Last evening I dropped Lynn off at her school for a night of one act plays and then set out alone to shop for sandals. Rather than take the highway, I decided on the scenic route through town and headed west on Walnut. At the square in Penbrook I saw a sandwich board on the steps of the old hardware store, the means my former church congregation uses to advertise events. "Groundbreaking Community Ministry Center, May 20, 2:00 p.m." Curious, I turned down Banks Street to investigate.

Penbrook United Church of Christ is an old building in an old neighborhood. Founded a little more than a century ago, the congregation occupies a structure that was erected in the thirties and has undergone extensive renovation as styles of ministry changed and the congregation grew. It stands across the street from what was once the Penbrook Junior High School, where my father taught music from about 1948 until 1953, when he moved to the new high school. Some time in the sixties the building became Penbrook Elementary School. In 1984 the school district abandoned the neighborhood school concept in favor of large regional elementary schools (a move still causing controversy) and sought to divest itself of the old building. Penbrook Church bought it, renamed it the Community Ministry Center, and established several programs, among them the day care center Lynn attended for five years.

I attended Penbrook Church from the time of my spiritual awakening in 1980 until 1993, when my inner needs sent me to Tree of Life Lutheran Church. It was a move made for all the right reasons, like a child graduating and moving out to grow even more, and yet leaving that congregation was as wrenching as if I had been driven away by some personal offense or congregational brouhaha that could not be resolved.

When I pulled up to the curb in front of the church, there was Miss Doris Wagner, a lifelong member now in her seventies, pulling weeds. I was not surprised to see her. She is a dedicated church leader who has served on probably every committee that's ever been formed. She is the congregation's historian who maintains extensive scrapbooks and records of church events and the accomplishments of members. She is generous, energetic, the kind of person who is called "a pillar of the community."

If I was not surprised to see her, neither was she surprised to see me. She greeted me by name, recalled a Lenten meditation I wrote for the newsletter at least ten years ago, and commented on the last several letters I wrote to the newspaper which concerned local school issues. The groundbreaking, I learned, was for renovations to the old school building, including an elevator, improved parking and landscaping, and changes to the facade to help the utilitarian but boring addition of the 1960s blend better with the art deco look of the original section. She took me into the building, showed me the floor plans, gave me a tour of some of the changes they've made to offices and classrooms.

This morning I dropped Lynn off for Sunday School at TLC and made it to Penbrook Church for the early service. Miss Wagner had told me it would be a Communion Sunday. Part of the reason I left PUCC was that as a traditional German Reformed congregation, they offer Communion only about ten times a year. My spirituality demands the Lutheran concept by way of the Roman Catholics -- Communion at every worship service.

I was greeted and embraced by people I have not seen for years. Their joy in having me again in their midst touched me deeply. After the service I chatted for a while with some old friends and then left to be in the late service with Lynn at Tree of Life. There, too, I was among friends whose love and support nourishes me.

Being known and appreciated for who you are, remembering and being remembered, are at the heart of my historical novel. Some writers write about things they lack. I am writing about something I have in abundance.