Writing from the Land of Lincoln

In 1832, if you had asked a 23 year old Abraham Lincoln what he thought of the area that is now Stillman Valley, Lincoln probably wouldn’t have wanted to talk about it.  Here on the ground that is now Stillman Valley, a young Lincoln helped bury soldiers who had been killed in a disastrous skirmish with Blackhawk’s warriors.  Many of the dead were scalped or decapitated.  It was a gruesome scene of senseless death and barbaric acts.

Having witnessed such horror in this part of Ogle county, Lincoln might have suggested that a town be built somewhere else.

But, it wasn’t the end for this blood soaked ground.  God is a God of redemption.  Twenty six years after the battle of Stillman’s Run, our church, the Congregational Christian Church of Stillman Valley , “the Red Brick Church’ was formed.  By God’s grace, for 150 years we have worshipped a short walk from where Lincoln helped buried mutilated soldiers.

This coming weekend, September 27-28 is Fall Festival in Stillman Valley.  My children will scramble for candy on the same ground where soldiers died in the Blackhawk war.  And, our church will continue our 150 year celebration with a goal of being a Christ-centered, evangelical church.  We’re having an open house so people can see our new remodeling project and we’ll be giving out bottled water, balloons, and birthday cake.