The Big Move

It's been awhile...but I have talked about our little church on the blog before. I believe it was a post about the hoodlum that threw stones through the beautiful, old, wavy glass windows. Oddly enough, this post will also deal with my lack of speed when chasing something.
At the end of last year, Nick, Nathan, and Melvin made the decision to sell the church to Mrs. Koch. She proposed moving it up the road about 1/2 mile to join the Santa Statue and the museum and had plans to do some restorations. Since we don't own a multi-million dollar amusement park and have the same cash flow for renovations, the church was sold and plans were made for the big move.
Now, here is where my running begins. Due to job commitments, Nick was unable to join in on the spectacle of the big move...so he asked if I would take some pictures and video. This was no problem as I already had the camera batteries charged and ready. We had been told they would move the church at 8:30am. Wouldn't you know this would be the morning Rachel would sleep until 8am. At about 8:05am, Nancy called to let me know that they had already moved the church down the hill. I had missed the BEST PART! I wanted to see how they got the church turned and onto the small road leading to the highway. I grabbed Rachel and some string cheese since she hadn't eaten and hustled down to the corner. Ron Smith (who looks alarmingly like Santa Claus) was in charge of the project and told me the highway permit wasn't good until 9am. Since I hadn't showered (hey- if Rachel sleeps in, so do I!), I left Rachel in Nancy's care and hustled home for the fastest shower of my life. No less than 15 minutes later, I'm heading back to the corner and I catch some movement out of the corner of my eye. I then notice the church is not at the corner. It's big - you can't really miss it. The movement was the church...rolling down the highway- rather quickly I might add. This is where I mutter some not so nice words and begin my version of a sprint down the road. I turned on the camera and video camera and started recording. However, due to my huffing and puffing, I don't think we'll be showing the video to anyone. It's something I'll just keep for myself when I need motivation to go to the Y...
Without further ado... I'll let the pictures tell the rest of the story!

This was taken last week. The church had been lifted and turned 180 degrees in preparation for the move.

On the road and ready to head towards the highway.

On her way down the highway (25 minutes before the 9am permit...)

Getting ready to head up the hill.

View from the other side.

It's only appropriate in a town named Santa Claus, that one of the men leading the project look JUST like Santa. When I asked Rachel who that was, she very quietly said "Ha Ha Ha". This is her version of "Ho Ho Ho". It's also important to note that Rachel LIKES this Santa. The Santa at Holiday World and the one at the Christmas store terrify her, but she likes this Santa. Coincidence??

View through the trees as the church continued her journey.

The steeple as the church passed me.

The church with the new owner, Mrs. Pat Koch.

Perhaps the most nerve wracking part of the day...turning the corner into the drive of the Santa Claus Park...

It was a gray, gloomy day...but the view through the window to the stained glass was still beautiful.

Beautiful isn't it?

Still working on making that corner....

For an idea on how smooth the ride was for the church...perched on the corner of the trailer is one of the workers coffe, tape measure, and jacket....just going along for the ride.

There are some battle wounds though. In addtion to some misplaced boards, two of the beauitful old wavy glass windows were cracked. Windows that Mel spent a small fortune replacing just this last summer....

I have a couple more pictures I wanted to share, but I have apparently reached my blogger limit for this post. I guess that's my cue to wrap it up!

As I watched the church move into her new home, I have to admit a part of me was sad to see it moved from the place it sat for 131 years. Whenever I have spent time in the church, there is a sense of peace. When I see the oil lamps on the wall and the pot belly stove, I can almost hear the bustle of ladies skirts as they came in for church 100 years ago. Babies were baptized, marriages began, and loved ones were put to rest. Families gathered for weekly services and endured the agony of a Sunday service in southern Indiana on a stifling summer day without the luxury of air conditioning. The potbelly stove was fired up for Christmas Eve services and toes tapped to keep warm in the cold winter air. For those that attended services here, I hope they will be happy to know that the church will be restored to it's original luster and those who come to visit will feel the same peace and joy that I have when her bell rings. I have a feeling that we'll still be visiting often...just to check in and say hello.