Anna Weber Stearns

Dusty Books and Tattered Papers Anna Weber Stearns

IT IS FAR too easy for the history of our church to slowly slip from our minds; we are blessed indeed to have our storytellers, our historians, and those whose skills help us retain far more than facts and timelines. As historical legacy timelines build, one after the other, celebrations of events give rise to recording stories, lest they disappear. Like the song about driving forward, looking through the rearview mirror, recording a church's history encourages younger church members to cherish the past-even as they embrace the future. Some of the materials are fragile; some will never be visible to outsiders. It is, however, necessary to share all that is possible, in a format providing greater longevity-and to share precious archived materials with a collective of members, old and new, who will forever cherish the memories documented in a timely publication. Recognizing the value of such a project, Gooding United Methodist Church also hopes to provide an example for other small rural churches to pave the way to a future, by revisiting the past.