“One hundred and fifty years of faith.” That is the slogan we have chosen to celebrate the Church of Peace’s Sesquicentennial (150th) year.
In January 1876 a group of French Huguenots joined together and formed the Church of Peace in the exact location that anyone can see and visit to this day. Who were these French Huguenots? Well, by this time in their history they were good and German, albeit transplants from France to Germany and now to Kewanee.
Their ancestors had fled France and for well over 100 years had made Germany their home. No matter what the motivations for their transplant to Illinois from Germany were, here they made their home. They built new lives for themselves in a new young country.
The United States of America only being 100 years old at the time, was a real toddler in country/nation standards. Time is such a human experience. And no time is like our own time. There are events that seem to be so far into the past to be mythology. Then there are events of our own lives that seem like yesterday, but in reality, are more than half our lifetime ago. What was it like 150 years ago? So much was vastly different and yet, so much was the same.
The alarm goes off Sunday morning now as it did then. Yes, the alarm is completely different. Clothing is still required to attend church of course, but the dress code is wildly different now. Families leave their homes and travel to Church of Peace now as they have for 150 years.
The mode of transport has drastically changed in those years. Not to mention the travel time necessary throughout those same years. Just like in 1876 we light the sanctuary so we can sing from the hymnal and read from our bibles. We don’t sing in German any longer but still sing praises to God. Something to keep in mind is this.
A building is just a building. Church of Peace is more than the walls that make it a building. Without the families who for generations have called it their church home it would not continue to exist. We are blessed to be celebrating this milestone in our history.
In a world that has become more and more inclined to the disposable and replaceable, Church of Peace has been quietly standing vigil to the faithfulness of our unchanging God. What has changed in the last 150 years at Church of Peace? More than a single article could ever hope to express. What hasn’t changed is easier to express. Our commitment to gather together, to sing together, to pray together, to study God’s word together, to grow in Christ’s likeness together, to love our neighbors together, to invite the lost to be found.
Speaking of invite. You are invited to attend our Open House on Feb. 22.
In His Service Always,
Pastor Andrew Christman
Church of Peace
The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of The Kewanee Voice.
***This column is sponsored by the Kewanee Ministerial Association
