The first church we attended this past Sunday was easy to find. Briarwood Presbyterian was plainly visible from the interstate before we even got off the exit we needed. Around a few curves, going uphill all the way, and there we were at a large and neatly landscaped parking lot with a special section clearly labeled for first time visitors. The walk toward the front door took us past this historical society marker which celebrates the beginnings of the PCA in this very church (a previous location, not the present one). We were looking forward to hearing Dr. Harry Reeder, whom we have heard in short radio segments on a Birmingham radio station. 

                     

     

Once inside we discovered that Dr. Reeder and Rev. Wetselaar had something in common: both were on a Sabbatical. Our hopes for having found a solid Reformed place of worship faded with so many parts of the morning service, but the biggest disappointment was the evening worship. The bulletin stated that it was being replaced by a ballet. The evening service was actually going to be the ballet. Please come! etc. No, I don't think we will. Driving away from our spot in the visitors' lot after the service, we were still hungry, as if we had been to a grand restaurant that attended to all the fussy details necessary to make our meal wonderful -- but were never served any actual food.

We have heard much good about Dr. Reeder, and would like to hear him someday. We do not know how the Lord is using this church in Birmingham, but we can certainly hope that it will remember its roots and retain or regain that which makes it as straight and true as that little white steeple on top of that large beautiful building.

We did not think a Google search would be needed after seeing on their website that Briarwood has evening services, but we were pleasantly surprised when we looked to find an entry for an OPC in Birmingham. This one was not easy to find. Two human plus two GPS opinions -- none the same, mind you -- on where this address might be resulted in one of our more unusual Sunday drives. We circled in and around and back out of three or four church buildings that all could have been contenders for the You Have Reached Your Destination announcement.

Striking out in an unlikely direction through a parking lot of a strip mall, we noticed the sign. "Redeemer Presbyterian Church Back of Building." But that didn't mean we had found the church. Back of Building really meant way back, through an alley, past dumpsters, and then around to another side of the building. With joy we gathered in a humble location that smelled faintly of too much moisture in the carpeting, and along with 27 other sheep, we were fed. What a joy to find so much in common with a little church like this! One man asked us if we know Nelson Kloosterman, and was pleasantly surprised at the coincidence (not really!) of him preaching in Immanuel that very evening in Rev.'s place. 

And that is the story of the fourth Sunday of our Sabbatical that I have been wanting to share.