Memories of Snow

Part 1 of My Realtionship With God

Where did my relationship with God take root?

I was raised in Blackwell, Oklahoma. My parents and grandparents, on my mother's side, were Southern Baptist. My grandmother on my father's side went to a Christian that church whose members spoke in tongues. I do not know much about what my Grandma Belva (my father's mother) believed. I know she believed in Christ, but other then that I do not know much more about her or Grandpa John (I think his name was John) believed.

My siblings and I went to church every Sunday. Normally we went with Grandma Mary and Grandpa Frank to the First Southern Baptist Mission in the Smelter Heights. Sometimes (when Mama did not have to go to work on Sunday) we went to the First Southern Baptist Church closer to downtown Blackwell. I am not sure of the address of either of the churches we attended because Grandpa or Mama drove the car and I was not interested in looking at the addresses.

During the week, Mama let us take religious classes with a lady who was a Jehovah Witness. I cannot remember her name. I know she was a friend of my mother's, but I do not know how they met. Every summer we went to Vacation Bible School at the Mission because in the summer we stayed with Grandpa Frank and Grandma Mary. We participated in the Easter Pageant and the Christmas play at the Mission. I have both good and bad memories of Sunday school classes and Vacation Bible School, but only good memories of the Pageants and Plays.

One of the things I remember about those years was Halloween. The Jehovah Witness lady always gave suckers attached to religious pamphlets. She gave this treat to all the kids who came to her door. Some of the children were too young to read the pamphlets, but since they had pictures as well as words they could look at the pictures. Whenever we went to her classes she always told use Bible stories that had pictures to go with them. I remember she told us stories about Adam and Eve, Moses, Abraham, and the stories about Jesus. At the time, I did not think there was a much difference between the beliefs her Christian denomination and the beliefs of the Southern Baptist because I heard the same Bible stories at Sunday School and Vacation Bible School. The only difference I could see was that we were required to memorize scripture verses at Vacation Bible School and Sunday school.

I grew up thinking that there was not much difference between the beliefs Christian denominations. I remember that one of Grandma Mary's neighbors went to church on a different day. We would go to church on Sunday, but the lady that lived in the house next door to my Grandparents went to church on Saturday instead of Sunday. I did not think much about the difference at that time. The lady, I think her last name was Couch or something like that, was always nice to us. She always gave us candy on Halloween, but she never gave out religious pamphlets like the Jehovah Witness lady ( wish I could remember her name).

We left Blackwell after I entered high school. I think we left in the summer because I remember finishing the year in Blackwell and beginning the next year at Shawnee High school where I graduated. We also went to church in Shawnee, but I do not remember whether it was a Southern Baptist Church or not. I know that I was Baptized at the First Southern Baptist Church in Blackwell and my brother were Baptized at a large church in Shawnee. It must have been a Baptist church of some type because they believed in immersing people when they were Baptized.

The interesting thing is that I could never see much difference between Christian denominations. I knew that Catholic Priest could not get married. However, preachers from other Christian churches could. I do not think there were any member of the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints in Blackwell or Shawnee. I do not remember seeing any of their missionaries come to our door. I think there were Jewish temples in both Blackwell and Shawnee, but I did not see temples of any other religion in either town. That does not mean there were not others, it just means I did not see the temples or the places where other religions worshiped .

My relationship with God took root in Blackwell. I enjoyed going to the Mission because Grandpa always took us on Sunday. Grandma would get us ready on Sunday morning and then go with us to church. I enjoyed Sunday services when I was a child; especially the songs, Sunday school classes, and Vacation Bible School. When Vacation Bible School finished each year we would have plays or pageants in which the students would recite the Bible verse they learned and then sing some of the songs they learned. I enjoyed the classes and the singing.

I did not enjoy church as much in Shawnee as I did in Blackwell, but I was older in Shawnee. I had other interests besides going to church every Sunday, singing in the choir, or going to Sunday school classes. I had two dreams that had an effect on my spirituality, but I will write about those in another entry.