Wednesday, July 22, 2020 Wayside Chapel

We were in Luverne, Minnesota, last weekend to camp at Blue Mounds State Park and do the Hiking Club hike the next morning. More on that in a future blog post, of course.

On the way to the park, we passed this lovely little wayside chapel and decided to stop in.

It was one of the hottest days of the year and quite stifling inside, so we didn’t stay long – just long enough to take a few photos.

I was really intrigued by this tiny God’s house, so I did a little internet research after we got home. It was built by the Christian Reformed Church in Luverne and was dedicated on June 30, 1963, so it’s been around for over 50 years. The mission of the chapel is as follows:

For all those in this community who seek quiet in the midst of the storm,
who seek relief from burden and anxiety,
who seek peace beyond the understanding of mankind,
who seek a restful place to pray and worship,
For all those who travel through our community,
for those who have forgotten God and for years have not appeared in His house,
for those who have never forgotten God,
for those on business,
for those seeking pleasure and vacation,
for those who flee from the past and trouble,
for those who are tired and need rest,
for these we dedicate this chapel.

More than 40,000 people visited the chapel by the end of its first summer and people have come from all over the world. The Bibles are provided by the Gideons. And guess how many weddings have been officiated in this wee chapel? Just one. The groom’s father had helped in the construction of the chapel; they managed to stuff about 20 people in there for the event. No social distancing required.

We stayed for a short sermon (ha ha!)…

…and then went out back to check out the view and the bench. It’s all very sweet and if it hadn’t been so hot, we would have stayed longer.

The door is always open. Quiet in the midst of the storm.

“Come to me, all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you shall find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my load is light.” Matthew 11:30

Amen and Amen.

I’ll probably delete this in the morning.