Raisin Pie and Dedication

Last Sunday I was headed up to Linton to eat at Stolls. I know one of the last things I need is their “Bountiful Buffet”, but sometimes you just have to scratch an itch. And beside all that I had not had a raisin pie forever and knew I could score one there.

I took a roundabout route enjoying the day. My drive took me east over through Elnora and then back 50 to 59 and up through Sandborn. As I hit Sandborn city limits I got to thinking about my earlier post and the percentage of people here in Knox County that claim a religion.

So off on a tangent, my meal (and pie) put on hold. I knew there was more than one church in Sandborn so I began to crisscross the city streets. I found three houses of worship in Sandborn; a Baptist Church, a Christian Church and a United Methodist Church. And I must admit there did not appear to be a problem with parking at any of the three locations.

Three churches for 415 people (2010 census). Basic math then (and some liberal averaging) would tell you that if only 49.61% of the residents attend church then only 206 of the 415 go to church. Now divide that by 3 and that would place the average attendance at each of the churches at 69 people.

Or if you break it down by the denominations of the 206; 25 are Methodist, 20 are Baptist (I’m assuming they are American Baptists) and 9 are Christian. While the others drive somewhere else for service because their flavor isn’t offered in Sandborn.

Now I am not picking on Sandborn and her churches per say, rather the whole concept of what this means.

If the 206 church going, God fearing people in Sandborn joined together as one united group rather than three small splinters think of what they could accomplish!

First, ever hear of the 5% solution? It states that 95% percent of a group don’t do much and that 5% carry them. So yes, 5% 0f 206 is still only 10, but that could be 10 in one location rather than divided into three locations (3.33 per building). I’m starting to confuse myself with all the numbers. But bottom line is more manpower to do the work.

The other side of this is money. Pay for three locations, three sets of salaries, and etc. Pay for enough items like this and how many children continue to go hungry? How many seniors freeze in the winter?

Bottom line I think is we need to move past the niceties of life, roll up our shirt sleeves, forget our differences and help the lost and needy. Leave our egos at the door and do what is right.

I did get my raisin pie (Got one to go, a whole one!) and had a great meal that helped to calm my spinning mind.