Back in December, many of us attended the farewell service at the building that once served as the First Baptist Church of Little Elm and later as home to Praise Fellowship. This was an emotional service attended by members of both church bodies. I was given an opportunity to speak and as I took the stage, a memory entered my mind of the day my son, Reagan, was baptized there by Brad Sutton, now the Pastor of Point Church. As I began my unprepared speech, my hands started to shake a little and I experienced an unexpected level of nervousness. I suppose this was partly due to that fact that there were likely some in attendance who were not happy that the old building was coming down but it was also because that building, the landmark, had become part of the picture that I held in my head of the things that made up Little Elm.
Since the demolition of the building began, I've received a few phone calls and a few emails. Most of these were from folks curious about plans for the site but some reached out to express their sadness that the building was gone. It had become part of their picture too. To each that I spoke with, I told them about the road improvements that would come so close to the front of the building and about the severe structural problems that existed within the building. All were polite and understanding. But one call came from a former member of the church who had helped put the roof on the building when it was expanded in the 1980's.
This call was interesting to me because I didn't know too much about the timeline of the old building. It seems that the western-most part of the building was erected in the 1950's, around the time that the lake was flooded. This was the portion that was used for teen services when my kids attended. The rest (the center structure and the main church building) were added later due to expansion. We had a nice talk and the caller was very understanding. He had actually been a member of the church when it moved to its new location on Walker, becoming Cross Ridge Church. He told me that he understood the need for the building to come down. The church had relocated for a reason. It was falling apart and maintaining the old building was costing more than the building was worth. At one point, he said "After all, a building is just a building. The Church kept going. Just in a new place".
As we spoke, I heard that same nostalgia in the caller's voice that I felt when talking about the old building. He didn't really care about the building itself. He just didn't want to lose the memories and he didn't want to lose the things that made this "his town".
Occasionally, I think about what I consider to be old Little Elm. To some of the folks in town, my version of Little Elm is all new but to me, its old. I still call the corner of King Road and FM 423 Four Corners. And I still refer to the "Y" when I am directing someone to Little Elm Parkway even though the "Y" was further south. I still call Eldorado on the west side of the lake Garza Lane. I still remember where Miss Eva's place was and I still remember the Bottle Shop. Maybe these habits will pass in time but I kind of hope I'm still referring to them thirty years from now, when I'm giving directions to someone who has recently moved to the area.
Each of us has our landmarks in Little Elm and while some of those will change in the coming months and years, we can still protect those that need to be protected. The old Church of Christ on Main Street is one of these. This nearly 150 year old building deserves to be revered by our community and protected as a part of our community's long history. I guess just as important is making sure that the new things we build are worthy of the memories of future generations. We all have a responsibility to make sure that the town we are building will endure and that the pride we develop is just as well deserved as that which was held by those who preceded us here. It is important to remember that buildings and landmarks aren't the only things that make a town a great place to live or raise a family.In the Little Elm Library, you can likely find a copy of a book titled "112 Years in Little Elm Community". Page 132 holds a wonderful quote. Unfortunately, it is not credited to any particular speaker or author but it is important to share, nonetheless.
"Your town is as good as you make it. It's not all your town but it's all you that's good or bad, and if you want a good town you've got to make it good. And if you don't like your town, it won't do you any good to pack your grip and go looking for a better home -- you don't just move into a good town, you make it good".
That about sums it up.
