Idaho
144-year-old Idaho church survives and thrives
MIDVALE, IDAHO — Sunflowers and knee-high yellow grass line U.S.…
Off the beaten path: It’s where to find some of the best faith stories
A dozen-plus speck-on-the-map places that made an impact on our editor.
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MIDVALE, IDAHO — My reporting journeys have taken me to most of America’s major cities.
New York. Chicago. Los Angeles. Houston. Washington. I love covering the news in such important urban centers.
And I’m not just talking about music, although I certainly enjoyed the Grand Ole Opry when I worked in Nashville.
My earliest memories evoke images of southeastern Missouri’s Bootheel, where both sets of my grandparents lived.
My brother, sister, cousins and I played hide-and-seek amid rows and rows of taller-than-us corn stalks. We couldn’t avoid the stench of the monster-truck-sized hogs that a neighbor raised in a cesspool of mud and slop.
We savored ice-cold Grape Nehi soda in glass bottles that we bought at a tiny store down the street. That same store sold bologna sandwiches for a quarter and bags of candy for a dime.
A half-century has passed since those days, but I still treasure them.
A reporting trip to middle-of-nowhere western Idaho got me thinking about that time — and about the speck-on-the-map places that chasing stories takes me.
Related: 144-year-old Idaho church survives and thrives
Often, we journalists — on the Godbeat and otherwise — find rural America difficult to cover. Sometimes, we can’t even grasp the concept.
I still chuckle over a Los Angeles Times story in 2015 that reported on a “small town” in Texas. That small town? Garland, a major Dallas suburb that then had a population of 237,000.
It’s all about perspective, I guess.
A major challenge is, of course, getting to places like Midvale — the Idaho town of 222 residents where I wrote about a 144-year-old congregation that nearly died.
Midvale, Idaho, has a population of 222, according to signs along U.S. Highway 95.
My trip required flying 1,900 miles — via an L-shaped route from Oklahoma City to Phoenix to Boise. Then I drove 90 miles to the church.
The trip was worth it. The people I met blessed me. The on-the-ground details proved crucial.
Also, a few stereotypes were shattered along the way. For instance, Kevin Hooper, the church’s preacher, doesn’t wear cowboy boots. And he’s no fan of country music. He grew up listening to rap.
In fact, Hooper left Midvale for a number of years, thinking he didn’t fit in. But he later returned and couldn’t be happier.
“I realized what a great upbringing I had, and I wanted to provide that for my children — more of a fenceless world,” the 53-year-old father of seven said.
“Maybe not country,” he added, referring to the music. “But rural, I like it a lot.”
Minister Kevin Hooper displays an old photo with a deer on the porch of the Midvale church.
As for me, I’ve grown accustomed to the amenities of big-city life — even if major media such as the New York Times don’t consider Oklahoma City, where I live, as such.
I don’t see myself ever relocating to a town like Midvale. I’m too addicted to my neighborhood Chick-fil-A.
Still, I relish traveling to places off the beaten path and telling their stories — be they inspiring, heartbreaking or a bit of both.
Related: Mourning a tiny church’s closing
While far from exhaustive, the following list highlights a dozen-plus such places that made an impact on me.
A quick note first: I thought it would be interesting to give an idea of the distances — both in the air and on the highway — traveled. But when flying, in particular, hardly anyone ever goes anywhere in a straight line from Oklahoma City. So I should emphasize that the numbers provided are estimates, helped by online tools, and probably low in a number of cases.
Alsea, Ore.
Population: 129. Flight path: 1,488 miles from Oklahoma City to Portland. Driving distance from airport: 107 miles. The story: After a string of suicides, a minister helps bring answers. When: 2011.
Canadian, Texas
Population: 2,169. Driving distance: 190 miles from Oklahoma City. The story: Texas Panhandle residents rely on their faith after the largest wildfire in state history. When: 2024.
The Canadian Church of Christ prays last year after a wildfire hit the Texas Panhandle town.
Dauphin, Manitoba
Population: 8,368. Flight path: 940 miles from Toronto (where I was pursuing a different story) to Winnipeg. Driving distance from airport: 196 miles. The story: A ministry seeks to overcome — and atone for — Canada’s history of snatching indigenous children from their parents. When: 2017.
Deadwood, S.D.
Population: 1,347. Flight path: 564 miles from Oklahoma City to Sioux Falls. Driving distance from airport: 431 miles to Bismarck, N.D. (for a separate story) and 291 miles to Deadwood. The story: Amid a massive biker rally, Christians renew ties and fellowship. When: 2016.
Each August, the world-famous Sturgis Motorcycle Rally draws hundreds of thousands of bikers to the southwestern region of South Dakota.
Gravelbourg, Saskatchewan
Population: 986. Flight path: 1,099 miles from Oklahoma City to Regina. Driving distance from airport: 117 miles. The story: While churches struggle in more than a few places in rural Canada, this one thrives. When: 2009.
Mayfield, Ky.
Population: 9,805. Driving distance: 580 miles from Oklahoma City. The stories: Neighbors break down barriers to help tornado victims. Also, rebuilding means rethinking for tornado-ravaged churches. When: 2022.
A sign hangs from a barrier fence surrounding the historic Mayfield, Ky., courthouse, which was damaged by a tornado on Dec. 10, 2021. The tornado killed 22 people in Graves County, where Mayfield is the county seat.
Montezuma, Iowa
Population: 1,421. Flight path: 584 miles from Oklahoma City to Des Moines. Driving distance from airport: 67 miles. The story: A 156-year-old congregation epitomizes the challenges of many small, rural churches but refuses to die. When: 2013.
Raymond, Maine
Population: 4,536. Flight path: 1,494 miles from Oklahoma City to Boston. Driving distance from airport: 123 miles. The story: For these New Englanders, a camp with mounted moose heads over the fireplace provides a place of refuge and fellowship. When: 2008.
Roanoke, Ala.
Population: 5,424. Flight path: 758 miles from Oklahoma City to Atlanta. Driving distance from airport: 70 miles. The story: Profile of a preacher marking 65 years with the same congregation (he’s nearing 68 years there, by the way!). When: 2022.
Seabrook, N.H.
Population: 8,401. Flight path: 1,481 miles from Oklahoma City to Manchester. Driving distance from airport: 122 miles. The story: Two New England houses of worship with common roots — one in New Hampshire, one in Maine — become a one body. When: 2024.
The marquee sign outside the Seabrook Church of Christ in New Hampshire.
Selmer, Tenn.
Population: 4,590. Driving distance: 558 miles from Oklahoma City. The story: A minister’s slaying and his wife’s arrest deal a double tragedy. When: 2006.
Somerset, Pa.
Population: 5,870. Flight path: 1,001 miles from Oklahoma City to Pittsburgh. Driving distance from airport: 69 miles. The story: A child molester’s son shines a light. When: 2015.
Jimmy Hinton preaches for the Somerset Church of Christ in southwestern Pennsylvania.
Wasilla, Alaska
Population: 10,318. Flight path: 2,876 miles from Oklahoma City to Anchorage. Driving distance from airport: 46 miles. The story: An annual gathering draws together people of faith separated by hundreds of miles and — in some cases — rugged terrain accessible only by boat or plane. When: 2014.
BOBBY ROSS JR. is Editor-in-Chief of The Christian Chronicle. Ross writes the Weekend Plug-in column for Religion Unplugged, where this piece originally appeared. Reach him at [email protected].
