Day 2 (Continued)
18 June 2011
A Visit With George

Aren't old friends great? We had a great visit yesterday afternoon with activist farmer and sustainable agriculture and food advocate George Naylor. George was one of my parishioners 25 years ago when I was pastor at the Churdan and Lanesboro, Iowa, United Methodist Churches.

I went to the Churdan and Lanesboro churches right in the middle of the great Farm Crisis of the 1980s. It was a rough period for many farmers. I stood beside parishioners as farms that had been in their families for over 100 years were auctioned off along with the majority of their possessions. I went with parishioners and sat in bankers' offices as they tried to renegotiate new terms that might save their farming operations and who felt they needed an extra pair of listening ears to be sure of all that was being said (and, unfortunately, to help gain some modicum of honesty and truth-telling in the process as the banking industry was under great pressure to deal with huge farming loans that were not being supported because of declining operational incomes and land values; hmmm, reminiscent of what the housing industry and banking have been going through for several years now in the 21st Century). I went to visit them and listened to their personal tales of struggle and attempts to survive in a way of life they loved. I took special training from the Extension Service (and other agencies) on how to help people through the crisis. One year, I was even a local delegate to the National Farmers and Ranchers Congress in St. Louis. And I prayed and cried with numerous people on a regular basis. Oh, and I was interviewed and quoted on CNN News! (The news crew had gotten lost and were in the wrong town but were on deadline and needed somebody, anybody, to talk to. That they interviewed me was a sign of their desperation!) Throughout the whole period, one of the people teaching me about farming and agriculture and food was George Naylor.

George was/is an internationally known activist in the agricultural community, advocating tirelessly for the small family farmer in the face of the growth and development of the huge corporate farm and agricultural industry. He has written many articles, addressed many gatherings, and been quoted or referenced in many books. And he is based in the rural area around the small town of Churdan, IA. He suggested books for me to read, explained the philosophy of the small family farm, and tried in every way possible to spread the message as a fervent evangelist for sustainable agriculture. One of the things I learned about George is that he has a broad, expansive, and deep mind and is conversant on a wide range of subjects.

It was great to get back together after all these years and to hear that the activist continues to be active. He was recently prominently featured in a NYT bestseller, The Omnivore's Dilemma and was included in the documentary movie Fresh. We revisited the past, reviewed the present, and commiserated with each other about the state of the world and progressive politics. And thank you, George, for the package of pure, home-grown, Iowa porkchops. We WILL enjoy them. And remember all the good times that ministry in Iowa brought into our lives. The seven years we spent in Churdan and Lanesboro were among the most memorable years of ministry for me and they certainly produced some of the most lasting friendships I've ever had.

On Day 3, we'll see more of these old friends and miss many more who have departed from this earthly life. We'll go to church at the Churdan UMC and, I'm sure, see quite a few folks we know. And this afternoon will visit with a few very good friends from those days. And I'll celebrate another Happy Father's Day with the wishes of my wonderful children (whose story of adoption into our family actually began during our days in Churdan so there is a link between past and present).
Well, better get on with the day and its adventures!