For three or four years now, my friend, Scott Allison, has been inviting me to go with him up to Hamilton, GA, to attend a Christmas worship service in the family chapel of the Levi family, a family with whom Scott has been acquainted for some years now. Allen Levi is an accomplished musician and songwriter and his brother Gary is a missionary and wood worker. Their parents are in their 80's but seem to be in great health. There are three houses on the Levi farm where Allen, Gary, and their parents live. The farm is serene, pastoral, and almost too beautiful for words.
The focal point is their family chapel: an old, primitive, Methodist chapel that they disassembled in Alabama, carted to their farm in Georgia, and reassembled. There is no electricity and the pews are wonderfully antique and "boxish" looking. An old iron stove gives off just enough heat to "take the chill off," as Mr. Levi put it.
This year, I was finally able to attend. So last Saturday night, Scott and I, along with a little over one hundred other folks, gathered in the chapel in the glow of candlelight. Gary opened the service with a greeting and a few words of introduction, then Allen Levi began to sing. He shared a message between each song. Afterwards, all were invited to the family's barn for refreshments and fellowship.
I cannot describe how everything just kind of came together to create one of the most beautiful and memorable worship services I've ever been a part of: the cold night air, the glow of the candles, the rustic but wonderfully maintained chapel, the large dog lying in the aisle at the end of our pew, the small child patting the dog during the words and the singing, and Allen's voice. Levi's voice is simply wonderful and his lyrics are wise, perceptive, and poignant. I very much look forward to learning more about him and, I trust, getting him down to FBC Dawson.
It was simply a wonderful night of Christmas worship, and I'm glad my friend Scott finally got me to go! It will not, God willing, be my last time.
Take a little time and check out Allen Levi's site and his music. A truly fascinating family with an evident love for the Lord!