While Lucasville Ohio was celebrating 200 years as a community Beverly and I decided to attend one of it’s churches. Then we learned that there would be a community church service at Valley Middle School. So we did both!
As a boy my dad grew up on Blue Run Road. After returning from a three year eight month internment in a Japanese POW camp he returned. He came home arriving by bus in Portsmouth Ohio in the middle of the night. He took a cab to Lucasville Ohio where he exited for a long walk up Blue Run Road. He arrived at the home he remembered to find his parents had moved and he was greeted to a shotgun to his face. Dad, Raleigh Kenneth Rucker was told they lived on up Blue Run Road. That walk took him past the church we visited on a Sunday morning.
When he arrived home my wonderful grandmother Goldie Rucker opened his mouth to check his tongue as she had heard that it had been cut out. It had not been. Following the happy greeting she proceeded to make him fried chicken.
The Blue Run Community Church was once a Methodist Church. Some years ago it was purchased by Jeff and Tracey Humble who made it into the beautifully decorated church it is today. Unfortunately they happened to be on vacation the day we visited but fortunately we got to meet a Deacon Dale Exline who served as worship leader and gave the message on our visit. He and his wife live in Jackson Ohio. He is a surveyor and began attending this church after doing some work locally.
Patriotism showed throughout the church in the decor. So it was a great visit to mark our beginning to the fourth of July holiday week.
On this same day in the afternoon Lucasville celebrated their Bicentennial Church program at the Valley Middle School as mentioned earlier. It was funny how these two services ended up linking.
Dale said that there are a lot of comparisons today to what happened in the American Revolution. Therefore I think it appropriate to check out my Patriot’s Bible to quote verses he presented from Deuteronomy 8. Starting at verse 6: Therefore you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God, to walk in his ways and to fear him. 7: For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs that flow out of valleys and hills. He continued through verse 14 but verse 11 says: Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments, His judgements and his statutes which I command you today.
He also spoke of Proverbs 14:34 (Righteousness exults a nation, but sin is a reproach to any nation.) He spoke of Patrick Henry. My Patriot Bible says at this point that Patrick Henry wrote: whether this will prove a blessing or curse will depend upon the use our people make of the blessings, which a gracious God hath bestowed on us. If they are wise, they will be great and happy. If they are of a contrary character, they will be miserable.
In his message Dale pointed out that writers of the Declaration faced great danger in that signing. Armed with merely hunting rifles the people of that time stood up against the strongest military force in the world. King George set about to shut down this force that had risen on our continent.
There was the Boston massacre which resulted in the loss of 366 Patriots. Then there was the Bunker Hill with something like 400 mentioned lost.
The bold declaration of Independence gave credit to God. We look at problems in America today and know that God in many cases has been taken out of the schools. Dale said a silent majority is killing us by not speaking out on issues such as this. Though he also said that a majority of people agreeing on a subject doesn’t make it right in the eyes of God.
Lastly he said that our real freedom comes with Jesus Christ. We have as great a freedom as our Constitution will allow. In that we have been freed from our bondage we should live self controlled and upright Godly lives.
After reciting God bless America land that I love Dale said we need to reaffirm our faith in Christ, our author. We should bear siege over sins to find him in our lives with liberty and true happiness.
Then in the afternoon we attended the Lucasville Bicentennial service. As it sometimes goes our chancy visit in these two situations lined up perfectly. Again I say, the Lord works in mysterious ways.
Though numerous Lucasville churches contributed to the Lucasville service it was announced a new church would begin meeting at the school sometime in the future. We will save that for another day.
Special recognition of a past Lucasville Pastor Julious Chandler was given opening the door for his daughter to tell the story of her father as a Pastor in the Lucasville area. As a boy I recall going to his church when he was preaching at that time in a Clarktown Ohio church. We recently attended this church again.
She said that in 1949 Julious began preaching at Blue Run church, the very church we attended that morning. He moved his family there living in a camper next to the Township Hall down the road.
Later Pastor Chandler went to preach in another Lucasville Church, Bailey Chapel located on Miller’s Run. Then at some point he went to pastor at Clarktown for many years.
Well known Evangelist/Pastor and my friend Tim Throckmorton delivered a message for the well attended program created to celebrate the Lucasville Bicentennial.
Beverly and I would like to invite you to drop in on the Blue Run Road Christian Fellowship Church or take a look at other churches in the Lucasville area if that would be convenient to you. Tell them the Ruckers sent ya!
As believers let us share the good news of Jesus Christ, Savior of the World! Each one, reach one! See ya in church!
