Methodist Memories: Corn Edition

 As I’ve been reflecting on my experience as a Methodist, I started thinking about the pastors and the churches I’ve attended. Growing up in the Iowa Methodist Conference I thought it would be appropriate to call this post the "Corn Edition". Enjoy.

My family lived on the south side of Des Moines near the Wakonda Country Club until I was three. I was baptized at St Johns UMC in Des Moines but was too young to remember that experience or attending church there. Surely my mom and dad put me in childcare because I was, and remain to this day, a fidgety kid. Fidgety kids and sanctuaries generally don’t mix.

We moved to West Des Moines in 1967 and the first church I remember attending was First UMC. The first pastor I remember was an Associate whose name escapes me. Our neighbor Harry Moulton was a member who owned a donut shop in Des Moines. Twice a year or so he’d bring his donut equipment to the church kitchen and I’d skip service to help make and eat donuts. There’s NOTHING an 8-year-old kid enjoys more at church than making and eating fresh donuts. Services & Sunday school were not terribly memorable but let’s just say it’s pretty easy to sell a little blonde kid on Jesus with fresh donuts.

My parents left First UMC for Valley UMC sometime in the mid 70’s. It was a newer church at 42nd & Ashworth which was pretty much the edge of town at the time. Bob Leverenz was the first memorable pastor. He was the pastor who confirmed me and continued to be "my pastor" until I graduated from college because about the time I left for college he was appointed to a church Cedar Falls. I did attend church occasionally at Northern Iowa but in the interest of full disclosure, high school junior/senior & college Dave was not a regular at church. 

The one thing that stands out about my Valley UMC experience was the controversy surrounding a youth leader who was gay. To give you some context this was 1979 – 1981 which was not exactly the age of enlightenment for us straights. I’m quite sure Reverend Leverenz was under tremendous pressure to remove him. Rich was a good dude, and he did a great job as our leader. The kids liked and respected him. Bob did not remove him and there were a fair number of families who left the church over the issue. Bob stood for what was right and I’ll never forget that early experience of LGBTQ+ activism by a leader inside the Methodist church.

Even though Bob Leverenz was "my guy", mom & dad’s encouragement to go to church started falling on deaf ears when I was fifteen or sixteen. I decided I didn’t have to go to church and fell into a period of time when I questioned whether there was a God, and considered myself agnostic. Although technically still a member of the Methodist church I certainly wasn’t holding up my end of the bargain in those years. In 1992 I became a father and eventually Kelli and I decided it was time to get back to church so our kids would experience the joy of being part of a Methodist community. 

Kelli and I joined a brand new church the conference tapped Mike Orthel to launch. We met at a school where his lovely wife Joanne was the music director and I played guitar and bass on Sundays. We’d arrive early and set up chairs in the gym or lunchroom. We left that church when we moved to Kansas City. Not long after Mike was appointed to the church in Kalona, Iowa and we traveled to his new church to have him baptize Seth. Mike also presided over a renewal of our wedding vows for our 10^th anniversary.

Coming Soon - Methodist Memories: BBQ Edition