If you crossed the highway and continued south, the name of the road changed for about a quarter mile and ended in a "T" intersection. Then, after turning right and traveling west a few miles, you would come to a small, unincorporated community where at the center stood a large United Methodist church. While the congregation had been established earlier, the church building was completed in 1914. It was constructed with cement blocks using community resources and labor. The inner decor of the sanctuary had a Late Gothic Revival style with ornate wrought iron / stained glass hanging cylinder lights that radiated a soft yellow glow and artsy feel. On sunny mornings the three large stone framed Gothic Arched stained glass windows above the pulpit created a sacred and ethereal dance of light and colors that filled the room. Outside the church's thick, iron hinged wooden plank doors of the main entrance there was a neatly trimmed lawn and narrow sidewalk loop. The front and side lawns were sometimes utilized for homemade ice cream socials after service in the summertime, a favorite fun event everyone enjoyed.
This was the church Matt's parents were members and where Matt was baptized as a baby. Matt's Mom loved to sing hymns during the Sunday morning church services, though she didn't sing in the choir or play the church organ, her singing voice was powerful yet soothing and could be distinctly heard reverberating throughout the sanctuary. The church had a two story Sunday school building that was built as a wing off the sanctuary, but had separate entrances with a large parking lot in the back. It was built of the same cement block construction matching the sanctuary. The space was arranged with age-specific classrooms and the children were issued Bibles around age eight with their names embossed in gold lettering on the front and a certifcate of issueance on the thicker first page.
