Vine Street to West End

Last week, I described my family’s journey to and through Vine Street Christian Church in Nashville. I ended the piece by saying we don’t go to the Christian Church anymore, but now are United Methodists. A couple of friends asked how it happened and suggested that other readers might be interested. 

Previously Yvonne and I had lived in Pasadena, California (left). We loved it but wanted to try out a new place. So we visited Seattle, Austin, Salt Lake City, Boulder, and Nashville, and we picked Nashville, in spite of the fact that Yvonne had no interest in the South. After visiting, however, she discovered it was full of friendly people and lots of beautiful country.

We moved one summer, and, unfortunately, on our first weekend I had a business trip and left Yvonne alone. Sad and looking for company, she flipped through the Yellow Pages and found a counseling office at West End United Methodist Church.   

Yvonne got an appointment there with Karen Scheib, one of the pastors. Karen informed Yvonne that in fact she was grieving her Pasadena friends and life. Karen suggested that Yvonne come to church the following week and look for some Nashville friends. 

I was home the following Sunday, and Karen began leading us around the Sunday school classes. The first class we checked, “Christians Under Construction,” looked interesting. We went in and never came out. The people in the class became some of our best friends. They are to this day.   

And we, as a result, are United Methodists.