I was born in St. Louis at Missouri Baptist Hospital; my parents were currently living in a little country house – in Pond, Missouri on the very western edge of St. Louis County. When I was 7, we moved to a little suburban city called Winchester, then a year later to Ellisville, then a year later to Ballwin (If you are familiar with the St. Louis area, you’ll recognize those last three as all being along the Manchester Road (100) corridor. When I was 10, we moved to the Detroit, MI area for a couple of years before moving back to Wayland, Missouri. Wayland was a town of 391 people when we moved there and Clark County was less than 7,000 residents – rural. When I left home more than 25 years ago, I had some interaction in cities of 12,000 to 15,000 and was occasionally in proximity of a couple of cities around 100,000.
However, I have generally considered myself to be “a country boy.” My high school jobs were on farms; I’ve given countless shots to baby pigs and clipped their eye teeth with side cutters. I’ve butchered hogs. I’ve scooped out farrowing houses, helped put up hay, de-tasseled corn, walked bean fields for weeds, etc. Before I was old enough for a driver’s license I had spent hundreds of hours in a John Deere 4430 and 8630. I’ve hunted deer, turkey, rabbit, squirrel, quail and raccoons. I’ve fished overnight on ponds and rivers and caught mud-catfish and channel-catfish and bass and bluegill and crappie. I’ve gigged (and fried and eaten) bull frog legs. I’ve hunted morel mushrooms, put in gardens, canned corn, peaches, and apple sauce, and even tried my hand at making cheese. My favorite clothing name brand growing up was Carhartt, though Wrangler and Dickies were more in my price range. Through the first two ministries in which God placed me, as well as graduate studies, I always thought I would want to stay in more rural areas because of my liking for all things listed above.
But, God had other plans. Even for the 15 years that I lived in Central Illinois and was only 2 hours from Chicago, I still considered St. Louis to be my city. For a couple of years I drove a charter bus from the University of Illinois to several places in Chicago, especially O’hare airport. Our family made occasional trips to Chicago for various things and I was not intimidated by driving in the city. I even went to a Cardinals/Cubs game (thanks to my friend, Andy Hudson) at Wrigley Field. Though I could function in the city driving or shopping, I didn’t think I’d ever live in one. In September/October of 2021, when the Lord made it clear that I would not be staying in NC and that He would be directing us to another place of ministry, the church which I now pastor here in St. Louis, became a distinct possibility. I wasn’t sure how Carol or my kids would feel about living in the city; as much as I dislike to admit it, I didn’t know my wife as well as I thought I did – she loves living in the city. My kids have adapted very well to the driving, the living, the shopping, etc.
I’ve been surprised by my love for the city. Obviously, the major reason is that I am precisely in the will of God and He has the ability to implant affections and motivations into yielded hearts. I’m going to list several things which I love about the city.
- The people. There is a mistaken assumption that city (or suburban) people are less “down to earth” and perhaps more rude. I’m not an extrovert, but I still try to be friendly. I have found suburbanites to be normal in their conversation and responses just as much rural dwellers. It is not uncommon for me to have random conversations with people at the grocery store, the gas station, the gym, the post office, a restaurant, etc. In fact, I think that people like to try to find commonality with someone in the masses and so they are rather quick to begin conversing with a stranger about anything of interest right before them.
- The diversity. I love the ethnic and economical diversity. In my Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, I have sparred with African Americans, Middle-easterners, Latinos, and Caucasians; the same with an MD, a police officer, business men, a meterorologist, a Fed-ex driver, tradesmen and a professor. Our church has people from at least 7 different countries of origin. In just about any grocery store, gas station, or restaurant along Manchester road, my experienced guess is that about half of the people have been born outside of the United States – and that doesn’t bother me!
- The conveniences. Several years ago (when we had all 8 kids at home), we bought a new 20.5 cubit foot upright freezer. We purchased many groceries for our family at Aldi’s and bulk stores every couple of weeks since we had to drive 25 miles to get there. About 3 months ago, Carol asked me, “should we sell our freezer?” I was a bit stunned until she told me, “it’s empty and we seldom put anything in it.” Even though I knew she was correct, I still went and opened the door to look anyway (and of course, she was right). It dawned on me that our family dynamic had changed. Not only are we now feeding about half as many as we used too, but we don’t stock up for several weeks at a time now. I drive by a grocery store multiple times every day. There are 2 Aldi’s between our house and the church and another that is only a mile away. You could also add in shopping centers, malls, and countless restaurants (not that I can afford all of that.)
- The entertainments. We have had season passes to the City Museum (10 story former shoe factory that has been turned into a labyrinth of tunnels, slides, climbing playgrounds, and etc. The St. Louis Zoo (one of the best in the U.S.) is only about 20 minutes away and we frequently go. Busch Stadium is less than a half an hour away and I kept getting tickets for $7 dollars last year. 6 Flags (though I haven’t been since we moved back because I can’t handle the motion like I used to do) is only about 20 minutes from our house. The St. Louis Science Center and Planetarium is just a few blocks from the Zoo. I’m not sure if the Gateway Arch goes under entertainments or history? (The pictures in the heading are from the top of the Arch, if you couldn’t tell.)
- The fine arts. Carol and I have been to a couple of organ concerts by a man who is a part of the AOG (American Organists Guild). We attended a concert by the British brass group called Septura at the St. Louis Basilica. We heard the Bach Society perform last year at Christmas. Carol has gone to the St. Louis Museum of Art a couple of times.
- The history. We have been to the Museum of Westward Expansion (under the Gateway Arch), Lewis and Clark wintered in Wood River, Illinois just across the Mississippi before heading up the Missouri River. St. Charles, the original interim capital city of Missouri is less than a half an hour from us and we have toured the fascinating building where the governmental leaders met for a couple of years. We have been to US Grant’s St. Louis home. The Eads Bridge was the first bridge across the Mississippi and was built contemporaneously and with caissons just like the Brooklyn Bridge in New York. The Museum of Transportation is only a couple of miles from our house. I still have to visit Daniel Boone’s home and the Cahokia Burial Mounds and I’m just getting started in this area.
- The nature. One of the things that I was afraid I’d have to give up when I moved to the city was the ability to be out in nature. I think a most happy realization was the availability of natural activities and beauty within just a couple of miles of our house. Castlewood State Park is 3.5 miles from my house. It is almost 2,000 acres of bluffs and hills (and at least one cave) overlooking the Meramec River. It has miles of trails that are teaming with wildlife and all kinds of natural beauty. Queeny Park is also only a couple of miles from our house with forest, hills, prairie, wildlife, and trails. Bluebird Park is the same. If you were to look at Apple Maps with a satellite view, you would see the large areas covered with trees. Even our own church property is 4 acres of a hidden valley of beauty.
- The crossroads. St. Louis has been called “The Gateway To The West” for more than 200 years. Interstates 70, 64, 55, 44, and old Highway 66, all converge in St. Louis. Lambert Airport, STL International, is less than a half an our from our house. One of the reason that I love where we are is the opportunity to host relatives, friends, and fellow Christians as they travel through.
- The potential. I drive about 7.5 miles to church from my house; in a 10 mile radius of my church and my house, there are several hundred thousand people. There are nearly 3 million people that are classified as living in the Greater St. Louis Area. There are a little more than 3,000 mainline denominational churches in the St. Louis area. That means that there are enough churches to have 1,000 people per church. The St. Louis area, I believe, has more need for gospel preaching churches and evangelistic believers now than it did when my Dad started Lifegate Baptist Church in 1975.
I have painted a rosy, but I believe candid and accurate picture of the city. There are a few negatives: 1) the cost of living was a shock, but the pay scale is usually commensurate, depending on the industry or business. 2) I was a little miffed the other day when I read an article that said that St. Louis is ranked number 1 in the top 10 most dangerous cities in the U.S. Sure, there is a high crime level, but this is relative to the actual city limits of St. Louis itself. The St. Louis area is not a bad place to live; in fact, the people here are just as proud of their city as any other place I’ve ever lived. 3) Travel times are measured in minutes, not so much miles. I use the GPS on my phone, even going to familiar places in case there is an accident or congestion on a normal route. Though I’ve found other drivers to be generally courteous, we have experienced some aggression a few times from other drivers.
I know that suburban life or rural life is going to be relative to each individual and family. It is not my intent to try to prove that city life is better than country life. My point is that I have been very pleasantly surprised by life in the city, this city especially! I’m excited for the years ahead for us, for our family, for Lifegate Baptist Church, and for our city.
Where does God have you? Be satisfied where you are.
A thought to conclude: Jonah, the Hebrew prophet, hated the people of the city of Nineveh, but God had compassion on them (Jonah 4:11).
Filed under: Uncategorized | Comments Off on Surprised by the City
Levi Deatrick 
You must be logged in to post a comment.