"When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, 'Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.' He was afraid and said, 'How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.' Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it. He called that place Bethel, though the city used to be called Luz. Then Jacob made a vow, saying, 'If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear so that I return safely to my father's house, then the Lord will be my God and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God's house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth" (Genesis 28:16-22 NIV).
Since 1851 a gathering of community believers worshiped together in a rural area along the Iowa River. They first met in each other's homes, then later erected a small brick building they called 'Old Bethel'. When the small square building became too small in 1891, the believers moved one mile west and built a larger church in a grove of oak trees and called it, "Bethel Grove". This "house of God" in the grove of trees in rural Liscomb remains as a place of worship in its 166th year.
In its early years Bethel Grove drew neighbors from the surrounding area; many were relatives of the founding fathers. As the land was divided in the family, shared between brothers as they married, the population grew. But, as quickly as it grew, the population of the rural area decreased. As a century passed the older folks moved to town to retire and others sought employment off the farm. The neighborhood began to be littered with abandoned farm houses and in time some were taken down to make room for bigger fields, bigger machinery, bigger farm operations. Now, the area is a pleasant mix of large farming and lovely acreages.
Bethel Grove Church has endured all the changes, including lean years and prosperous times, too. We have been blessed to have spiritual leaders who have always maintained the founding fathers' "only creed - the Bible". It remains as a 'House of God' even now when our beautiful historic sanctuary with uniquely majestic stained glass windows is gone. My memories of a lifetime of worship in the old building are still strong and thankfully there are others who share remembrances also. Sometimes when I think about Bethel Grove the image of the sanctuary in my memory is so real, I forget that the structure is gone.
However, the most powerful memories are of the people who were and are the church. The faithful ones who touched my heart and helped me grow into a belief of my own. The Sunday school teachers who gave their time and love to share the stories of Jesus. From Morris and Ilo May, my grade school teachers, to the wonderful George Smith in middle school, to the beloved high school teacher Dick Sommerlot, I couldn't have had any better mentors for my faith. In each era there have been special teachers willing to guide our children toward a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
"Elijah said to Elisha, 'Stay here; the Lord has sent me to Bethel'. But Elisha said, 'As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you'. So they went down to Bethel" (2 Kings 2:2 NIV).
Just as Bethel was a special place in the history of passing a ministry from Elijah to Elisha, Bethel Grove Church holds a special place in my history and the faith history of many Christian believers in Central Iowa.
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