Willie's Little Church

On our trip home from Fort Worth, we stopped in the little town of Abbott, looking for rustic things to photograph. You know, old tractors, weathered barns, or whatever else might catch my eye. After taking pictures of the old store, the water tower and one of the churches, I went back to the old store to go inside. The man who runs the store had just locked the door and the keys were still in his hand. He saw my camera and asked if I would like to go in the store, and he wouldn't take no for an answer, so as we stood in front of the store, I asked him to tell me a little about Abbott.

"Well," he answered, "Willie Nelson is my boss. He owns this store, and the Methodist church across the street, and he has a house over there." Now, I know that Willie Nelson is a Texas icon, but I was not sure he was talking about THE Willie Nelson, so I asked him if he was talking about the country and western legend. He grinned, and said that was the one.  

He told me that his grandmother and Willie's grandmother were sisters. "That makes me his second cousin, I guess," He said as he smiled. 

We went inside, and he asked me to sign the guest book on the counter. "That's the first thing Willie looks at when he comes into the store," he said. As I signed the book for Richard and me, he said he had something to show me. He went to the back of the store and came out with this record. I set it on the counter and took a picture of it, and he laughed. He couldn't fathom why anyone would take a picture of a record jacket when there was so much more interesting stuff around. 

Jeff, (that's the store owner's name) pulled out a key and dropped it onto the counter. "Here's the key to the church. Would you like to look at it?" Well, how could I say no? So, Richard and I walked across the street to look at Willie's church.

Abbott United Methodist church's first sanctuary was built in 1884, and at one time, they had a congregation of over 600 people. I am not sure when this building was erected.

Inside, I took what some folks might consider lots of pictures (about 20), though when I got home and looked at them, I wished I had taken more time composing the shots. Nonetheless, there were a couple I really liked.

This one is my favorite.

I also took shots of the organ, piano, and the old-timey attendance board.

Richard found a comfortable pew to sit in while he waited so patiently for me to finish.

It wasn't until I got home and looked closely at the photo of the record jacket back that I realized Willie and Bobbie Nelson were sitting in front of the very same piano that I had seen. Also, they had the attendance board in their shot. Do you notice anything interesting on the attendance board? I'll bet lots of folks wish we had the kind of offerings Abbot United Methodist Church had that Sunday!