thank you for allowing this comment.
Praise be to God

I don’t remember a preacher, but we had Sunday School in the corner with our little Gospel Advocate cards while the grown-ups had a class up front. Mammy (grandmother) made the communion bread that we carried with us and the wine (real stuff) was bought across the road from Henry Wade.

Sometimes we didn’t have a man who could lead singing and Pappy would stand up front and call a number and then say to his niece on the front row, “Ethel, start the singing.”

For a little girl about 5 years old this was a long way to go and Pappy would let me eat the rest of the communion bread on the way home.
One time a lot of people were baptisted in the creek in front of church. I remember thinking … I’ll never do that. The water was deep and you couldn’t see the bottom and all the people had on black clothing and it was the scariest thing I’ve ever seen when they were laid back and covered in water.

Later I remember this and asked Uncle Earl how did the water get deep enough in that shallow creek to baptize someone. He said they dammed it up before a “protracted meeting.” Protracted means 2 weeks or longer.

And one time we had that. On Sunday there was a big dinner on the ground and I mean literally on the ground mostly on handmade quilts. The food was served from a board set between trees.
Pappy hitched up the wagon and Mammy went, too, because she couldn’t walk so far … and we had food to carry.

We went one night, Pappy and me, in the wagon with a kerosene (except it was coal oil back then) lantern to light the way. All the men carried lanterns and they were hung on wires hooked to the ceiling for out light.

The building is gone, but not my memories … The Church of Christ owned the land and the building, but the Cumberland Presbyterians owned the land and creek next to the road. So a few years ago the two got together and decided to donate both tracts to “Habitat for Humanity” because neither piece of land was any good without the other.

I wish I could go back one more time and see the initials carved in the backs of the seats … EK + TR, my aunt and uncle and many more … and see the green oat meal glass that was used to serve the wine … and most of all, I guess, just to experience the smell of the building. It was the same the last time I was there as it was when I was a child.

And just to let you know, I was immersed, twice, the first time at age 12 or 13, I was so frightened that I fought the preacher and my head really didn’t go under the water … so when my boys were baptized I did it again.
That’s what I remember.

A number of people heard the gospel for the first time when we had more gospel meetings. No it may not be the only method but much good was accomplished with gospel meetings / revivals.

I can remember as a child many good works in behalf of the hungry and the homeless. Cups of cold water. I can remember many preachers who preached with great passion about the cross and His blood. My mother who is 78 said she has always known we are saved by the grace of God.

Can we rejoice in the good works of the past generations and also rejoice in the current good being accomplished in the Kingdom ?

Will our children remember that we always acknowledge the sacrifices and efforts of each generation and rejoice that Christ was proclaimed , souls were saved , compassion to all was extended , and the church was edified ?

YEA TEAM–YEA GOD!!!

yikes!

This happened at my fellowship just recently. Absolutely appalled me and I had to ask forgiveness for my apalledness (is that a word?)

The best explanation I heard(which got me past it) for those folks was this…..”think of it as that ‘crazy uncle’ who comes to your family reunions. you love him. you know he’s sincere in his beliefs. and he’ll go back home tomorrow or next week.”

We still have a ways to go. darn it.

Where’s your blog?