AN UNSNSWERED QUESTION

For more than three score years and ten I have been a preacher, though in a very limited way in recent years. In those many services a few have stood out as very special in one way or another. I will tell of one that was different, though I have no answer for it.


In the month of February 1965, I was in ministry at the church of North Sound on Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands. The preceding night I had preached on holiness. Never Before nor since have I had a greater sense of the Power of the Holy Spirit. In my attempt to close the sermon, Brother Halstead Dixon, missionary - pastor to those islands, shouted out, "Go on! We're with you till midnight." There was good response to the invitation and we were blessed with good results.


The service the next morning was, I thought, very ordinary. In thinking back on it, there is not one unusual feature that I can recall. I asked the congregation to stand for the benediction as usual. Then I gave the dismissal prayer and walked down between the standing groups and out the door to Gravette House, the tiny Mission Home.


After waiting around for some time, I wondered what was detaining the people. On going back to the church, I found all of them standing, just as I had left them. Why was that? No one has ever given an answer.


Brother William Hayton, later missionary to the Virgin Islands, tells me that many years after this occurrence the people there were still speaking of that service.


I am still wondering, but have no answer.

IT HAPPENED IN CHURCH - PART IV

A pastor I knew had this unique ability to fell asleep in church regardless of the occasion. At one time during a revival meeting at his church he introduced the evangelist, sat down and promptly did what he did best. He fell fast asleep and slept through the sermon.


The evangelist finished his message and sat down beside the sleeper. This roused the sleeper. He rose to his feet and announced, "Brother P. will now bring us the message."


This good brother is long gone from the scene. Too late the thought came to me that he should have been given some special recognition. "Sleeping Beauty" is out. How about "The Composed Man" or should that be reposed?


It is easy, in fact it is quite common, for public speakers, even preachers, to make great errors in their addresses. A certain preacher was preaching the funeral of an elderly lady. This happened in the church where I was pastor. He had know this lady and her extended family for many years. Her son was a board member of one of the city's schools. The school superintended and other public figures were present.


Among other things of complementary nature, the preacher stated, "If anyone deserves a good funeral, this lady does." It seemed to us that he meant, "And I'm going to see that she gets it!" As he waxed eloquent in his remarks, he said, "By this time she is sipping Neptune."


He knew quite a lot about Roman and Greek mythology and certainly the difference between nectar and the god of the sea, but this slip of the tongue had "gone public". For all time thereafter, we employed a new term whenever something for drink or even for food was really good. We would say, "This really sips neptune" or "is like sipping neptune."


It is strange how far some people will go in capitalizing on someone else's mistakes.

IT HAPPENED IN CHURCH - Part III

It was in the old chapel at the annual College Mound Camp meeting. Bro. J.E. Bankson of Ottumwa, Iowa was preaching in an afternoon service. In a particularly loud and vigorous part of his discourse, his upper plate escaped him and hit the rug. In one swift move he bent down, retrieved his escaped dentures, restored them to their place, and went right on preaching as though nothing happened.


He was so adroit in this maneuver that we felt he must have had this experience before.
While I was serving as secretary of the College Mound camp a request was made that the General Camp might meet in conjunction with the College Mound Camp in 1940. This was granted for 1940 and again in 1941.


During one of the camps, a certain preacher brother from an eastern state came to visit his old parents who lived at the "Mound". Most of us had not previously know this brother, though I well remember his parents. Prior to this time the preacher had been associated with the holiness people, but had for many years belonged to another denomination. The camp committee felt it should show him the courtesy of giving him a preaching service.


Although he accepted this request, it was obvious that he was ill at ease in the pulpit. He stated that he really should not be preaching when so many there were so much more capable. But J.T. Kimbrough, father of the late Ray L. Kimbrough, seated in the amen corner, just off the pulpit, had more than enough protest.


When the speaker repeated this, "There are many who could do so much better than I...", Brother Kimbrough came out loud and strong, "Amen! That's so!"


That brought the alibi process to an abrupt end. It got the preacher off dead center, but didn't seem to help him a bit.


From 1942 to the present the General Camp has been held on the grounds of the Kansas City College and Bible School which were purchased in 1941. For several years the General Camp meeting was held under a tent. In 1946 the Young People's League was granted a delegate to the annual convention. In that same year, the League presented a resolution that a Board of Education be elected to provide a home study course for ministers who lacked formal education.


A great deal of discussion followed. A strong feeling was expressed that from this day onward, a higher level of competence or experience should be attained for a person to receive ordination as an elder.


One brother rose in the assembly and addressed the chairman, Bro. C.E. Cowen, loudly stating that the Bible says that whom the Lord calls, He also qualifies.


To this, the chairman, obviously amused, replied, "Brother, tqhat' not in the Bible."


Right back came the rejoinder, "Then give me chapter and verse".


This produced quite an outburst of laughter as the delegates pondered the problem - if it's not there, where's the chapter and verse?

IT HAPPENED IN CHURCH, Part II

The incident I relate happened in one of our Southern Churches more than seventy years ago. I became acquainted with the participants in this little drama and found it interesting. A young lady had become a lover of the picture shows in the days of the silent films. Now, in a revival meeting, she was trying to sort things out and had come to the altar of prayer as a seeker.

She had suffered a knee injury and was not kneeling, but was seated on the altar. A certain brother who sought to be of help, and knowing of her addiction to the picture shows, said, "Yo' old shows wouldn't bother me none."

Wrong move! She knew that he was a secret snuff dipper, and that was a "no-no" in the church. It seems remarkable to me that these young people are so alert to some things that older folks may not be aware of. In this case the seeker turned on the would be altar worker and spat out, "And yo' old snuff wouldn't bother me none!"

That ended this brother's attempt at being a counselor to seekers, and he withdrew in embarrassment.

In 1959 the annual Youth Camp was held in Kirksville, MO. H.E. Schmuel was evangelist and William Mays was Bible Teacher. In The Friday night service there were several young people who responded to the altar call. At length all had departed except one young man from one of the Kansas churches. Brother Ray Pollard was kneeling several yards away. Instead of rising he "walked" on his knees to the side of the seeker and asked, "Young man, what is your problem?"

Without lifting his head, the young fellow said, "I guess I'm in confusion."

To this, Bro. Pollard asked, "You know who is the author of confusion is, don't you?"

"Some Chinese," was his reply.

There was a bit of quiet mirth evidenced among those of us who were in attendance. The good brother, so intent on being a helper, withdrew to his point of origin in the manner in which he had come.