Sunday evening, my family and I went to Liscomb Church of Christ to hear friend and fellow blogger Phil Gould sing. Phil used to sing as part of the country duo Sugar and Spice. If you have a very good memory, you may recall his observations on eating sweet corn that I posted about in 2014. I also mentioned having his autograph in my collection and hearing him sing in 2012 after shoveling a grain bin.
Stepping out of the car a few minutes before the concert, I realized, "I should post about this church!" Built in 1911, it was one of two churches in Liscomb, Iowa, a town of 301 people. The second church down the road--which also must have been beautiful in its day--had become a home for raccoons, and recently was torn down.
The Church of Christ, however, remains in good condition. Phil has a YouTube channel set up where you can listen to some of Pastor Ralph Norman's sermons and a couple songs, including Step into the Water, which he played during the evening of music.
I had visited this church twice before, once to listen to Bill Tjarks, a local musician and song-writer, and once to listen to The Johnson Strings.
I had visited this church twice before, once to listen to Bill Tjarks, a local musician and song-writer, and once to listen to The Johnson Strings.
The church has a pipe organ and beautiful stained glass windows and chandeliers. Everyone seemed friendly, and we were surprised to see the pastor's daughter was Truly Gannon, the top-finishing lady at the 5K we had run the day before!
Between songs, Phil told us a little about his life and how he became a musician. "Long Black Train" is one of our old favorites in his repertoire, but I also particularly enjoyed when he led the audience in "Home on the Range."
Pictured below is the church basement--the Sunday school room and the dining area. After the concert, everyone headed downstairs for refreshments. Phil's wonderful wife, Deb Gould, had prepared all sorts of cookies and bars, which were served with ice cream!
I opted for a raspberry crumb bar, which was absolutely delicious. Truly came around with seconds for everyone. When I asked her if it would help my running performance, she assured me each bar would take a minute off my time...so, of course, I had to eat another!
It's always fun to tour historic churches, but at Liscomb Church of Christ I think I got the best tour available--complete with great music, awesome food, and good fellowship!
Linking with:
What a beautiful church. The stained glass windows are gorgeous! There is just something special about old churches. Good music and food makes it even better!
ReplyDeleteIndeed! Thanks for stopping by, Mari!
DeleteYour posts are always so interesting, Bethany! And I loved seeing this beautiful church...
ReplyDeleteSo glad you had a good time!
Blessings and love,
Kelly-Anne
Thanks Kelly-Anne! :)
DeleteA lovely church with very nice stained glass windows! That was a great evening and finished off very well with dessert and ice cream which I notice is mentioned often in your posts!!!LOL!
ReplyDeleteIt's good to think about the sweeter things in life! If only I could fit cake and ice cream into each post... :D
DeleteBeautiful....I always enjoy driving by old churches and loved reading about this particular one.
ReplyDeleteThe singing, I'm sure the songs were beautiful as well.
Thanks for stopping by, Anni!
DeleteOh my gosh, very cool on all of it and I LOVE those windows. Oh my goodness.
ReplyDeleteAren't they beautiful?!
Delete:-)
DeleteHello Bethany.
ReplyDeleteVery nice church, its architecture and stained glass windows.
Great are your photos.
Greetings from Poland.
Lucja
Have a great weekend, Lucja!
DeleteGreat post.. Looks beautiful all the stained glass and imagine the families, loves, stories of hope and tragedy, and joyful gatherings... churches are our legacy of our history of european settlers and recently I listened to an interview where Ann Coulter insisted on explaining she descends from 'settlers' and not 'immigrants' going back many generations.. which was something people don't stop to think about .. those who came and made lives and built towns and homes and lives and communities from nothing .. thanks for the comment at my blog .. I do a little more than just photograph random strangers.. most of them are people I get a good chat with and hear their perspective on liberty and where society is headed... its outreach but random for sure .. cheers
ReplyDeleteThat's pretty awesome you go out and talk with people! It is interesting to listen to how other people think. It takes a lot of initiative to be either a settler or an immigrant. My forefathers on my father's side immigrated to this continent in the 1600s and 1700s, but their descendants were settlers into the 1850s and 60s--moving west to Iowa. Enjoyed reading your remarks. Thanks!
DeleteWhat a beautiful church! I love the architecture. So thankful you had a wonderful time of fellowship, Bethany. It was so interesting to read about!
ReplyDeleteIt was a very pleasant evening!
DeleteThat's a funny shirt, reminds me of Iron Man's line in the Avengers
ReplyDeleteI've never watched The Avengers, but I just looked it up...and you're right; it's very reminiscent!
DeleteHi Bethany, Often, after reading your posts and enjoying the photos, I say to myself, "Wish I could have been there." They really are that good! Neat idea to include the links to the sermons and music. Thanks, as always, for sharing!
ReplyDeleteOne of these days maybe you will be persuaded to make the trip out to the Midwest! Thanks for stopping by, John!
DeleteThis is a beautiful church! :D It's neat to see a place with stained glass and a pipe organ. It looks like you had a good time at the performance.
ReplyDeleteI always enjoy hearing Phil sing, and this time was extra-enjoyable because he played many of the gospel songs I like.
DeleteThanks for showing us the beautiful church building and telling us about the good fellowship [and good food you had, too]. It seems like raspberry bars should be power bars to be consumed before 5K races, doesn't it :)
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like it! They sure were good! :)
DeleteThis beauty would look right at home in this area...very nice.
ReplyDeleteAlways enjoy seeing the churches you post, Tom!
DeleteYou got the whole package with this lovely church. Love the windows.
ReplyDeleteThey are beautiful!
DeleteLovely church!
ReplyDeleteIndeed!
DeleteGreat looking stained glass windows
ReplyDeleteAgreed! :)
DeleteOhhh that looks like the jewel of the whole town!! What a treasure!
ReplyDeleteLiscomb is a very small town, so as far as I know, this church is indeed the highlight.
Deletegorgeous stain glass. i enjoy the 1st shot with those clouds. lovely day. ( :
ReplyDeletehope you have a great week!
The concert was in the evening, so I was a bit concerned that the lighting would not be good enough for good pictures, but it worked out. Have a great week as well!
DeleteNice post, Bethany. It was good to have you and your family there. You do take good photos, except the one of me, but that's not your fault. :) Those of the church remind me what a beautiful structure it is. That's something I don't notice as much as I should since I'm there nearly every Sunday and usually focused on the technical aspects of our services. Thanks for the visual reminder!
ReplyDeleteHa! Your hand was a bit blurry because it was moving so fast on the strings, but other than that I think it's a good picture! You do have a beautiful church. Thanks for a great evening of music!
DeleteYour post makes me want to visit again! Thanks for the shout out! Ha! Did I say that each cookie would only take one minute off your time?? I think that's a misquote! LOL! Nice description of the historic Church of Liscomb.
ReplyDeleteOh my. Now you tell me?! Do you know how many cookies I've eaten since then? My time has improved though...so maybe I am on the right track. ;)
DeleteThanks for stopping by, Truly! Hope to see you at a race again next summer.