IT HAPPENED IN CHURCH

I am aware that my friend, the late D.P. Denton, has used my title to his bit of script, and I barrow it from him. I am thinking that some of my readers may be interested. It is pretty well agreed upon that we tend to remember the funny, the strange and unusual more readily than the sermons. Once in a service I heard Bro. W.C. Spaur ask the question: "What would you think if you came in and found me and your wife sitting on the buffet?" This drew quite a lot of laughter. Doubtless he had meant to say sofa or divan. When things calmed down, he started, "I'm glad I said that. Now you will remember one thing I said tonight." That happened 70 years ago, and that's all I remember about the sermon.


About 1938 or '39, the trio of Lucile Baker, Elvira England and Carol Yocum was singing for a tent revival at Bronson, Kansas. While they were on the platform singing a cat and her string of kittens decided to get religion and came marching single-file down the aisle toward the platform. Elvira, I think it was, for her tickle-box was easily upset, choked a little, then broke out laughing. The other two had a break-down and followed suit. The audience, of cue, followed their lead, thinking the girls got blessed. It was quite a time of "blessing," actually generated by a cat and kittens.


A good Tennessee Brother whom I knew long ago was preaching in an old camp meeting tabernacle. This preacher, though not tall, was quite stocky in build and jumped a lot when he preached - a quite unique way to add emphasis to his preaching. Obviously, the flooring of the old tabernacle was decayed, and in one of his leaps, he broke through the floor and sank up to about his neck. Not to be deterred by such an insignificant matter, he clambered up out of the wreckage and went on with his message. Awhile back, I held a meeting in this man's church and stayed in his home. Well, that was 70 years ago, lacking one year. He told me of another embarrassing incident that occurred when he was preaching. He was wearing a pair of light weight "summer" pants, like all of us wore in those days. In one of his characteristic leaps, he came down so hard that his britches split at the seam all the way down from his belt line. A lady preacher, who shall remain unnamed said, "Oh, Bro. S., You busted your pants."


"As if I didn't know it," he continued. He did the proper thing, backed off and set down saying, "Sister C., you take the service." This she did, gave an alter call, and several came as seekers. All during this time, the preacher man remained seated with head bowed. The people remarked that Bro. S. was under a terrible burden. He didn't even participate in the prayers for the seekers.


After all had left the meeting, the preacher recovered from his reverie and made his way homeward.