Saturday, December 19, 1998

Collection of small churches full of lessons for pastor

By LORETTA FULTON

Senior Staff Writer

Each miniature church in the Rev. David Edwards' office is a story, even a parable.

Each reminds Sweetwater's First United Methodist Church pastor of not only the person who gave it, but the larger church as well. One glass piece was given him by a "most fragile and delicate lady," reminding Edwards that "the church is fragile and so are the people."

Another, the only one Edwards had to assemble himself, is a jigsaw puzzle with the pieces glued together and used to construct a three-dimensional church.

"I've seen a few churches that need to be put together," Edwards said. "All the pieces are there, they just need to be put together."

And so it goes through 48 miniatures, some elegant and ornate, some simple and basic, prompting Edwards to make another analogy. His smallest miniature is made of pewter, not more than 2 inches tall, given him by the music director of the Methodist church in Panhandle when Edwards was pastor there.

"It's also the strongest and sturdiest," Edwards said, reminding him that the strength of the church is not in its size but in its faith.

Edwards was given his first two miniatures on Christmas Eve 16 years ago, and if tradition holds, his Christmas wish this year may come true.

"I hope to have 50, maybe by Christmas," he said.

The first two churches were given him, unknowingly, by different people on Christmas Eve in 1982 when Edwards was pastor of a suburban Houston church. One gift was presented during the early service, the second in the late service.

"They both did it individually" Edwards said. "I'm just glad they didn't show up at the same service."

Since then the collection has grown to include miniatures from Budapest to Sweetwater, his latest a wood block carved into the shape of a church by Sweetwater's Chamber of Commerce manager Ken Becker.

As a Methodist minister, Edwards is reassigned every few years, and his miniatures remind him of former pastorates and the people he knew.

"You can go along and look at them and have a history of your ministry," he said.

A former congregant, Ruth Knightstep of Clyde, brought Edwards a replica of the Heather Glen Kirk Church in Scotland, while two families from Sweetwater brought home the likeness of a church in Budapest.

Besides the colorful history they bring to Edwards' office, some of the miniatures also bring laughter, and two tinkle with music.

One is a replica of the church where "Silent Night" was written and is a favorite at Christmastime as its plays the tune in music box style. Another, a fragile blown glass church mounted on a porcelain base, plays "Amazing Grace."

"That's appropriate for the person, too," Edwards said of the fragile woman who gave it, her life restored by grace.

Edwards' wife, Charla, gave him one that brings him and visitors the most laughs. A steepled country church with Christmas carolers out front are mounted inside a glass bubble filled with water. When the bubble is inverted and then righted, snowflakes swirl around the church and carolers.

Edwards once asked "a very devout Baptist deacon" if he knew why Edwards called that one his "Baptist miniature." Without hesitation, the devout deacon replied, "Is it because it has a lot of flakes in it?"

The surprised Edwards had to think for a second.

"No, it's because it's under water," Edwards said, "but I like your analogy better!"

Another miniature is transparent and has a hole in the roof, earning it the name of the "Texas Stadium Church."

"It has a hole in the top so God can see what we're doing inside," Edwards said.

At least two of the churches are functional as well as attractive. One, rather large for a "miniature," sits on the floor, but if it were outside it would be a birdhouse. Another, a terra-cotta church that sits on Edwards' desk, is a planter given him by the Sweetwater High School football coach and his wife, Hank and Kaye Dowell.

"They had purchased this to give to me at a very special time," Edwards said.

That time came earlier this year when a series of unfortunate circumstances befell some church members.

"That was in the midst of football season and they still took time to care about me," Edwards said.

The miniatures fill Edwards' office with life, history, beauty and instant conversation pieces. He is especially grateful for the opportunity they give him to share the life of the church with others.

"There's a story behind all of them," Edwards said, which prompts the minister to give a mini-sermon.

Without people to relate those stories to, they might be forgotten, just like a more important story.

"Sometimes we look at Christmas and forget the story," Edwards said.

The only time the miniatures bring any stress to Edwards' life is when it's time to pack up and move to a new church. Fortunately, the last move was only from Clyde, so the Edwards were able to pack the miniatures and drive them to their new locale with ease.

It hasn't always been so. A native of Kerrville, Edwards moved with his family to Abilene in 1958 and graduated from Abilene High School in 1971 and McMurry University in 1975.

Edwards' travels around the Methodist circuit began while he was still a seminarian at Perkins School of Theology, where he earned a master of theology degree in 1979.

While a student, Edwards did an internship at the Methodist church in Floydada, near Lubbock. After graduation, he was pastor at 10th Avenue United Methodist Church in Amarillo and then moved to the Klein United Methodist Church near Houston.

Edwards served the Klein church for almost three years before moving back to the Northwest Texas Conference, where he is chairman of the Board of Ordained Ministry for the conference as well as a pastor.

Along the way he has collected stories and memories, made even more vivid by the delicate miniature reminders on his office shelves.

"They all have special memories," Edwards said, "because they remind me of the people."