Clear Branch Church a place of peace and comfort and a momento

Hello! Welcome to my first of contributions to 2nd Time Around Tuesday, hosted by Diane @ A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words. I would have to think that this is a good second time around item.....

The first picture will enlarge by clicking

When DH and I built our home in 1970, we bought land in an area of Lincoln Country that was considered "away piece" from the rest of his family. Now we don't think anything of driving 20-30 miles to go some where, but back then "or at least" for my DH Father it was just too far away...all of the rest of the family Uncles and Aunts and most Cousins, lived within shouting distance of each other and all attended the same Church. Till we built, DH and I lived in town so that was close enough for FIL. And we went to the same Church.. Union Hall Baptist, but when we moved to were our new home was, it was just too much trouble to get the kids up and dressed and to Sunday School on time. We decided to go to the Little Country Church 3 miles from our home and have been there for 39 yrs. It was such a sweet peaceful little Church. Everyone welcomed you and made you feel at home.

This is a picture made in 1985 when the Church Celebrated it's 100th Birthday. The Church was built in 1881 on the Creek about 2 miles from the spot where it was moved in 1885 because of flooding..

If the pictures enlarge, (I have a lot of trouble getting them to load where you can enlarge them)...I am the lady with the giant handbag on the left side of picture in front..and DH is next to me on the left side BB and Ronnie are behind us...you can just see Ronnie's head behind DH, and BB is standing on a step over my right should, his head is sticking up in front of window......Well in 1987 some of the younger members decided we needed to put siding on the Church so no one had to paint it...it was so sad they did, because the Church was eligible for the Historic Homes Society Registry and they would have had the Church painted when it was needed. Some of the young members just wasn't worried about the Historical valve. Anyhow in 2001 it was discovered that because of the siding, termites had destroyed the old Church. It had to be torn down and replaced with a new one...I cried for 6 mos. Still cry when I remember the many activities and fun we had in the old building.

Here is a picture of the new Church....most of the older folks that where there when we started going have pasted and the children like mine have grown and moved away. There are so many new folks moved in and changed everything, that sometimes it just doesn't feel like home any more. I will continue going and worshipping my Lord for he is the reason I go in the first place. It is a beautiful Church, just doesn't have the closeness the little wooden church had.

To make along story short, the Gentlemen who torn it down told the members of the Church if they wanted anything from the old building to send him a written request and he would decide if they could have it. A friend of mine asked for some of the boards from the old structure...not the siding. They allowed him 10 peices and he gave me 2 of them. I wanted something to remember the Church by, besides just memories. I just got them last month and here is what they looked like...nasty...I think he had them stored in a barn for the last 4 yrs.

In case you can't tell it has about 4 coats of white paint on it...and 6 layers of dirt and spider webs....(don't you love my beautiful work area) I cleaned it up real good and left some of the chippy white paint on it. I stenciled LIVE LAUGH and LOVE using black green and then wiped it down good with burnt umber and sanded a little to give it that aged look.

I have decided I'm going to hang it in the black bedroom, DH wants me to hang it over the mirror in the new redone bath. But it think it looks good...still tweeking it...added my collection of Willow Tree to the top of the chest.......