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Funk family welcomes diocese for farm blessing near royalton

More than 75 people met at the Funk family farm near Royalton Sept. 15 for the annual Blessing of the harvest: a Thanksgiving Service.

Bishop Edward K. Braxton presided at the service.
The Funks, Bishop Braxton said, “echo the theme of the covenant” between God and the people of Israel. “The land is what lasts and what will endure. As we celebrate the harvest, we think about this special bond with God.”

In their welcome letter to those attending the service, the Funks said: “We have been so blessed to till God’s land. There is nothing like the smell of fresh dirt, the freedom of working in a field with the beautiful blue sky above, the winter snow covering the wheat fields, the smell and feel of a fresh summer rain and the seeds peeking through the soil.”

Funk family members have been farming in the Elkville area since the 1930s, and John Funk said the family now farms about 8,000 acres, sowing corn, wheat, soybeans and Milo on the acreage.

“God is a very important part of our family,” the Funks said. “We pray to Him for guidance, to watch over our fields, to keep us safe from harm and to give thanks to Him for all our fruitful labors.”