Events of Sunday, November 7, 2010

          Since Daylight Savings Time ended last night, my early morning walk started not at 6:30 but at 5:30am EST. Apparently the Fishers’ dogs did not get the memo about the time change. So when I emerged from our bedroom, their Border Collie, Mocha, burst into explosive barking. That awakened everyone upstairs, I think. I left the house quickly as our hostess Kate tried to calm down little Mocha.

          I saw the stars clearly in the moonless early morning sky. Singing hymns and songs in the dark was a great way to begin this Sunday. Soon after I returned, our host John returned from his shopping trip. He was carrying huge bags of breakfast goodies including cranberry juice, bagels, muffins, and spreads. He also prepared a pot of hot oatmeal and a variety of toppings. After our morning feast, we prepared to leave for church.

          The Fishers attend St. Paul’s United Methodist Church. The church building combines a rustic stone exterior with a modern neo-Gothic interior. We attended the middle of three services, with perhaps 200 fellow worshippers. To one side of the sanctuary was a pipe organ which accompanied a choir of about 30 voices. I was glad to see that this church maintains its hymn-singing tradition. It was the hymn-composing brothers, John and Charles Wesley, who founded Methodism in England in the mid-1700s. In the hymnal, I found this intriguing excerpt from John Wesley’s Select Hymns (1761):

I. Learn these tunes before you learn any others; afterwards learn as many as you please.

II. Sing them exactly as they are printed here, without altering or mending them at all; and if you have learned to sing them otherwise, unlearn it as soon as you can.

 

III. Sing all. See that you join with the congregation as frequently as you can. Let not a single degree of weakness or weariness hinder you. If it is a cross to you, take it up, and you will find it a blessing.

 

IV. Sing lustily and with good courage. Beware of singing as if you were half dead, or half asleep; but lift up your voice with strength. Be no more afraid of your voice now, nor more ashamed of its being heard, then when you sung the songs of Satan.

 

V. Sing modestly. Do not bawl, so as to be heard above or distinct from the rest of the congregation, that you may not destroy the harmony; but strive to unite your voices together, so as to make one clear melodious sound.

 

VI. Sing in time. Whatever time is sung be sure to keep with it. Do not run before nor stay behind it; but attend close to the leading voices, and move therewith as exactly as you can; and take care not to sing to slow. This drawling way naturally steals on all who are lazy; and it is high time to drive it out from us, and sing all our tunes just as quick as we did at first.

 

VII. Above all sing spiritually. Have an eye to God in every word you sing. Aim at pleasing him more than yourself, or any other creature. In order to do this attend strictly to the sense of what you sing, and see that your heart is not carried away with the sound, but offered to God continually; so shall your singing be such as the Lord will approve here, and reward you when he cometh in the clouds of heaven.

 

With these precepts firmly in mind, we sang heartily through today’s hymns. Today was a celebration of All Saints Day, so the service departed from the typical sequence. After a brief sermon, the pastors led us in a ceremony called “Naming of the Saints and Faithful Departed.” Three pastors on stage took turns reading the names of individuals who had died this past year. As each of the names were read, the music director rang two hand bells, a boy in a tunic lit a candle, and people in the congregation who knew the deceased stood for a few seconds. Sometimes a photo of the person named appeared on the screens to either side of the stage. 

          While we adults were celebrating in the main sanctuary, the church youth group met in a room across the street. They had refreshments and games, and then studied the first chapter of Haggai. This is not a typical passage for youth groups, so I was curious to hear more. Caitlin effectively summed up the message: the prophet Haggai exhorted the people to be more concerned with God’s house than with their own houses. The application point is, do we put God first, or do we worship something else first?

          After church, we zipped back to the Fishers, changed, and packed up to go. We drove to Hershey, PA. Pam had spoken often of her childhood visits to the Hershey factory and the quaint kiss-shaped streetlights there. Sure enough, the town has quaint kiss-shaped streetlights. But the tour options are totally different now. The main Hershey attractions are outside the town of Hershey. They include Hershey Park (a theme park with roller coasters and water rides), a zoo, an outlet center, and a hotel. We spent most of our time in a huge complex called Hershey’s Chocolate World. We began with a Chocolate Tour Ride, a slow train-like ride through a replica of Hershey Factory machines. As we left the tour, some Hershey researchers conscripted the kids into a research project about some new hard mint chocolates. (For their labor, the kids each received two chocolate bars.) There were several other attractions there, but the one that intrigued us most was called “Create Your Own Candy Bar.” However, at $14.95 each, we decided to diversify our options. Ben and Abby went ahead and created their own candy bars; the rest of us enjoyed some Hershey sweets. Ben’s bar had milk chocolate with crisped rice, vanilla chips, and chocolate cookie bits. Abby’s bar had milk chocolate with semi-sweet chocolate chips, vanilla chips, and chocolate cookie bits. I tried out a peanut butter “mini-cake”: a small piece of chocolate cake topped with too much peanut butter frosting. Pam had a hot fudge sundae with dark chocolate hot fudge, Caitlin had a York Peppermint sundae, and Lindsey had a “supreme hot fudge sundae” (we helped her finish this three-scoop monstrosity).

          After stuffing our faces, we headed over to the town of Hershey.  Walking down Chocolate Street, we found an empty fountain. At least, it was empty of water, but Ben discovered several coins lying on the fountain floor. So the kids spent a few minutes scavenging for money. Then we walked by the Hershey Story Museum and the factory itself. Having satisfied our curiosity, we returned to the RV and drove to the Gettysburg Walmart, hoping to boondock in their parking lot. When we arrived, we learned that this township prohibits parking anywhere overnight. So for the first time this month, we found a campground. Pam served us a scrumptious dinner of Teriyaki chicken, vegetables, and rice. Then we cleaned up and pulled out our math materials to do some long-overdue studying. I like math, so it is especially rewarding when I announce that math time is over and the kids beg for more time. But bedtime is bedtime, so we brushed teeth, made beds, and closed up for the night.