I remember when...

[Sherri]

Growing up in church in the sixties:

My SS class was on the platform, along with another class, and we were only separated from the adult class by velvet curtains. We were not separated from the other kid's class by anything but about ten feet.

My Grandma Kloepper taught us and we could not leave the primary class until we could name the 66 books of the Bible, which I remember to this day.

We had an outhouse for the bathroom, until we progressed years later and got to use the bathroom in the parsonage. I never thought about how the pastor's wife must have felt about this until years later when I became one.

We had a SS class in the parsonage living room and another one in one of their bedrooms.

The pastor's office was a corner in the back of the church, with curtains around it, which he shared with a huge furnace.

We had a horse trough for a baptismal tank, and we kept it covered with a wooden plank which served as a table and collected all kinds of literature.

We got little bluebird pins on our birthday as we did the penny march.

We sang "Joy Unspeakable" and "A Child of the King" nearly every week, as my dad or my uncle led the singin'.

We had a board at the front of the church that listed attendance, offering, last week's numbers, etc. We rarely got over 40 in attendance.

We never won the Fellowship Rally banner, because we were the smallest church in the section, but we sure tried hard.

We drove to every Youth Rally and Fellowship Meeting every month, even though most of them were on school nights and were at least an hour away.

We only had carpet (used) in the center aisle between the pews, and at the altar area. The rest was wood floors. The pews were old and wood, and had no padding. You would stick to them in the summer and have to peel your clothes off of them when you stood up.

My cousins and I would count the number of times our pastor would say a particular "filler" phrase, keeping a tally for weeks at a time.

We prayed for my grandpa, who died in church, and saw him come back to life.

We had some very strange weddings, one in particular where the groom got mad at the reception and left by himself.

We had solos weekly by different people like "To Be Used of God", "Wasted Years", "I Love to Tell How Jesus Saved My Soul", etc.

We had no fellowship hall or gymnasium, but somehow church was the center of our lives!!!

[Margies3]

[QUOTE=Sherri;377084]Growing up in church in the sixties:

My SS class was on the platform, along with another class, and we were only separated from the adult class by velvet curtains. We were not separated from the other kid's class by anything but about ten feet.

Our SS class was right behind that door that went off of our platform. Right out in the open.

My Grandma Kloepper taught us and we could not leave the primary class until we could name the 66 books of the Bible, which I remember to this day.

Sis Forgy taught our class. She always brought us a small individual birthday cake on our birthday. One Saturday she was on her way to the store to buy that little cake for one of our girls when a carload of young guys ran a stop sign and hit her, killing her instantly.

We had an outhouse for the bathroom, until we progressed years later and got to use the bathroom in the parsonage. I never thought about how the pastor's wife must have felt about this until years later when I became one.

We had an indoor bathroom. But it wasn't heated and it was nasty!

We had a SS class in the parsonage living room and another one in one of their bedrooms.

There were times that we had SS classes in the parsonage as well. Our parsonage was right behind the church and was the smallest thing you've ever seen. I've seen chicken coops bigger than our parsonage! Two tiny bedrooms, a living room taken up by an in-the-wall heater that heated the whole house, a bathroom you had to walk sideways in to get to the toilet and a kitchen big enough for a table and 4 chairs and no more.

The pastor's office was a corner in the back of the church, with curtains around it, which he shared with a huge furnace.

We had a horse trough for a baptismal tank, and we kept it covered with a wooden plank which served as a table and collected all kinds of literature.

We got little bluebird pins on our birthday as we did the penny march.

We sang "Joy Unspeakable" and "A Child of the King" nearly every week, as my dad or my uncle led the singin'.

We sang "Victory in Jesus", "Joy Unspeakable", and "Oh I Want to See Him". That one we sang EVERY service for about a year!!! I also remember singing "there is going to be a meeting in the air, in the sweet, sweet by and by. We are going to meet Him, meet Him in the air, in that home beyond the sky. Oh what singing you will hear, never heard by mortal ear, twill be glorious I do declare. For God's own son will be the leading one at that Apostolic meeting in the air."

We had a board at the front of the church that listed attendance, offering, last week's numbers, etc. We rarely got over 40 in attendance.

us too. Unless we were having a SS contest. Then it even got over 100

We never won the Fellowship Rally banner, because we were the smallest church in the section, but we sure tried hard.

We drove to every Youth Rally and Fellowship Meeting every month, even though most of them were on school nights and were at least an hour away.

I remember certain people having horrible gas in the church van on the way home from youth rallies. WHEW!!

We only had carpet (used) in the center aisle between the pews, and at the altar area. The rest was wood floors. The pews were old and wood, and had no padding. You would stick to them in the summer and have to peel your clothes off of them when you stood up.

Our furnace in the sanctuary was a wall unit about half way back on the left hand side. So that pew had to be cut down and made shorter so it would fit in. That was the place you wanted to sit if the weather was cold cuz it was the warmest place in the house. In the summer we had a window air conditioner. So in the summer you moved to the back two pews on the right hand side to be near the A/C.

My cousins and I would count the number of times our pastor would say a particular "filler" phrase, keeping a tally for weeks at a time.

My pastor's daughter and I got called up in the middle of many sermons to have to sit on the front pew because we passed too many notes, or giggled too much.

We prayed for my grandpa, who died in church, and saw him come back to life.

Sis Forgy told me one time about all the people who had been "laid out" in our sanctuary because they couldn't afford a funeral home. And she made a comment about their ghosts (joking, I'm sure). But after that I refused to go to the church by myself ever again.

We had some very strange weddings, one in particular where the groom got mad at the reception and left by himself.

We had solos weekly by different people like "To Be Used of God", "Wasted Years", "I Love to Tell How Jesus Saved My Soul", etc.

yep, same here.And then there was the time that Marcella visited the church. Bro Dennis asked her to come up and sing us a special song. She jumped up on the piano and started to bang out "God's Gonna Gitcha For That" really loud!!

We had no fellowship hall or gymnasium, but somehow church was the center of our lives!!![/QUOTE]

This is the part that I set out to agree with at the very beginning. But got caught up in all those other memories.

[Rev]

[QUOTE=Margies3;377099]

Originally Posted by Sherri

Growing up in church in the sixties:

My SS class was on the platform, along with another class, and we were only separated from the adult class by velvet curtains. We were not separated from the other kid's class by anything but about ten feet.

Our SS class was right behind that door that went off of our platform. Right out in the open.

My Grandma Kloepper taught us and we could not leave the primary class until we could name the 66 books of the Bible, which I remember to this day.

Sis Forgy taught our class. She always brought us a small individual birthday cake on our birthday. One Saturday she was on her way to the store to buy that little cake for one of our girls when a carload of young guys ran a stop sign and hit her, killing her instantly.

We had an outhouse for the bathroom, until we progressed years later and got to use the bathroom in the parsonage. I never thought about how the pastor's wife must have felt about this until years later when I became one.

We had an indoor bathroom. But it wasn't heated and it was nasty!

We had a SS class in the parsonage living room and another one in one of their bedrooms.

There were times that we had SS classes in the parsonage as well. Our parsonage was right behind the church and was the smallest thing you've ever seen. I've seen chicken coops bigger than our parsonage! Two tiny bedrooms, a living room taken up by an in-the-wall heater that heated the whole house, a bathroom you had to walk sideways in to get to the toilet and a kitchen big enough for a table and 4 chairs and no more.

The pastor's office was a corner in the back of the church, with curtains around it, which he shared with a huge furnace.

We had a horse trough for a baptismal tank, and we kept it covered with a wooden plank which served as a table and collected all kinds of literature.

We got little bluebird pins on our birthday as we did the penny march.

We sang "Joy Unspeakable" and "A Child of the King" nearly every week, as my dad or my uncle led the singin'.

We sang "Victory in Jesus", "Joy Unspeakable", and "Oh I Want to See Him". That one we sang EVERY service for about a year!!! I also remember singing "there is going to be a meeting in the air, in the sweet, sweet by and by. We are going to meet Him, meet Him in the air, in that home beyond the sky. Oh what singing you will hear, never heard by mortal ear, twill be glorious I do declare. For God's own son will be the leading one at that Apostolic meeting in the air."

We had a board at the front of the church that listed attendance, offering, last week's numbers, etc. We rarely got over 40 in attendance.

us too. Unless we were having a SS contest. Then it even got over 100

We never won the Fellowship Rally banner, because we were the smallest church in the section, but we sure tried hard.

We drove to every Youth Rally and Fellowship Meeting every month, even though most of them were on school nights and were at least an hour away.

I remember certain people having horrible gas in the church van on the way home from youth rallies. WHEW!!

We only had carpet (used) in the center aisle between the pews, and at the altar area. The rest was wood floors. The pews were old and wood, and had no padding. You would stick to them in the summer and have to peel your clothes off of them when you stood up.

Our furnace in the sanctuary was a wall unit about half way back on the left hand side. So that pew had to be cut down and made shorter so it would fit in. That was the place you wanted to sit if the weather was cold cuz it was the warmest place in the house. In the summer we had a window air conditioner. So in the summer you moved to the back two pews on the right hand side to be near the A/C.

My cousins and I would count the number of times our pastor would say a particular "filler" phrase, keeping a tally for weeks at a time.

My pastor's daughter and I got called up in the middle of many sermons to have to sit on the front pew because we passed too many notes, or giggled too much.

We prayed for my grandpa, who died in church, and saw him come back to life.

Sis Forgy told me one time about all the people who had been "laid out" in our sanctuary because they couldn't afford a funeral home. And she made a comment about their ghosts (joking, I'm sure). But after that I refused to go to the church by myself ever again.

We had some very strange weddings, one in particular where the groom got mad at the reception and left by himself.

We had solos weekly by different people like "To Be Used of God", "Wasted Years", "I Love to Tell How Jesus Saved My Soul", etc.

yep, same here.And then there was the time that Marcella visited the church. Bro Dennis asked her to come up and sing us a special song. She jumped up on the piano and started to bang out "God's Gonna Gitcha For That" really loud!!

We had no fellowship hall or gymnasium, but somehow church was the center of our lives!!![/QUOTE]

This is the part that I set out to agree with at the very beginning. But got caught up in all those other memories.

It's 11:40 and I have the whole site to my self, so I thought I'd just fill up every thread as being the last poster!

[Raven]

Sweet Pea
I know you remember Hoosiers Inn! I remember eating a chicken fired steak, soup, salad, potatoes, and hot rolls for .95! When Clyde Haney was killed, Hoosiers fed all the visiting ministers. [about 200 of them] I remember riding in TR Mack's car with Mackie driving from Stockton to Modesto in 17 minutes! We blew the head gasket and Mack was in trouble [again]! I remember watching my Grandpa build those little churches that you put your Sunday offering in. I remember Rachel Sullivan teaching me in Sunday School around 1950. Later on she taught my daughter and could possibly have taught my grandsons for she taught for many years. I remember Joy inviting Mackie and I over to be their first dinner guests after she and Kenneth Haney were married. I remember church picnics at Victory Park and the big totem pole that was there. If you remember Grandma Nonie then you remember one of the greatest ladies of all time! You are good Sweet Pea! Not many can keep me guessing but you have succeeded. I will prevail though.
Raven

[Neck]

I remember those revival trips in the south in the mid 1970's.

When it was hut and you could hear the fans humming, see the bugs a zapping.

Hear trains in the background.

Look out the open doors of the church.

Hear the organ and piano blazing.

Hear heartfelt testimonies.

See the three year old sleeping under the pew in front of you.

Hear the men talking about their work for the week.

The ladies talking about food waiting downstairs.

I remember seeing buffalo nickels when mom handed me change to put in the offering.

I remember looking up and seeing the attendance board for the last sunday.

Then counting all the folks in church to see if we beat their attendance since we were visiting.

I remember hearing my sister sing and my dad preach.

I remember the wet grass and the smell of summer in the air.

I remember big churches were the carpet was blue and bathrooms were big.

I remember little churches were the bathrooms were very small.

I remember driving in the car to the next town.

The radio had a different sound.

Sometimes you could hear a station from states away.

We felt safe in that car all six us in our LeSabre driving and enjoying life.

Dad did not have to turn down the radio so mom could talk on a cell phone.

I remember driving the sometimes 300 miles between churches.

I remember driving 50 miles between churches.

I remember my dad having a bucket in the trunk where he would put all of the coins from the offerings.

I remember thinking we were the luckiest people in the world.

Because we got to go to church 27 days out 30.

I remember Howard Johson Hotels and eating their claims.

I loved their dinner roles.

Most of all I remember the people who were sincerely in love with God, good preaching, raising their kids, enjoying their life and loving each other.

That is the picture I have of our family in the "1970's".

If I had a chance to go back.

It would be to find the journal I keet the summer of 1974 and lost along the trip.

I also remember the mighty move's of God....

[QUOTE=Rev;377145]

Originally Posted by Margies3

It's 11:40 and I have the whole site to my self, so I thought I'd just fill up every thread as being the last poster!

It's only 10:45pm here.

Reading through this thread, I am convinced we have all gone to the same church at one time or another. Bringing back so many memories.
I remember going to rallies at least once a month. We would have the first service at 2pm and have a lunch between services, we either brought our own or the local church would provide a lunch. Usually sandwiches and light snacks but always deserts! The second service usually started at 7om. Then we had at least a 2 hour ride home. Unless it was at our own church or our neighboring church which was 1/2 hour away. I am not sure what kind of car we had at that time, but as kids, especially in the summer time we would like to get up in the back window and lay on top of the back seat, there was a kind of platform there, and go to sleep. Can you imagine? This was way before car seats and seat belt laws.

One of the churches my Grandfather pioneered, way up in northern Maine, had outhouses for the bathroom. As kids we thought this to be a novelty. Of course we usually visited in the summer months so we didn't get to experience this often in the sub zero temps.

At the end of every service, the minister would ask, is there anyone sick among us that would like to be prayed for? At which time, those that felt the need to go to the front would. The kids who were sick but had come to church and had fallen asleep under the pew were woken up to be brought to the front for prayer. This was after the altar call had been given and those that needed it had prayed thru.

Flannel graph was used a lot in the Sunday School lessons....it was interesting too. Anyone remember the Centers Of Interests format where you could choose what center you wanted to participate in? Sunday school started at 10am and ended when morning service did which most Sundays was around 12:30 or so. We never complained about the length of time, it was fun for us, I wonder what our SS teachers thought! 21/2 hours!

I don't remember singing any one particular song over and over again. My Dad had a great memory for songs. He really has a reputation for remembering them well. Excluding the Christmas and Patriotic songs in the Sing UntoThe Lord songbook there were probably only about 10 songs in the whole book we didn't sing. So, NO ONE could protest about singing any one of them too many times. Plus he knew tons of choruses, still does!

We also had SS classes on our platform with a curtain dividing the youth class and the Adult class.

I remember one time we had C M Becton for a camp evangelist. He borrowed my sister's accordion for the week for him and Sis Becton to sing specials. And boy did they sing! I loved his paying and singing.

We had one camp evangelist who brought his family to sing. The district board made the son go and get a haircut before they would let him sing on the platform! Now, that's real campmeeting let me tell ya!

I remember we had Billy Cole for campmeeting one year. He got up to preach one night and before he started he ask for a couple of strong men to come to the front. He said that God had spoken to him and said that there was going to be some trouble. During his message a guy came into the tabernacle, yelling and protesting of some sort. But the men Bro Cole had already instructed took care of the situation. This really made an impression on a 13 year old.

Well I will stop now until I remember some more, I really have enjoyed reading what others have written here. Thanks Barb for starting this thread!

[BoredOutOfMyMind]

From a "youngster"....

I remember "change from a dollar" slogan at McD's and "Big Mac Attack Kits."

I remember the Evangelist who baptized me and prayed me through to the Holy Ghost arriving in a 67 Bonneville with 3 flat bald tires. He did not need to move it, we were in revival for what seems 9 months or so. We were the only "white folk" in the church. We were there at 700, pray for an hour and start service. At 845, songs were almost done and in would trapse all sort of church members so song service would start again. Preaching took a while, and the night I was baptized, it was well after 11PM. We would stay up late for service and sometimes, I confess I would fall asleep while prayer. I would rush home from school and take a nap to be able to stay up late.

I remember seeing one night for some strange reason the Evangelist took up the offering. A Dear Mother Jefferson put $5 extra in the offering. The next night we heard what happened. She confessed the 10 spot was all she had. She had asked for a 5 back from the plate. When asked to try her faith, the Evangelist promised that if the Lord did not return her $5 double fold, he would give her a $10 bill from his own pocket. She received in the mail the next day over 700 dollars she did not expect! I remember the olive oil was in a gallon, and when you were annointed, you were soaked. Some of the folk would brush the oil up off their face into their hair.

I remember Mother Jefferson was the head usher, and the ladies wore white nursing dresses. They had a stack of white table cloths. When someone would "fall out in the Spirit," they would take the clothes to cover the clothing. I remember one night feeling hands under the cloth, straightening my shirt as it had risen up. I was shocked, but kept speaking to God in a heavenly language.

I remember when asked to describe The Holy Ghost, not speaking English for a few minutes.

I remember seeing all Nine Spiritual Gifts in use. I remember seeing demons cast out and the person vomiting into a trash can. I remember that same person back in the altar again six months later seeing a re cleansing. I remember the tongues and interpretation that this was that person's last chance.

[BoredOutOfMyMind]

Pre Pentecost (1977) memories.

I remember watching Kathryn Kulmann on TV every Sunday morning. "I beeeeeeeeeeelieve in miracles."

I remember Jerry Falwell on TV also. "Turn in your Faith Promise Bibles.." I think it was JF who sent me a "Jesus First" lapel pin. I remember reading another book "Sex is NOT love" about purity.

I remember going to a certain church to learn "lessons to the priesthood." I simply wanted to be a Boy Scout and learn to tie knots and build fires like my friends. I changed to the troop my friends all went to at the Methodist church. I never attended Sunday School there ever, which is odd as we used a Methodist owned cabin for the Winter & Summer Scout outings.

I remember seeing a white school bus that had a huge dark blue guitar on it down the same street we lived on. That bus sometimes picked me up. A few times, I heard the horn and did not have time to get out to ride the bus. I did not miss it the next week!

I remember when we would visit my Dad and StepMom (and 4 sons), all 8 of us (three teenage boy in the way back with the hatch open mind you!) would be piled in a Chevy Vega Wagon and taken to Sunday Morning Service. In February, when I had ridden the bus, I felt conviction and went forward to sign a card. Dad later said he saw my name in the bulletin and he was "very proud of my decision." It was one of the few time we discussed God when I was growing up.

I remember attending a Billy Graham crusade. I remember learning Scripture with my friends 2 blocks over, and having Bible Studies on the lawn.

I remember the day I accepted Christ, I missed my bus. Someone in a huge Ford Station wagon gave me a ride home. I remember the empty feeling the next day at school, and Tuesday night at Scouts even more empty.

I remember the day after I received The Holy Ghost feeling cleansed and declaring to my science teacher how I had been baptized at the Pentecostal church.

[Barb]

Originally Posted by Sweet Pea

I remember little "church" banks with the steeple.

I remember bringing a penny for every year of your age on the Sunday nearest your birthday. And marching to the front while the congregation sang: A happy birthday to you - a happy birthday to you - may you feel Jesus near every day of the year. A happy birthday to you - a happy birthday to you and the best year you've ever had."

I remember the 30 pieces of silver cardboard offering holders that you turned in on Easter Sunday.

I remember Mother Haney's Tuesday morning Ladies Prayer group.

I remember Grandma Nonie.

I remember getting towels in laundry detergent

I remember getting glass dishes in the oatmeal box.

I remember when the prize in cracker jacks was really something exciting.

I remember Double Spring Cemetery and the history it holds for the church in Stockton.

I remember Monkeyman's dad singing "My God is Real"

and Raven, I remember Deliah tempting Sansom into revealing just enough....

Man, I remember the highlighted portions as well...towels in laundry detergent...had all but forgotten about that.

I remember when Burger King first opened and The Whopper was so named because it was a whopper of a burger.

I remember when the ice cream cart would come by...popcicles were 10 cents. There for awhile our 'ice cream boy' was Bob Bertram. His parents were long time Saints at SFT and the right hand for Bro. Albert Abbey.

Anyway, a few years later, Bob was a truck driver and used to throw water balloons through the window of the place where my grandma worked...she always thought he was so silly.

And now many years later, his wife is like a godsister to me and and they live in CA...funny how life comes together like this.

I remember Grandma working downtown as a dishwasher in a coney island/grill behind Citizens Bank.

Many was the time that my parents let me ride the bus, get off at Kresge's, and walk the block to where she worked.

I was maybe 10 or 11 years old at the time...we sure wouldn't do that now!!

[Barb]

Originally Posted by Margies3

I didn't grow up in a Christian home, but I had a hungry, hungry heart. I remember getting my first transistor radio when I was about 11 years old. I would take it to bed with me at night, stick my head under my pillow and hold that radio as close to my ear as I could get it so I could keep the volume down low and not get caught. Then I would change the channel until I could finally tune in a station as far away as I could possibly get it. I was looking for "religious stations". Guys like RW Schambach and lots of probably locally known only folks from places like Iowa and Arkansas.

Then I would pray quietly with my head under my pillow until I'd fall asleep night after night. I had some very special times alone with God with my pillow over my head

I remember when I got my first transiter radio...I was about 12 yrs. old I think, and would sneak and listen to the Beatles.

I remember when they were on Ed Sullivan and we just had to go to church and I couldn't see them.

How sad that I didn't realize that church was "a privilege that I get to go" opportunity rather than an "I had to go" deal to be endured.