White. “One turn would have been more than enough,” he quips. The tithingmen did have fun making sure people stayed awake, “but we’ve cautioned them that that the knob is pretty hard.”
Following the service, the men were allowed to stand and ask questions. White says he knows some of the men had been waiting all year for this moment to put him on the spot.
Also on hand were the censures – pairs of church officers who, during the service, called attention to the failures of congregation members. On Sunday, they made sure to let the rest of the congregation know when one of their own was not living up to Christian standards. One couple was called out for “showing undue public affection in worship,” says White. “They were in fun, but there were some zingers.”
The piano and organ were silent, especially the organ, because before 1747, the instrument was known as “the devil’s bagpipes.” White laughs at the suggestion that some people still consider it such.
One part of the service especially pleased White. “I’m bald as a cue ball – and I get to wear a wig,” he says.
The church is located on 20 acres at the edge of town. Prior to the service, kids are put on a horse-pulled wagon and led to church with the town crier walking in front. The route is about a half-mile long and stops are set up along the way. At each stop, people fall in behind the wagon so that everyone walks to church together.
To learn more about this fun-loving church and its ministries, visit Christ Community.
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