The following poem was written by one of our dear long-time members, Joan Goodknight, and described the “Friendship Class” of Beargrass.
TOGETHER
Since the Friendship Class began
Many years have passed,
Through tears as well as laughter
We have remained steadfast
We all remember days gone by
With young ones by the hand,
Those little hands, now grandchildren,
Our families did expand!
We’ve had the best of teachers,
Leadership that’s earned its praise,
Volunteers for jobs well done,
Help in so many ways.
How our membership has grown
Just why, we have a hunch,
All are very welcomed
By our happy, lively bunch!
We have good times together,
Most centering on food,
With mere mention of the word
We’re promptly in the mood.
We give thanks for our many friends
Here with us today,
Remembering those we have loved and lost
For all we pray.
From misfortune in our lives,
We will understand
The adversity of others
And are there to hold a hand.
We thank God for our Church
There through storms we weather,
And appreciate its part
In bringing us together.
Together…we will always be,
One family, close at heart,
And, somehow, I think we know
We’ll never have to part.
In the early 1950’s, the St Matthews area was experiencing a rapid growth. Beargrass Christian Church recognized a need for younger couples moving into the area and embarked on a program to serve these needs.
In the spring of 1955, Will and Dee Van Nostrand, an associate minister at that time, and some of our current members held a dinner to form a new couple’s class. About twenty people attended, and a class was formed. The class met in the church kitchen with coffee being served each Sunday, a tradition that has continued until now. At that time, there were two old houses where the Chalice Hall, the previous sanctuary, now stands. From the kitchen, the class moved to a basement location in one house and later to a first floor location in the other house. The class continued to grow, moving to other locations to accommodate the growth, and eventually ended up in the basement, again due to space requirements. After the new education building was built, due to the number of members of the class, the “Fellowship Hall” was designated as the only location of adequate size for the class and it has been located there since.
The class had several names throughout the years, originally known as the “Young Couples Class” and later as the “W” class, (Worship, Wisdom and Work). Since about 1960, it has used the name “Friendship Class”. In the earlier years, the class was composed of lively round table discussions with different members of the class serving as leaders. Mr. Owen Pillans was the original teacher and was followed by Dr. Will Van Nostrand, the Senior Minister, who taught many years. After Dr. Van Nostrand retired, a group of class members rotate as teachers each week and provide informative and inspiring lessons. Our primary objective is to serve God by serving the Church and community, spreading the Word and Love of God, and showing concern and compassion for others.
For many years, there have been over one hundred members in the “Friendship Class’, with many of the members having served, and are still serving, many leadership positions in the Church. The class members have been very active in various projects in the Church and Community and they contribute both financially and with time to many charitable organizations. Each year the class has several social functions that are attended by members and guests. Members enjoy the fellowship of each other and gladly welcome new additions to the class and to these functions.
Although the age of most of the members exceeds seventy years, all ages are welcome. All visitors and potential new members are welcomed with a friendly greeting which has been the trademark of the “Friendship Class”. If you are looking for an active, friendly class to grow your Christian life or need a comforting listener and friend, come join us.