Church of the Week: St. John Lutheran, Decatur, IN

This week's Church of the Week on the Desperate Pastor blog is one I have passed on the road many times en route to Ft. Wayne, Indiana. This past week, however, I became more familiar with it.

I was on my way home from a very successful Christian writer's conference in Ft. Wayne, when my car began to exhibit an uncooperative--one might even say petulant--attitude. I pulled over and, after consulting a dear friend and expert on my cell phone, limped to the parking lot of St. John Lutheran Church (Missouri Synod) just six miles north of Decatur, Indiana.

After calling my wife, the lovely Robin, to come and rescue me, I made the most of the next three hours. I finished an audiobook. I took a brisk walk around the church. And I spent time in prayer with the aid of the Divine Hours (Pocket Edition) on my iPad, walking on the church grounds, and marveling at a falling star (I think the first I've ever seen).

Around 11:30 p.m., Robin arrived and we began the drive home, happy to be safe and buoyed by my friend's offer to tow the truck to his garage the next day. So, though I have no idea what the stately structure looks like on the inside and no familiarity with the saints who gather there for worship, St. John now has a special place in my memory. They don't know it, but this church hosted me and helped me in a time of need in April 2011.