A lot has changed in the past 120 years around Hulett since First Baptist Church of Hulett, Wyoming officially organized. In 1904, homesteads in the area were still being acquired and the population of Crook County was booming. It doubled in that first decade of the 20th century. People were moving in by horse and wagon to establish their claims. Some were moving to the area for a new way of living while others were moving in for better health, that is a drier climate. As they came in, the roads as we know them did not exist. Some of the routes were the same but some have been extensively rerouted. Instead of the gravel and asphalt we have today, they were dirt, dust, or mud. One road in particular that has seen a lot of changes is the Bear Lodge Pass beyond Alva. One man I know who lives near the base of the pass talks about how his family would board teamsters at their house and then his granddad would hire out with a team to help pull the cargo up to the top of the hill.
While horses were a common way to travel back in those days, walking was probably more common. I knew a lady whose family purchased the homestead from the first pastor at Hulett, Rev. T. M Coffey. She knew the family and said that as far as she could remember, Rev. Coffey never rode a horse. He would walk the 4 or 5 miles to church on Sunday.
In addition to the roads and transportation, the modern conveniences people have today are a big change. The church building itself has electricity, propane heat, and internet now. When I moved to Hulett there were still the remains of where the stove pipe stuck through the side wall of the church. Just a couple years ago, we put a new subfloor and carpet in the sanctuary to cover up the indentation, right in the middle of the room, where the grates of the in-floor heating used to be. But even those old heaters were not in the original church building, because the original church met up on the hill in the old schoolhouse that has long since been removed and eventually destroyed.
Clothes have changed. Only a couple women might where bonnets to church today and there are no controversies when, not if, a lady wears pants. Most men do not bother to tie a tie anymore and blue jeans are pretty common.
People have changed. In 1904, 60 was old. Today, with medications and heart surgery, there is a large group of 70-90 year olds in church. Some stay the winter, as in the old days, and some take the opportunity to travel south to avoid the snow. Whereas people in 1904 would write postcards a few times a year to keep in touch with family, in 2024 there is nothing stopping anybody from getting in a car or plane to travel a couple thousand miles, just to visit family.
And we could go on talking about changes, but none of those changes really change what makes us a church. Jesus is still our Lord. Salvation still comes by grace through faith. The Bible is still the word of God. And we, the church, are still nothing more and nothing less than a fellowship of believers. Sometimes it is fun to reminisce about the changes that have taken place. Sometimes it is scary to wonder about the changes that are on the horizon. But it is always comforting to know that the things of God, even His church, are unchanging.
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Hebrews 13:8