More side trips

Last Sunday, I preached at a lovely country church outside of Guyton, Georgia. Ray and I took advantage of the necessary trip from Columbia to the Savannah area to spend a day or two away from home, relaxing. We had been to Savannah before, so we weren’t sure we wanted to spend much time in the city. Instead, we found a few places to visit that we hadn’t been before.

On Sunday afternoon, we went to Jerusalem Lutheran Church and the museum at New Ebenezer. For those who haven’t had the benefit of a course on the history of Lutheranism in North America at seminary, this was the home of the Salzburgers. These German Lutherans were refugees from their homeland, exiled out by their Catholic ruler, who became very early settlers in Georgia, with the first arriving in Savannah in 1734. The beautiful and amazingly bright and spacious brick church these settlers built near the banks of the Savannah River, in the 1760’s is still in use today. There is an active historical society which will help anyone who may be descendents of this historic colony to track their ancestry. There is also a family retreat center located nearby – all well worth a sidetrip for any history buffs, especially Lutheran ones!



We spent Monday exploring two historic forts in the area: Fort Jackson, on the bank of the Savannah River, near the city; and Fort Pulaski, on Cockspur Island, where the Savannah River flows into the Atlantic Ocean. Built as part of the early coastal defense of the United States, both of these brick forts saw action during the Civil War.


We also ate lunch at a prime tourist spot which we saw on our way toward Fort Pulaski – Uncle Bubba’s Oyster House. Only after we were inside did we realize that this is owned by TV chef Paula Deen and her brother, Bubba. Great seafood, in a casual atmosphere, but a bit pricey even at lunch – it was our splurge for the trip. We had each had seafood salads and gumbo or crab stew, and shared a piece of incredible key lime pie.

Tuesday, on our way back to Columbia, we stopped to visit the rose gardens at Edisto Memorial Gardens. This park is located near the Edisto River in Orangeburg.
The rose gardens contain an overwhelming array of different varieties, from minis to tree roses; floribundas to hybrid teas – in every possible color. We really enjoyed our time there and picked out a few we would like to have in our own rose garden in the future.

I can’t help but wonder now that we are home from that sidetrip on our journey. We read in Exodus that the Israelites murmured as they wandered in the wilderness from Egypt to the Promised Land. Did they also enjoy some sidetrips and appreciate the scenery along the way?