I hadn’t been to Louisville in a long time. My parents still lived there as did my step-brother and younger step-sister. My mother was happy to see us. She had been relieved that I had abandoned drugs when becoming a Jesus Freak, thrilled with my marriage to Pegi, again relieved when we returned from Rhodesia, and now there was this slight prospect that we might decide to move to Louisville because of this church group.
Of course, when we left Madison the previous week, it was only for a short vacation. But, with all the time we had to talk in the car, we had come to see that our time with the Berlin Community Bible Church in Wisconsin was over. There just was no way for us to survive financially any longer. It made sense to relocate in Louisville. Pegi could work at one of the local hospitals and I would be able to find some sort of sales job, maybe even returning to the life insurance business.
But first, we had to see if this church group founded by the son-in-law and daughter of T. Austin-Sparks would be a good home for us. Richard and Patty Akeroyd lived only a couple of miles from where I had grown up. Moving to Louisville from DC to give direction to the fledgling church group, he had found employment as a professor of French literature at the University of Louisville. In his two dozen years as the leader of “The Meeting” as it was called, they still numbered only about twenty. But, we weren’t seeking validation in numbers. We were looking for a church that met on what we considered to be New Testament “grounds.” This would be a church with a plurality of leaders--no senior pastor or paid ministry.
“Brother and Sister” Akeroyd as they preferred to be called, were gracious and friendly--polar opposites to the strange people we had met in DC. He was more than happy to recount the history of “The Meeting” in Louisville, including the controversies that led to a split more than a dozen years before that lessened their numbers from a hundred to the current twenty. The issue had been church governance, the Akeroyd’s preferring unpaid ministry and a plurality of elders under the “brothers in responsibility.” Currently, “Mr. Akeroyd” as he was called by most of the others in the fellowship, was no longer serving in responsibility. He had stepped down to allow three local men to take the governance as “brothers in responsibility.” Akeroyd continued to teach, but shared that role with the other three.
The other “brothers” were a psychologist and two high school teachers. In principle, it was possible for anyone to speak or teach in the gatherings, but the three brothers and Akeroyd were the common speakers. There was a Bible study hour before the main teaching service in which anyone could contribute. The three plus Akeroyd were still the primary participants, but others including women and occasionally Mrs. Akeroyd would contribute during the Bible study.
Women speaking was a change from what I had been used to. This was the first time I had encountered Evangelicals who permitted women to teach. The Meeting’s take on this was that they “ministered” under the authority of their husbands. It was actually a surprisingly pleasant experience. Mrs. Akeroyd, especially, had a gentle wisdom that opened new avenues of understanding. Even Pegi, who is intensely shy about this kind of thing, was emboldened to speak on a few occasions.
On this Sunday morning, we joined them at the St Matthews (suburb of Louisville) YMCA. Chairs were placed not in a semi-circle, but in a horseshoe shape. I never did quite understand the significance of the horseshoe instead of a circle, but they were very particular that the folding chairs be set up “just so.”
The first hour was for Bible study and began with an impromptu prayer, usually by one of the 3+1. That person would then read the preselected passage for the day and the discussion would begin after a moment of silent courtesy allowing for someone to start. The theory was that the meeting was being led by the Holy Spirit, but in reality, it was just strong familiarity with one another and learning to read the signs when someone wanted to speak.
The second hour began with hymns called out by number from a British hymn book. If Bro. Akeroyd was there, he would usually lead the unaccompanied singing. I found the Bible study and the teaching that followed it to be very deep and satisfying. For the first time ever since leaving Berachah, I was not the “expert.” I found it exhilarating to be able to sit back and listen to the very real and in-depth thoughtful commentary on the texts. The 3+1 had no theological or ministry training, but brought forth compelling spiritual insights. I am pretty sure that I kept my mouth shut that first Sunday, but on subsequent Sundays, I found that my comments were appreciated. I never did jump in to lead one of the teaching hours during the couple of years that we participated.
Needless to say, we thought we had found our spiritual home at last. Surprise! It was in Louisville of all places. Who would have ever thought that I would find spiritual meaning and fulfillment in the hometown that I thought of as the source of an empty Jewish upbringing?
Two weeks later we had closed up shop in Wisconsin and moved to Louisville. Would my home really become my spiritual home?
Next: A Brother from Zimbabwe
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