Yesterday morning on the way home from church, I had a thought.
Many times congregations start thinking about their history only when approaching a major milestone… 100 years, 125 years, 150 years.
And there’s a flurry of activity… attempts to collect photographs, interview people with memories, etc.
But what about the intervening years?
Perhaps your congregation’s next major anniversary is ten, fifteen, twenty years away.
But the people with memories and the people with photographs… those people are here NOW.
And they might not be here in ten years.
Or even next month.
Kind of like this building… the Central Christian Church in Bartlett.
I kept thinking I should go out and see it after its restoration, and I didn’t.
Well, that’s not entirely true, because I do have these pictures.
But I only went out to see if after it burned.
And now the lot is empty.
It’s too late for me to photograph the restored interior. Too late for me to get sunset photos with the restored exterior in the foreground.
So yes… maybe you’re a few years away from your next major milestone.
But start looking for those photographs today. Start interviewing those people with the memories and stories that give perspective to your congregation’s history.
Do it before it’s too late.