Memories of Church

Today’s post is just for fun, but it might resonate with some of you, and if it does, maybe you’ll share some of your memories in the comments below.

Do you have memories of going to church as a child?  Because I lived next-door to the church building while growing up, I probably have additional memories that some of you won’t have (but a lot of preacher’s children will have).  But I’m guessing many of you will have some of these shared memories of going to church in your childhood. Be warned: these are not mostly memories of immature, childish behaviors. I’ve grown up and stopped doing most of them. 🙂

Do you have any of these same memories?

  • Sitting in the pew next to your mother, and sleeping on her shoulder.
  • Your parents giving you money to drop into the collection plate.
  • Being “taken out” to the nursery or basement to be spanked?  (In my case, when we passed by the nursery, and went back to our house next door, I knew I was really in for it!)
  • Being old enough to sit with other youth, but too immature to behave, and your mother coming up and sitting down beside you.
  • Sitting in the pew next to your mother, and sleeping on her shoulder.
  • Getting your finger or thumb momentarily stuck in the holes in which you were supposed to place your empty communion cups.
  • Emptying and washing out the glass communion cups before they made plastic ones.
  • Eating left over communion bread after church.
  • Sitting in the pew next to your mother, and sleeping on her shoulder.
  • Being excited to reach 7th grade so your “Gospel Treasures” classbook would be the “cool” small size, and not the big, “child” size.
  • Being made to sit in a pew after church because your parents caught you running in the building! (Oh, for those days again!)
  • Kicking someone’s shoe forward a row under the pew.
  • Sitting in the pew next to your mother, and sleeping on her shoulder.
  • Slipping your songbook on the pew in front of you so the person would end up sitting down on it.
  • Almost falling asleep and doing a “full body jerk” because you thought you were falling.
  • Helping my dad turn out all the lights and lock all the doors, and always being the last one’s to leave the building.
  • Folding the church bulletins every Saturday night, getting them ready for Sunday morning.
  • During the week, bringing your neighborhood friends in the building to play army, hide-and-seek, and prove your bravery in the dark, scary places in the church building.
  • Oh, and did I mention…Sitting in the pew next to your mother, and sleeping on her shoulder.

I have many more, but I want you to share some of your memories.  Also, let me know if you share any of the above memories as well.  (BTW, the dapper looking boy with the bow tie and Mr. Rogers sweater is me.) 🙂

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Comments 4

  • I was not a PK and lived 3 miles from the building; however, I do remember the “card class” as it was called. It was for the youngest kids and the lesson was on a card to take home. Our class met in a school bus — no classrooms in our building, and a school bus picked up people out further in the country to bring them to worship. Also, I remember walking across the highway and down a small hill to the “branch” for baptisms (including mine).

  • I remember the tent meetings in the hot Missouri summer. There would be those spiral mosquito burners set up to keep the mosquitoes from eating you alive!

    And if the tornado sirens went off, everyone came to the church building. It was one of the only buildings that had a basement. Sometimes the electricity would go off and the men would have their flashlights ready, so that we see could to get around. Of course, as kids, we loved going into the dark classrooms and scaring each other.

  • The church pick nicks the men always tossed horse shoes, we ate water melons and homemade ice cream. We had no AC then but always had the hand fans on a stick. During daytime, thru the week vacation Bible school, I remember Garland Elkins playing “drop the hanki” with us. BTW he baptized me. But while in church you set there and behaved and you didn’t run in the halls nor play on the stage.

  • Remind me to ask you what “Drop the Hanky” is. 🙂

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