The Building of A Church
The Building of A Church
Excerpt from Chapter One, "That Little Old Country Church"
I was born in the late 50’s, so I grew up under the hippie, peace, “right on,” influences of the 60’s and 70’s.
Yet, thankfully, I had the fortune to attend a little country church strategically located between the cities of Egypt, Texas and Spanish Camp, Texas, named Camp Zion Baptist Church: one of the few churches that still preached a message of separation from these influences.
My sister recently told me the church had become a recognized historical landmark in the state of Texas.
I know many people worked hard for this recognition, and I am excited about the notoriety, however during those days; there was nothing unique or eye-catching about the building. In fact, if you drove by it, you would not have noticed anything unusual.
Our services were simple. The pastor, the late Reverend Elbert Hinton, talked about a Jesus that could do the impossible. Pastor Hinton was not a great orator, nor was there anything overly stunning about his demeanor.
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Yet he did have a story worth telling. He loved to talk about a God who could make something out of nothing and do it so well that you thought the nothing always was something!
In the winter, we used an old “pot-bellied” stove to heat the building. If I remember correctly, our combination pulpit and choir area was one of the first in our area.
The inside architecture of the church consisted of hard wood floors, wooden benches, and stained glass windows. This made it notoriously cold in the winter and hot in the summer.
On hot days, we kept the church cool by propping open the windows so a breeze could blow through. Many a time I remember watching the grown ups furiously fanning themselves with those familiar “funeral home” fans trying to keep cool.
I also am ashamed to admit this, but I learned at an early age the consequences of “acting up” in church. Southern women would correct you with a stare, a pinch, or a quiet yet firm, “Stop that.”
If none of those tactics worked, my Mama or GrandMamma would give me the, “You are going outside with me” look.
I knew an old-fashioned whipping lay in store if I continued my foolishness, yet, I persisted in my cantankerous ways.
Why? The Holy Spirit through King Solomon summed it up best, “Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.”
Pilgrim Outreach Ministries Bookstore
Excerpt from Chapter One, "That Little Old Country Church"
I was born in the late 50’s, so I grew up under the hippie, peace, “right on,” influences of the 60’s and 70’s.
Yet, thankfully, I had the fortune to attend a little country church strategically located between the cities of Egypt, Texas and Spanish Camp, Texas, named Camp Zion Baptist Church: one of the few churches that still preached a message of separation from these influences.
My sister recently told me the church had become a recognized historical landmark in the state of Texas.
I know many people worked hard for this recognition, and I am excited about the notoriety, however during those days; there was nothing unique or eye-catching about the building. In fact, if you drove by it, you would not have noticed anything unusual.
Our services were simple. The pastor, the late Reverend Elbert Hinton, talked about a Jesus that could do the impossible. Pastor Hinton was not a great orator, nor was there anything overly stunning about his demeanor.
[image error]
Yet he did have a story worth telling. He loved to talk about a God who could make something out of nothing and do it so well that you thought the nothing always was something!
In the winter, we used an old “pot-bellied” stove to heat the building. If I remember correctly, our combination pulpit and choir area was one of the first in our area.
The inside architecture of the church consisted of hard wood floors, wooden benches, and stained glass windows. This made it notoriously cold in the winter and hot in the summer.
On hot days, we kept the church cool by propping open the windows so a breeze could blow through. Many a time I remember watching the grown ups furiously fanning themselves with those familiar “funeral home” fans trying to keep cool.
I also am ashamed to admit this, but I learned at an early age the consequences of “acting up” in church. Southern women would correct you with a stare, a pinch, or a quiet yet firm, “Stop that.”
If none of those tactics worked, my Mama or GrandMamma would give me the, “You are going outside with me” look.
I knew an old-fashioned whipping lay in store if I continued my foolishness, yet, I persisted in my cantankerous ways.
Why? The Holy Spirit through King Solomon summed it up best, “Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.”
Pilgrim Outreach Ministries Bookstore
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