First there was the Sermon on the Mount. Now theres the Sermon on the Wind Turbine.

First there was the Sermon on the Mount. Now theres the Sermon on the Wind Turbine.

Pastor Neil Eaton of New Hope Chapel in Plymouth took advantage of a visit last week to Camelot Industrial Park to preach from a very tall pulpit: 250 feet off the ground while standing on the top of the towering structure. With only a harness hooked to a railing holding him back, the minister said he felt very close to God while experiencing another more understandable sensation.

"A reverent sense of fear," he said. "Thats a healthy one, given that I stood above the earth at 250 feet!"

Eaton accompanied Matt Glynn, a part-owner of the wind turbine, and others including this reporter for a chance to see Plymouth from a whole new viewpoint. Bright blue skies with barely a breath of a breeze made for a spectacular experience. Most of the participants, though, preferred to witness this grand vista while being seated on a tiny platform high above the ground.

Not Pastor Eaton, who climbed the heights with his son Ben. He stood bolt upright to fully appreciate this moment way up there where the air is rarified.

"Our perspectives are generally shaped by what we see and hear around us horizontally in culture, people and circumstances," he said. "But we have a more hopeful perspective when we see everything from a greater altitude."

Local veterinarian Norm Stillman of Court Street Animal Hospital also went to the top of the turbine, which involved climbing two rather long ladders and then taking a slow elevator ride inside the structure. He too ascended to the platform, but decided sitting on it was more prudent than being erect.

"I never even thought about standing up," Stillman said.

He added, "Ive always believed we live in a very beautiful corner of the world, but surveying it in one sweeping panorama from the top of the turbine really brought it home to me. It was a spectacular moment and very high on my Plymouth bucket list. Now if I can just get a ride on the Mayflower, my list will be complete!"

Glynn, Lou Alvesand videographer Josh Malloy, who took drone photos of the climb,were also part of the turbine troupe. For the president of Glynn Electric, this was his third time to the top of the tower, which generates 1.5 megawatts of electricity enough to power 322 homes for a year. The turbine is owned by Claudette Thomas, Joe and Ann Balboni, Simon Thomas and Brian Kuhn. Glynn is a minority owner.

"It was no less scary than the first two times," he said. It was his first time up there since the death of his son Joshua Glynn, who was killed in an automobile accident two years ago. Joshuas Way, a residential road within view from the top of the turbine, was named for the Plymouth man.

"Looking off toward where Joshuas Way is, I could not help but think we are going to make Plymouth a better place to live with what we are doing there," he said.

As a man of the cloth, Eaton equated his high-altitude experience to a spiritual sensation.

"When we have a relationship with God through Christ, we know what we see and hear is not all there is," he said. "There is more. The resurrection of Christ gives us a higher, more hopeful view of our lives. The scriptures are like the view from the wind turbine. When we read them, we can see further into the future with joy."

The pastor also said he felt a comforting sense of security. "Because I was fastened by a safety harness lanyard to a solid support on the frame of the turbine," he said with a grin.

For this reporter, viewing Plymouth from 250 feet up was exhilarating, breathtaking and a little bit scary. Not being as trusting of a higher power as Pastor Neil, it was more than gratifying to experience this majestic moment firmly seated on the platform.

Oh me of little faith!

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Trip to top of wind turbine offers spectacular sights and spiritual sensation - Wicked Local Plymouth