I remember when...

[Barb]

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.

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!!!

What a great history, Sis. C...

[Barb]

[QUOTE=MrsBOOMM;377218]

Originally Posted by Rev

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!

Flannel graph...sure do remember that, and Center Of Interest, too.

I remember when Sis. Wallace came and trained the teachers here re it, and my dad was the one in charge of that portion of Sunday School.

[scotty]

Not quiet as old as some here, my childhood was in the 70's.

Remember church in Louisianna being the size of a 2 car garage, wood floors, one elder sat in the back so he could step out and get a log of wood to put in the stove.

No bathroom.

The lady that "slithered" on the floor from the back pew to the alter where they prayed the demons out of her. That still remains to this day some of the nastiest stuff I have ever seen that come up out of her.

Remember living a block or two from grandma and grandpa and going over there every night with the family to eat supper and sit on the living room floor while grandma played piano, grandpa played guitar and we all sang hymns. At some point grandpa would read out of the bible.

Remember moving to Ark. and going to youth camp in Redfield, open air tabernacle.

Being baptized in a concrete vat in the basement at my church in Arkadelphia.

Never going anywhere after church on Sunday nights cause we always had pot luck at the parsonage.

Sneaking back over to the church while the adults were still fellowshipping and playing the instruments, (we got pretty good too)

[Sweet Pea]

I remember when all the ladies and girls wore their Easter hats/bonnets, white gloves and shoes on Easter. (You never wore white before Easter or after Labor Day).

I remember Easter egg hunts on the church lawn

I remember testimony service where dear Sister Duck would stand and sing - "He does not compel him to go against his will - He just makes him willing to go"

I remember everyone going to the platform for song service. Some of the most sung were:
We're a Happy People
Joy Unspeakable (page 202A)
It's All in Him
Victory in Jesus

I remember God Bless You testimony services.

I remember testimony services where we would sing a chorus after every two or three testimonies.

and Raven.... yes, I remember Hoosiers - was sad to see it close (I was fond of #4 breakfast). Yes, Grandma Nonie was a great lady. And I remember Rachel Sullivan teaching Sunday School for many years. Several years ago, I believe they honored her for teaching over 50 years. Do you remember the "castle" (Dugas home) and the old dinner bell on the WABC campus?

[Barb]

Originally Posted by Sweet Pea

I remember when all the ladies and girls wore their Easter hats/bonnets, white gloves and shoes on Easter. (You never wore white before Easter or after Labor Day).

I remember Easter egg hunts on the church lawn

I remember testimony service where dear Sister Duck would stand and sing - "He does not compel him to go against his will - He just makes him willing to go"

I remember everyone going to the platform for song service. Some of the most sung were:
We're a Happy People
Joy Unspeakable (page 202A)
It's All in Him
Victory in Jesus

I remember God Bless You testimony services.

I remember testimony services where we would sing a chorus after every two or three testimonies.

and Raven.... yes, I remember Hoosiers - was sad to see it close (I was fond of #4 breakfast). Yes, Grandma Nonie was a great lady. And I remember Rachel Sullivan teaching Sunday School for many years. Several years ago, I believe they honored her for teaching over 50 years. Do you remember the "castle" (Dugas home) and the old dinner bell on the WABC campus?

202A...I had forgotten about that...LOL!!

[Raven]

Sweet Pea
I do remember the old house that the Dugas's lived in because one year they put some of us boys there for the school year. My room was the round cupola on the front and you could climb out the window and jump down on the carport in front and down to the ground and nobody but me, God, and Mackie would know. The old bell I'll never forget for it woke me up every morning for four years. Once I tied 300 ft of fishing line to it and rang it at midnight from my room. When they checked who might be out of the dorm we were sleeping "sweetly" in our beds. We just pulled hard on the line and broke it so that it was never traced to our room! I remember how Sister Duck could "liven" a service up with her anointed testimony. She didn't have a voice for singing but she could bring the power down! I remember riding an old church bus full of young people driven by my uncle Jerry when we went around singing Christmas carols. I still see us stopping by the Ducks house and dropping off Pearly and then stopping at the Brodhels and dropping off their daughter Carol. Just some old photos of the mind and memory that are stored away until something jogs your recollection.
Raven

[Esther]

Originally Posted by Barb

At the risk of hearing CC1 say that I am older than dirt...

I remember when my momma was the director of the Jr. Choir...every Friday night, regardless of weather, illness, or crying child, she was there.

I remember when McDonalds first opened here and daddy would stop on Friday nights before mom's choir rehearsal.

The hamburgers were 15 cents...hamburgers, cheeseburgers, fries, Coke, and shakes...that was all they sold back then.

I remember when we would sing the Spirit would move through the church. Mom taught us songs that stirred the heart of the listener and us as well...though we didn't realize it at the time.

I remember when our house was filled with the sound of The Blackwood Brothers and Statesmen, as well as Doris Akers and The Sky Pilot Choir and Roberta Martin.

All of this gave me an appreciation for music that has enriched me in ways I cannot begin to describe...

And the Chuck Wagon Gang.

[Ron]

Originally Posted by Barb

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.

Were they invented then???

[Barb]

Originally Posted by Ron

Were they invented then???

LOL!! I ain't too old to

[Barb]

Originally Posted by Esther

And the Chuck Wagon Gang.

Yes, Lord...