AGROS MINISTRIES

Our local paper recently carried an article about a bank in Morton, Illinois, where RHMA is headquartered. (in fact, where RHMA does its banking), which has stubbornly resisted the trend of mergers and acquisitions. More than bucking the trend, this bank is' very strong, with rapidly-growing assets (a 20 percent increase last year alone). The bank president says the trend toward big banking has actually fueled the growth of this small-town bank because it offers something increasingly hard to find, namely personal relationships with customers.

This bank thrives on bonds the ones it forms. It has a slogan: "We pay interest and we pay attention'." I can attest to that. Last week, as soon as I stepped foot in the bank I heard, Hi Ron! How's it going?" It's a place where they know my name. In fact, a couple more steps in the door and I was being ushered into the Senior Manager's office, answering ques-tions about my family and my red minivan (the bank is part-owner so the van-at least until I get it paid off-so I guess he should know the color right?). I sit beside these same bank employees at ball games and work alongside them a events such as Morton's annual Pumpkin Festival.

What's special about this small-town bank is also special about the small-town church. Not that it pays interest (we could wish!), but that it pays attention. Several months ago my eight-year-old daughter; Charissa, broke her arm The Sunday after this traumatic event during the morning service our pastor asked the kids to come up front. He sat Charissa down beside him, explained that she was going to have surgery the next day and then said, We want to take some time to pray for her this morning." I thought, This would noyt happen in a rnegachurch! In fact, had we been in a large church the pastor may not have even known her arm was broken (or known Charissa for that matter)!

One Sunday Dave and Sarah arrived at their small-town church (pastored by a friend of mine) looking worn and discouraged. Everyone knew why The week before Dave's mother had suffered a stroke arid been admitted to a nursing home. Sarah had to make a quick trip out of state to attend the funeral of her aunt. Sensing their need, during the service the pastor asked everyone to come to the front, form a circle around Dave and Sarah, join hands and pray that Cod woul strengthen and encourage them The small-town church pays attention.

I read about one small-town Minnesota church service in which an elementary-age girt who was singing a solo, forgot the words to the song. As she struggled, the people began to softly add their voices to hers. Reassured by the support of friends and family, she finished the song and was reward-ed by the beaming smiles of the congregation. The small-town church pays attention.

A favorite memory of mine happened during a pastorate in western Nebraska One holiday my wife, Roxy, and I awoke to find ourselves snowed in, with no electricity, heat, phone, or water due to the blizzard. Church friends had invited us over., but with roads buried under knee-deep snow we resigned ourselves to spending a lonely day at home. We were huddled in our coats, feeling rather depressed when, about noon, we were surprised to hear a knock at our back door There stood the son of our friends. He and his dad had spent the last four hours on two tractors, clearing the four-mile stretch from their ranch to the main road so they could get to our house. This "paying attention" is a big part of what makes small-town churches special.

Healthy small churches have warmth and intimacy; the likes of which are difficult to duplicate in a large-church setting (though I've seen some wonderful exceptions!). Small-church people can gather around the piano and sing each other's favorite songs. They laugh and cry together They are sponta-neous and informal. Is it any won-der that large churches look for ways to create the dynamics that occur naturally in small-church contexts? That small groups are big in big churches?

The small-town church pays attention. That's what makes it special.

For more information on RHMA ministries, please contact:

Rural Home Missionary Association

Box 300, Morton, IL 61550

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