In May, I visited Smallest Church in America for the first time. It was really neat! I’d definitely go again, and I’d love to take others. Experiencing a worship service there would be really cool as well.
So! You want to know: How on earth did you find this place??
The night prior to my relocation, I spent hours in bed attempting to find a few stopping points to break up our trip. I used google searches, apps, and articles to find several stopping points for the trip. I figured we’d spend about 3 hours during the stops. BOY! Was I wrong?! An 8 hour trip with 3 hours added turned into a 15-hour trip! The math was ALLLLLL wrong!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My car was not in top shape at the time, so I didn’t want it to spazz during the drive. I couldn’t have that, so I figured if I stopped periodically, it’d ease my anxiety. (Needless to say, the card did VERY very well on the road! Thank Heaven!!!)
My goal was to stop somewhere every couple hours or so. Once I noticed the car was doing well (and that my co-traveler was quickly tapping out), I extended that pretty drastically.
Anywho! Let’s get started…
We left the house around 6a and 90 mins into our trip, we made our first stop in McIntosh County to visit Smallest Church in America in Townsend, GA.
It was nice to get out and move our feet. This was the point where the 3 hours of sleep was trying to kick in, so getting some fresh air was nice and much needed. If my memory serves me correctly, I believed I changed clothes in the car at this stop too! I can’t remember how I left the house, but if I was tired, I left the house lookin’ a MESS! SO! I changed… I grabbed whatever was readily available, which was my Duke shirt. Lucky Me!
I was in the car changing when Regina walked in. I remember during my planning that I wondered if they’d be open by the time we arrived. Luckily, this place is practically open 24 hours daily! All you have to do is walk in! There are cameras everywhere and notices reminding you that you are being watched! SMILE! You’re on camera!!! I didn’t mind that at all. I was just happy we were able to walk in!
I took these pictures so you could see the size of the church relative to our size. I’m 5’2″, which makes the church less than 10′ tall (not including the cross.)
As I walked through the church and around the grounds, I found the experience to be quite sacred. I prayed as I walked and took the time to have an experience with God as I blessed Him for this leg of my journey. Many prayers were written and posted throughout the church. (If you look at the picture below, you can see posted prayers directly behind me.) All of our own “spare” paper was packed, so I signed the guest book with a prayer of my own. Regina wrote one of her own too. I signed it, and had her sign mine.
Again, I found our time in this space to be very special, so I wrote a prayer commemorating the moment and blessing the times to come on the journey. It reads:
5/18/19 7:35a
Father God
As I embark on this journey today with my friend, I pray you continually order our steps. Make the path straight and the way plain. Allow men and women to pour out their hearts, warmth, love, and favor to us. Allow our ways to be pleasing in your sight. Honor our commitment. Bless us and honor our sacrifice. Use us for grand things in due season. Answer our prayers and show us your hand.
We look forward to serving you!
CoachDNicole!
en route to Duke Divinity School for Fall 2019 enrollment.
Regina Roberts 5-18-19
I thought this stop was very appropriate considering the journey I am on. Making sense of it all means honoring the expectations of my first church… myself. I must embody fruitful righteousness with(in) me prior to extending that goal and lifestyle to others.
I do hope I am doing a good job.
I don’t fall short…
I make decisions with accountability… sometimes choosing wrong… sometimes choosing right. I pray going forward that I will choose right more often and that I will first and most often do right by ME–the smallest, yet BIGGEST, church in my world.
