Faith AND iNSPIRATION
Front Porch Thoughts: By Gene Redwine
Psalm 100:1-2 Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. The onset of summer often brings back many fond memories from my youth. For country folks in the south, back in the 60s, an annual tradition was the all day singing with dinner on the grounds. The churches would be packed with regular members as well as visitors from all around. Some who had moved away would schedule a trip back home to coincide with the timing of the big day which was as much a social event as a spiritual experience. Planned well in advance, it was the high point of the year. Most every country church would have one, scheduled on the same weekend each year so as not to interfere with any other churches. That allowed for more cross church and even cross denominational visiting.
Usually held on Sunday, the day started with preaching, often put forth by a visiting preacher, maybe one that had served the church some time in the past. Sunday school was usually skipped that day so the singing could get started before lunch. Along with singers from the home church, there were always visiting singers who made the rounds to all the different churches. Some of the singing was out of the hymnals we used each Sunday but a lot of it was something the old folks called convention singing, out of hymn books we never saw any other time. Much of it was four part harmony quartet singing but there was always some old harp singing as well. Old harp singers sang the "do re mi" notes instead of the words.
I always found old harp singing interesting but never understood it. Sometime around mid morning, the church ladies would quietly excuse themselves and go outside to prepare lunch (we called it dinner). Dinner was potluck. Everybody brought something, mostly home cooked, and there were some awesome cooks in those days. Dinner was spread on a long line of makeshift tables assembled under shade trees on the church grounds. There was every kind of food you could think of, fresh cooked vegetables from the gardens, casseroles of various types, spaghetti, ham, dressing, chicken cooked every way imaginable, sandwiches (pimento cheese, tuna and balogna were standard), kool-aid, tea and desserts galore, home baked pies cakes and cookies. It was a feast fit for a king. Everybody always got plenty to eat. The "old folks" visited while the kids froliced and played. There might also be a little courting among the older teens. Gradually, the singers would begin to file back into the church for an afternoon of singing while the ladies cleaned up. The crowd would be noticeably smaller after lunch as a lot of the visitors made their way home. Most country churches didn't have air conditioning in those days so, by this time, someone would have passed out church fans to make the heat a little more tolerable. The singing would go on till around 4:00 when the crowd would begin to disperse. As things wrapped up, there was always a lot of hand shaking, neck hugging and planning for the next year. I guess, like me, everybody expected there would always be a next year. Sadly, that hasn't been the case. Traditions begin to wane as the older generation passes on and are no longer there to keep them going. That has been the plight of the all day singings and dinner on the grounds. With few exceptions, those days have passed. Over the years, more and more people have moved away from the small country communities. The churches that are still active struggle to maintain enough members to keep the doors open. As those that moved away have gotten busier and busier it gets more and more difficult to find the time to get back home. While they search for whatever momentary satisfaction they get from the newest next big thing, they have allowed the simple joys of tradition to be relegated to the once white stones in the old rundown cemeteries. And time marches on. Psalm 100:1-2 Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. The onset of summer often brings back many fond memories from my youth. For country folks in the south, back in the 60s, an annual tradition was the all day singing with dinner on the grounds. The churches would be packed with regular members as well as visitors from all around. Some who had moved away would schedule a trip back home to coincide with the timing of the big day which was as much a social event as a spiritual experience. Planned well in advance, it was the high point of the year. Most every country church would have one, scheduled on the same weekend each year so as not to interfere with any other churches. That allowed for more cross church and even cross denominational visiting. Usually held on Sunday, the day started with preaching, often put forth by a visiting preacher, maybe one that had served the church some time in the past. Sunday school was usually skipped that day so the singing could get started before lunch. Along with singers from the home church, there were always visiting singers who made the rounds to all the different churches. Some of the singing was out of the hymnals we used each Sunday but a lot of it was something the old folks called convention singing, out of hymn books we never saw any other time. Much of it was four part harmony quartet singing but there was always some old harp singing as well. Old harp singers sang the "do re mi" notes instead of the words. I always found old harp singing interesting but never understood it. Sometime around mid morning, the church ladies would quietly excuse themselves and go outside to prepare lunch (we called it dinner). Dinner was potluck. Everybody brought something, mostly home cooked, and there were some awesome cooks in those days. Dinner was spread on a long line of makeshift tables assembled under shade trees on the church grounds. There was every kind of food you could think of, fresh cooked vegetables from the gardens, casseroles of various types, spaghetti, ham, dressing, chicken cooked every way imaginable, sandwiches (pimento cheese, tuna and balogna were standard), kool-aid, tea and desserts galore, home baked pies cakes and cookies. It was a feast fit for a king. Everybody always got plenty to eat. The "old folks" visited while the kids froliced and played. There might also be a little courting among the older teens. Gradually, the singers would begin to file back into the church for an afternoon of singing while the ladies cleaned up. The crowd would be noticeably smaller after lunch as a lot of the visitors made their way home. Most country churches didn't have air conditioning in those days so, by this time, someone would have passed out church fans to make the heat a little more tolerable. The singing would go on till around 4:00 when the crowd would begin to disperse. As things wrapped up, there was always a lot of hand shaking, neck hugging and planning for the next year. I guess, like me, everybody expected there would always be a next year. Sadly, that hasn't been the case. Traditions begin to wane as the older generation passes on and are no longer there to keep them going. That has been the plight of the all day singings and dinner on the grounds. With few exceptions, those days have passed. Over the years, more and more people have moved away from the small country communities. The churches that are still active struggle to maintain enough members to keep the doors open. As those that moved away have gotten busier and busier it gets more and more difficult to find the time to get back home. While they search for whatever momentary satisfaction they get from the newest next big thing, they have allowed the simple joys of tradition to be relegated to the once white stones in the old rundown cemeteries. And time marches on. Psalm 100:1-2 Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. The onset of summer often brings back many fond memories from my youth. For country folks in the south, back in the 60s, an annual tradition was the all day singing with dinner on the grounds. The churches would be packed with regular members as well as visitors from all around. Some who had moved away would schedule a trip back home to coincide with the timing of the big day which was as much a social event as a spiritual experience. Planned well in advance, it was the high point of the year. Most every country church would have one, scheduled on the same weekend each year so as not to interfere with any other churches. That allowed for more cross church and even cross denominational visiting. Usually held on Sunday, the day started with preaching, often put forth by a visiting preacher, maybe one that had served the church some time in the past. Sunday school was usually skipped that day so the singing could get started before lunch. Along with singers from the home church, there were always visiting singers who made the rounds to all the different churches. Some of the singing was out of the hymnals we used each Sunday but a lot of it was something the old folks called convention singing, out of hymn books we never saw any other time. Much of it was four part harmony quartet singing but there was always some old harp singing as well.
Old harp singers sang the "do re mi" notes instead of the words. I always found old harp singing interesting but never understood it. Sometime around mid morning, the church ladies would quietly excuse themselves and go outside to prepare lunch (we called it dinner). Dinner was potluck. Everybody brought something, mostly home cooked, and there were some awesome cooks in those days. Dinner was spread on a long line of makeshift tables assembled under shade trees on the church grounds. There was every kind of food you could think of, fresh cooked vegetables from the gardens, casseroles of various types, spaghetti, ham, dressing, chicken cooked every way imaginable, sandwiches (pimento cheese, tuna and balogna were standard), kool-aid, tea and desserts galore, home baked pies cakes and cookies. It was a feast fit for a king. Everybody always got plenty to eat. The "old folks" visited while the kids froliced and played. There might also be a little courting among the older teens. Gradually, the singers would begin to file back into the church for an afternoon of singing while the ladies cleaned up. The crowd would be noticeably smaller after lunch as a lot of the visitors made their way home. Most country churches didn't have air conditioning in those days so, by this time, someone would have passed out church fans to make the heat a little more tolerable. The singing would go on till around 4:00 when the crowd would begin to disperse. As things wrapped up, there was always a lot of hand shaking, neck hugging and planning for the next year. I guess, like me, everybody expected there would always be a next year. Sadly, that hasn't been the case. Traditions begin to wane as the older generation passes on and are no longer there to keep them going. That has been the plight of the all day singings and dinner on the grounds. With few exceptions, those days have passed. Over the years, more and more people have moved away from the small country communities. The churches that are still active struggle to maintain enough members to keep the doors open. As those that moved away have gotten busier and busier it gets more and more difficult to find the time to get back home. While they search for whatever momentary satisfaction they get from the newest next big thing, they have allowed the simple joys of tradition to be relegated to the once white stones in the old rundown cemeteries. And time marches on.Psalm 100:1-2 Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. The onset of summer often brings back many fond memories from my youth. For country folks in the south, back in the 60s, an annual tradition was the all day singing with dinner on the grounds. The churches would be packed with regular members as well as visitors from all around. Some who had moved away would schedule a trip back home to coincide with the timing of the big day which was as much a social event as a spiritual experience. Planned well in advance, it was the high point of the year. Most every country church would have one, scheduled on the same weekend each year so as not to interfere with any other churches. That allowed for more cross church and even cross denominational visiting. Usually held on Sunday, the day started with preaching, often put forth by a visiting preacher, maybe one that had served the church some time in the past. Sunday school was usually skipped that day so the singing could get started before lunch. Along with singers from the home church, there were always visiting singers who made the rounds to all the different churches. Some of the singing was out of the hymnals we used each Sunday but a lot of it was something the old folks called convention singing, out of hymn books we never saw any other time. Much of it was four part harmony quartet singing but there was always some old harp singing as well. Old harp singers sang the "do re mi" notes instead of the words. I always found old harp singing interesting but never understood it. Sometime around mid morning, the church ladies would quietly excuse themselves and go outside to prepare lunch (we called it dinner). Dinner was potluck. Everybody brought something, mostly home cooked, and there were some awesome cooks in those days. Dinner was spread on a long line of makeshift tables assembled under shade trees on the church grounds. There was every kind of food you could think of, fresh cooked vegetables from the gardens, casseroles of various types, spaghetti, ham, dressing, chicken cooked every way imaginable, sandwiches (pimento cheese, tuna and balogna were standard), kool-aid, tea and desserts galore, home baked pies cakes and cookies. It was a feast fit for a king. Everybody always got plenty to eat. The "old folks" visited while the kids froliced and played. There might also be a little courting among the older teens. Gradually, the singers would begin to file back into the church for an afternoon of singing while the ladies cleaned up. The crowd would be noticeably smaller after lunch as a lot of the visitors made their way home. Most country churches didn't have air conditioning in those days so, by this time, someone would have passed out church fans to make the heat a little more tolerable. The singing would go on till around 4:00 when the crowd would begin to disperse. As things wrapped up, there was always a lot of hand shaking, neck hugging and planning for the next year. I guess, like me, everybody expected there would always be a next year. Sadly, that hasn't been the case. Traditions begin to wane as the older generation passes on and are no longer there to keep them going. That has been the plight of the all day singings and dinner on the grounds. With few exceptions, those days have passed. Over the years, more and more people have moved away from the small country communities. The churches that are still active struggle to maintain enough members to keep the doors open. As those that moved away have gotten busier and busier it gets more and more difficult to find the time to get back home. While they search for whatever momentary satisfaction they get from the newest next big thing, they have allowed the simple joys of tradition to be relegated to the once white stones in the old rundown cemeteries. And time marches on. Psalm 100:1-2 Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. The onset of summer often brings back many fond memories from my youth. For country folks in the south, back in the 60s, an annual tradition was the all day singing with dinner on the grounds. The churches would be packed with regular members as well as visitors from all around. Some who had moved away would schedule a trip back home to coincide with the timing of the big day which was as much a social event as a spiritual experience. Planned well in advance, it was the high point of the year. Most every country church would have one, scheduled on the same weekend each year so as not to interfere with any other churches. That allowed for more cross church and even cross denominational visiting. Usually held on Sunday, the day started with preaching, often put forth by a visiting preacher, maybe one that had served the church some time in the past. Sunday school was usually skipped that day so the singing could get started before lunch. Along with singers from the home church, there were always visiting singers who made the rounds to all the different churches. Some of the singing was out of the hymnals we used each Sunday but a lot of it was something the old folks called convention singing, out of hymn books we never saw any other time. Much of it was four part harmony quartet singing but there was always some old harp singing as well. Old harp singers sang the "do re mi" notes instead of the words. I always found old harp singing interesting but never understood it. Sometime around mid morning, the church ladies would quietly excuse themselves and go outside to prepare lunch (we called it dinner). Dinner was potluck. Everybody brought something, mostly home cooked, and there were some awesome cooks in those days. Dinner was spread on a long line of makeshift tables assembled under shade trees on the church grounds. There was every kind of food you could think of, fresh cooked vegetables from the gardens, casseroles of various types, spaghetti, ham, dressing, chicken cooked every way imaginable, sandwiches (pimento cheese, tuna and balogna were standard), kool-aid, tea and desserts galore, home baked pies cakes and cookies. It was a feast fit for a king. Everybody always got plenty to eat. The "old folks" visited while the kids froliced and played. There might also be a little courting among the older teens. Gradually, the singers would begin to file back into the church for an afternoon of singing while the ladies cleaned up. The crowd would be noticeably smaller after lunch as a lot of the visitors made their way home. Most country churches didn't have air conditioning in those days so, by this time, someone would have passed out church fans to make the heat a little more tolerable. The singing would go on till around 4:00 when the crowd would begin to disperse. As things wrapped up, there was always a lot of hand shaking, neck hugging and planning for the next year. I guess, like me, everybody expected there would always be a next year. Sadly, that hasn't been the case. Traditions begin to wane as the older generation passes on and are no longer there to keep them going. That has been the plight of the all day singings and dinner on the grounds. With few exceptions, those days have passed. Over the years, more and more people have moved away from the small country communities. The churches that are still active struggle to maintain enough members to keep the doors open. As those that moved away have gotten busier and busier it gets more and more difficult to find the time to get back home. While they search for whatever momentary satisfaction they get from the newest next big thing, they have allowed the simple joys of tradition to be relegated to the once white stones in the old rundown cemeteries. And time marches on. Psalm 100:1-2 Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. The onset of summer often brings back many fond memories from my youth. For country folks in the south, back in the 60s, an annual tradition was the all day singing with dinner on the grounds. The churches would be packed with regular members as well as visitors from all around. Some who had moved away would schedule a trip back home to coincide with the timing of the big day which was as much a social event as a spiritual experience. Planned well in advance, it was the high point of the year. Most every country church would have one, scheduled on the same weekend each year so as not to interfere with any other churches. That allowed for more cross church and even cross denominational visiting. Usually held on Sunday, the day started with preaching, often put forth by a visiting preacher, maybe one that had served the church some time in the past. Sunday school was usually skipped that day so the singing could get started before lunch. Along with singers from the home church, there were always visiting singers who made the rounds to all the different churches. Some of the singing was out of the hymnals we used each Sunday but a lot of it was something the old folks called convention singing, out of hymn books we never saw any other time. Much of it was four part harmony quartet singing but there was always some old harp singing as well. Old harp singers sang the "do re mi" notes instead of the words. I always found old harp singing interesting but never understood it. Sometime around mid morning, the church ladies would quietly excuse themselves and go outside to prepare lunch (we called it dinner). Dinner was potluck. Everybody brought something, mostly home cooked, and there were some awesome cooks in those days. Dinner was spread on a long line of makeshift tables assembled under shade trees on the church grounds. There was every kind of food you could think of, fresh cooked vegetables from the gardens, casseroles of various types, spaghetti, ham, dressing, chicken cooked every way imaginable, sandwiches (pimento cheese, tuna and balogna were standard), kool-aid, tea and desserts galore, home baked pies cakes and cookies. It was a feast fit for a king. Everybody always got plenty to eat. The "old folks" visited while the kids froliced and played. There might also be a little courting among the older teens. Gradually, the singers would begin to file back into the church for an afternoon of singing while the ladies cleaned up. The crowd would be noticeably smaller after lunch as a lot of the visitors made their way home. Most country churches didn't have air conditioning in those days so, by this time, someone would have passed out church fans to make the heat a little more tolerable. The singing would go on till around 4:00 when the crowd would begin to disperse. As things wrapped up, there was always a lot of hand shaking, neck hugging and planning for the next year. I guess, like me, everybody expected there would always be a next year. Sadly, that hasn't been the case. Traditions begin to wane as the older generation passes on and are no longer there to keep them going. That has been the plight of the all day singings and dinner on the grounds. With few exceptions, those days have passed. Over the years, more and more people have moved away from the small country communities. The churches that are still active struggle to maintain enough members to keep the doors open. As those that moved away have gotten busier and busier it gets more and more difficult to find the time to get back home.
While they search for whatever momentary satisfaction they get from the newest next big thing, they have allowed the simple joys of tradition to be relegated to the once white stones in the old rundown cemeteries. And time marches on.Psalm 100:1-2 Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. The onset of summer often brings back many fond memories from my youth. For country folks in the south, back in the 60s, an annual tradition was the all day singing with dinner on the grounds. The churches would be packed with regular members as well as visitors from all around. Some who had moved away would schedule a trip back home to coincide with the timing of the big day which was as much a social event as a spiritual experience. Planned well in advance, it was the high point of the year.
Most every country church would have one, scheduled on the same weekend each year so as not to interfere with any other churches. That allowed for more cross church and even cross denominational visiting. Usually held on Sunday, the day started with preaching, often put forth by a visiting preacher, maybe one that had served the church some time in the past.
Sunday school was usually skipped that day so the singing could get started before lunch. Along with singers from the home church, there were always visiting singers who made the rounds to all the different churches. Some of the singing was out of the hymnals we used each Sunday but a lot of it was something the old folks called convention singing, out of hymn books we never saw any other time. Much of it was four part harmony quartet singing but there was always some old harp singing as well. Old harp singers sang the "do re mi" notes instead of the words. I always found old harp singing interesting but never understood it.
Sometime around mid morning, the church ladies would quietly excuse themselves and go outside to prepare lunch (we called it dinner). Dinner was potluck. Everybody brought something, mostly home cooked, and there were some awesome cooks in those days. Dinner was spread on a long line of makeshift tables assembled under shade trees on the church grounds. There was every kind of food you could think of, fresh cooked vegetables from the gardens, casseroles of various types, spaghetti, ham, dressing, chicken cooked every way imaginable, sandwiches (pimento cheese, tuna and balogna were standard), kool-aid, tea and desserts galore, home baked pies cakes and cookies. It was a feast fit for a king. Everybody always got plenty to eat.
The "old folks" visited while the kids froliced and played. There might also be a little courting among the older teens. Gradually, the singers would begin to file back into the church for an afternoon of singing while the ladies cleaned up. The crowd would be noticeably smaller after lunch as a lot of the visitors made their way home. Most country churches didn't have air conditioning in those days so, by this time, someone would have passed out church fans to make the heat a little more tolerable.
The singing would go on till around 4:00 when the crowd would begin to disperse. As things wrapped up, there was always a lot of hand shaking, neck hugging and planning for the next year. I guess, like me, everybody expected there would always be a next year.
Sadly, that hasn't been the case. Traditions begin to wane as the older generation passes on and are no longer there to keep them going.
That has been the plight of the all day singings and dinner on the grounds. With few exceptions, those days have passed. Over the years, more and more people have moved away from the small country communities. The churches that are still active struggle to maintain enough members to keep the doors open.
As those that moved away have gotten busier and busier it gets more and more difficult to find the time to get back home. While they search for whatever momentary satisfaction they get from the newest next big thing, they have allowed the simple joys of tradition to be relegated to the once white stones in the old rundown cemeteries. And time marches on.
Usually held on Sunday, the day started with preaching, often put forth by a visiting preacher, maybe one that had served the church some time in the past. Sunday school was usually skipped that day so the singing could get started before lunch. Along with singers from the home church, there were always visiting singers who made the rounds to all the different churches. Some of the singing was out of the hymnals we used each Sunday but a lot of it was something the old folks called convention singing, out of hymn books we never saw any other time. Much of it was four part harmony quartet singing but there was always some old harp singing as well. Old harp singers sang the "do re mi" notes instead of the words.
I always found old harp singing interesting but never understood it. Sometime around mid morning, the church ladies would quietly excuse themselves and go outside to prepare lunch (we called it dinner). Dinner was potluck. Everybody brought something, mostly home cooked, and there were some awesome cooks in those days. Dinner was spread on a long line of makeshift tables assembled under shade trees on the church grounds. There was every kind of food you could think of, fresh cooked vegetables from the gardens, casseroles of various types, spaghetti, ham, dressing, chicken cooked every way imaginable, sandwiches (pimento cheese, tuna and balogna were standard), kool-aid, tea and desserts galore, home baked pies cakes and cookies. It was a feast fit for a king. Everybody always got plenty to eat. The "old folks" visited while the kids froliced and played. There might also be a little courting among the older teens. Gradually, the singers would begin to file back into the church for an afternoon of singing while the ladies cleaned up. The crowd would be noticeably smaller after lunch as a lot of the visitors made their way home. Most country churches didn't have air conditioning in those days so, by this time, someone would have passed out church fans to make the heat a little more tolerable. The singing would go on till around 4:00 when the crowd would begin to disperse. As things wrapped up, there was always a lot of hand shaking, neck hugging and planning for the next year. I guess, like me, everybody expected there would always be a next year. Sadly, that hasn't been the case. Traditions begin to wane as the older generation passes on and are no longer there to keep them going. That has been the plight of the all day singings and dinner on the grounds. With few exceptions, those days have passed. Over the years, more and more people have moved away from the small country communities. The churches that are still active struggle to maintain enough members to keep the doors open. As those that moved away have gotten busier and busier it gets more and more difficult to find the time to get back home. While they search for whatever momentary satisfaction they get from the newest next big thing, they have allowed the simple joys of tradition to be relegated to the once white stones in the old rundown cemeteries. And time marches on. Psalm 100:1-2 Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. The onset of summer often brings back many fond memories from my youth. For country folks in the south, back in the 60s, an annual tradition was the all day singing with dinner on the grounds. The churches would be packed with regular members as well as visitors from all around. Some who had moved away would schedule a trip back home to coincide with the timing of the big day which was as much a social event as a spiritual experience. Planned well in advance, it was the high point of the year. Most every country church would have one, scheduled on the same weekend each year so as not to interfere with any other churches. That allowed for more cross church and even cross denominational visiting. Usually held on Sunday, the day started with preaching, often put forth by a visiting preacher, maybe one that had served the church some time in the past. Sunday school was usually skipped that day so the singing could get started before lunch. Along with singers from the home church, there were always visiting singers who made the rounds to all the different churches. Some of the singing was out of the hymnals we used each Sunday but a lot of it was something the old folks called convention singing, out of hymn books we never saw any other time. Much of it was four part harmony quartet singing but there was always some old harp singing as well. Old harp singers sang the "do re mi" notes instead of the words. I always found old harp singing interesting but never understood it. Sometime around mid morning, the church ladies would quietly excuse themselves and go outside to prepare lunch (we called it dinner). Dinner was potluck. Everybody brought something, mostly home cooked, and there were some awesome cooks in those days. Dinner was spread on a long line of makeshift tables assembled under shade trees on the church grounds. There was every kind of food you could think of, fresh cooked vegetables from the gardens, casseroles of various types, spaghetti, ham, dressing, chicken cooked every way imaginable, sandwiches (pimento cheese, tuna and balogna were standard), kool-aid, tea and desserts galore, home baked pies cakes and cookies. It was a feast fit for a king. Everybody always got plenty to eat. The "old folks" visited while the kids froliced and played. There might also be a little courting among the older teens. Gradually, the singers would begin to file back into the church for an afternoon of singing while the ladies cleaned up. The crowd would be noticeably smaller after lunch as a lot of the visitors made their way home. Most country churches didn't have air conditioning in those days so, by this time, someone would have passed out church fans to make the heat a little more tolerable. The singing would go on till around 4:00 when the crowd would begin to disperse. As things wrapped up, there was always a lot of hand shaking, neck hugging and planning for the next year. I guess, like me, everybody expected there would always be a next year. Sadly, that hasn't been the case. Traditions begin to wane as the older generation passes on and are no longer there to keep them going. That has been the plight of the all day singings and dinner on the grounds. With few exceptions, those days have passed. Over the years, more and more people have moved away from the small country communities. The churches that are still active struggle to maintain enough members to keep the doors open. As those that moved away have gotten busier and busier it gets more and more difficult to find the time to get back home. While they search for whatever momentary satisfaction they get from the newest next big thing, they have allowed the simple joys of tradition to be relegated to the once white stones in the old rundown cemeteries. And time marches on. Psalm 100:1-2 Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. The onset of summer often brings back many fond memories from my youth. For country folks in the south, back in the 60s, an annual tradition was the all day singing with dinner on the grounds. The churches would be packed with regular members as well as visitors from all around. Some who had moved away would schedule a trip back home to coincide with the timing of the big day which was as much a social event as a spiritual experience. Planned well in advance, it was the high point of the year. Most every country church would have one, scheduled on the same weekend each year so as not to interfere with any other churches. That allowed for more cross church and even cross denominational visiting. Usually held on Sunday, the day started with preaching, often put forth by a visiting preacher, maybe one that had served the church some time in the past. Sunday school was usually skipped that day so the singing could get started before lunch. Along with singers from the home church, there were always visiting singers who made the rounds to all the different churches. Some of the singing was out of the hymnals we used each Sunday but a lot of it was something the old folks called convention singing, out of hymn books we never saw any other time. Much of it was four part harmony quartet singing but there was always some old harp singing as well.
Old harp singers sang the "do re mi" notes instead of the words. I always found old harp singing interesting but never understood it. Sometime around mid morning, the church ladies would quietly excuse themselves and go outside to prepare lunch (we called it dinner). Dinner was potluck. Everybody brought something, mostly home cooked, and there were some awesome cooks in those days. Dinner was spread on a long line of makeshift tables assembled under shade trees on the church grounds. There was every kind of food you could think of, fresh cooked vegetables from the gardens, casseroles of various types, spaghetti, ham, dressing, chicken cooked every way imaginable, sandwiches (pimento cheese, tuna and balogna were standard), kool-aid, tea and desserts galore, home baked pies cakes and cookies. It was a feast fit for a king. Everybody always got plenty to eat. The "old folks" visited while the kids froliced and played. There might also be a little courting among the older teens. Gradually, the singers would begin to file back into the church for an afternoon of singing while the ladies cleaned up. The crowd would be noticeably smaller after lunch as a lot of the visitors made their way home. Most country churches didn't have air conditioning in those days so, by this time, someone would have passed out church fans to make the heat a little more tolerable. The singing would go on till around 4:00 when the crowd would begin to disperse. As things wrapped up, there was always a lot of hand shaking, neck hugging and planning for the next year. I guess, like me, everybody expected there would always be a next year. Sadly, that hasn't been the case. Traditions begin to wane as the older generation passes on and are no longer there to keep them going. That has been the plight of the all day singings and dinner on the grounds. With few exceptions, those days have passed. Over the years, more and more people have moved away from the small country communities. The churches that are still active struggle to maintain enough members to keep the doors open. As those that moved away have gotten busier and busier it gets more and more difficult to find the time to get back home. While they search for whatever momentary satisfaction they get from the newest next big thing, they have allowed the simple joys of tradition to be relegated to the once white stones in the old rundown cemeteries. And time marches on.Psalm 100:1-2 Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. The onset of summer often brings back many fond memories from my youth. For country folks in the south, back in the 60s, an annual tradition was the all day singing with dinner on the grounds. The churches would be packed with regular members as well as visitors from all around. Some who had moved away would schedule a trip back home to coincide with the timing of the big day which was as much a social event as a spiritual experience. Planned well in advance, it was the high point of the year. Most every country church would have one, scheduled on the same weekend each year so as not to interfere with any other churches. That allowed for more cross church and even cross denominational visiting. Usually held on Sunday, the day started with preaching, often put forth by a visiting preacher, maybe one that had served the church some time in the past. Sunday school was usually skipped that day so the singing could get started before lunch. Along with singers from the home church, there were always visiting singers who made the rounds to all the different churches. Some of the singing was out of the hymnals we used each Sunday but a lot of it was something the old folks called convention singing, out of hymn books we never saw any other time. Much of it was four part harmony quartet singing but there was always some old harp singing as well. Old harp singers sang the "do re mi" notes instead of the words. I always found old harp singing interesting but never understood it. Sometime around mid morning, the church ladies would quietly excuse themselves and go outside to prepare lunch (we called it dinner). Dinner was potluck. Everybody brought something, mostly home cooked, and there were some awesome cooks in those days. Dinner was spread on a long line of makeshift tables assembled under shade trees on the church grounds. There was every kind of food you could think of, fresh cooked vegetables from the gardens, casseroles of various types, spaghetti, ham, dressing, chicken cooked every way imaginable, sandwiches (pimento cheese, tuna and balogna were standard), kool-aid, tea and desserts galore, home baked pies cakes and cookies. It was a feast fit for a king. Everybody always got plenty to eat. The "old folks" visited while the kids froliced and played. There might also be a little courting among the older teens. Gradually, the singers would begin to file back into the church for an afternoon of singing while the ladies cleaned up. The crowd would be noticeably smaller after lunch as a lot of the visitors made their way home. Most country churches didn't have air conditioning in those days so, by this time, someone would have passed out church fans to make the heat a little more tolerable. The singing would go on till around 4:00 when the crowd would begin to disperse. As things wrapped up, there was always a lot of hand shaking, neck hugging and planning for the next year. I guess, like me, everybody expected there would always be a next year. Sadly, that hasn't been the case. Traditions begin to wane as the older generation passes on and are no longer there to keep them going. That has been the plight of the all day singings and dinner on the grounds. With few exceptions, those days have passed. Over the years, more and more people have moved away from the small country communities. The churches that are still active struggle to maintain enough members to keep the doors open. As those that moved away have gotten busier and busier it gets more and more difficult to find the time to get back home. While they search for whatever momentary satisfaction they get from the newest next big thing, they have allowed the simple joys of tradition to be relegated to the once white stones in the old rundown cemeteries. And time marches on. Psalm 100:1-2 Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. The onset of summer often brings back many fond memories from my youth. For country folks in the south, back in the 60s, an annual tradition was the all day singing with dinner on the grounds. The churches would be packed with regular members as well as visitors from all around. Some who had moved away would schedule a trip back home to coincide with the timing of the big day which was as much a social event as a spiritual experience. Planned well in advance, it was the high point of the year. Most every country church would have one, scheduled on the same weekend each year so as not to interfere with any other churches. That allowed for more cross church and even cross denominational visiting. Usually held on Sunday, the day started with preaching, often put forth by a visiting preacher, maybe one that had served the church some time in the past. Sunday school was usually skipped that day so the singing could get started before lunch. Along with singers from the home church, there were always visiting singers who made the rounds to all the different churches. Some of the singing was out of the hymnals we used each Sunday but a lot of it was something the old folks called convention singing, out of hymn books we never saw any other time. Much of it was four part harmony quartet singing but there was always some old harp singing as well. Old harp singers sang the "do re mi" notes instead of the words. I always found old harp singing interesting but never understood it. Sometime around mid morning, the church ladies would quietly excuse themselves and go outside to prepare lunch (we called it dinner). Dinner was potluck. Everybody brought something, mostly home cooked, and there were some awesome cooks in those days. Dinner was spread on a long line of makeshift tables assembled under shade trees on the church grounds. There was every kind of food you could think of, fresh cooked vegetables from the gardens, casseroles of various types, spaghetti, ham, dressing, chicken cooked every way imaginable, sandwiches (pimento cheese, tuna and balogna were standard), kool-aid, tea and desserts galore, home baked pies cakes and cookies. It was a feast fit for a king. Everybody always got plenty to eat. The "old folks" visited while the kids froliced and played. There might also be a little courting among the older teens. Gradually, the singers would begin to file back into the church for an afternoon of singing while the ladies cleaned up. The crowd would be noticeably smaller after lunch as a lot of the visitors made their way home. Most country churches didn't have air conditioning in those days so, by this time, someone would have passed out church fans to make the heat a little more tolerable. The singing would go on till around 4:00 when the crowd would begin to disperse. As things wrapped up, there was always a lot of hand shaking, neck hugging and planning for the next year. I guess, like me, everybody expected there would always be a next year. Sadly, that hasn't been the case. Traditions begin to wane as the older generation passes on and are no longer there to keep them going. That has been the plight of the all day singings and dinner on the grounds. With few exceptions, those days have passed. Over the years, more and more people have moved away from the small country communities. The churches that are still active struggle to maintain enough members to keep the doors open. As those that moved away have gotten busier and busier it gets more and more difficult to find the time to get back home. While they search for whatever momentary satisfaction they get from the newest next big thing, they have allowed the simple joys of tradition to be relegated to the once white stones in the old rundown cemeteries. And time marches on. Psalm 100:1-2 Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. The onset of summer often brings back many fond memories from my youth. For country folks in the south, back in the 60s, an annual tradition was the all day singing with dinner on the grounds. The churches would be packed with regular members as well as visitors from all around. Some who had moved away would schedule a trip back home to coincide with the timing of the big day which was as much a social event as a spiritual experience. Planned well in advance, it was the high point of the year. Most every country church would have one, scheduled on the same weekend each year so as not to interfere with any other churches. That allowed for more cross church and even cross denominational visiting. Usually held on Sunday, the day started with preaching, often put forth by a visiting preacher, maybe one that had served the church some time in the past. Sunday school was usually skipped that day so the singing could get started before lunch. Along with singers from the home church, there were always visiting singers who made the rounds to all the different churches. Some of the singing was out of the hymnals we used each Sunday but a lot of it was something the old folks called convention singing, out of hymn books we never saw any other time. Much of it was four part harmony quartet singing but there was always some old harp singing as well. Old harp singers sang the "do re mi" notes instead of the words. I always found old harp singing interesting but never understood it. Sometime around mid morning, the church ladies would quietly excuse themselves and go outside to prepare lunch (we called it dinner). Dinner was potluck. Everybody brought something, mostly home cooked, and there were some awesome cooks in those days. Dinner was spread on a long line of makeshift tables assembled under shade trees on the church grounds. There was every kind of food you could think of, fresh cooked vegetables from the gardens, casseroles of various types, spaghetti, ham, dressing, chicken cooked every way imaginable, sandwiches (pimento cheese, tuna and balogna were standard), kool-aid, tea and desserts galore, home baked pies cakes and cookies. It was a feast fit for a king. Everybody always got plenty to eat. The "old folks" visited while the kids froliced and played. There might also be a little courting among the older teens. Gradually, the singers would begin to file back into the church for an afternoon of singing while the ladies cleaned up. The crowd would be noticeably smaller after lunch as a lot of the visitors made their way home. Most country churches didn't have air conditioning in those days so, by this time, someone would have passed out church fans to make the heat a little more tolerable. The singing would go on till around 4:00 when the crowd would begin to disperse. As things wrapped up, there was always a lot of hand shaking, neck hugging and planning for the next year. I guess, like me, everybody expected there would always be a next year. Sadly, that hasn't been the case. Traditions begin to wane as the older generation passes on and are no longer there to keep them going. That has been the plight of the all day singings and dinner on the grounds. With few exceptions, those days have passed. Over the years, more and more people have moved away from the small country communities. The churches that are still active struggle to maintain enough members to keep the doors open. As those that moved away have gotten busier and busier it gets more and more difficult to find the time to get back home.
While they search for whatever momentary satisfaction they get from the newest next big thing, they have allowed the simple joys of tradition to be relegated to the once white stones in the old rundown cemeteries. And time marches on.Psalm 100:1-2 Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. The onset of summer often brings back many fond memories from my youth. For country folks in the south, back in the 60s, an annual tradition was the all day singing with dinner on the grounds. The churches would be packed with regular members as well as visitors from all around. Some who had moved away would schedule a trip back home to coincide with the timing of the big day which was as much a social event as a spiritual experience. Planned well in advance, it was the high point of the year.
Most every country church would have one, scheduled on the same weekend each year so as not to interfere with any other churches. That allowed for more cross church and even cross denominational visiting. Usually held on Sunday, the day started with preaching, often put forth by a visiting preacher, maybe one that had served the church some time in the past.
Sunday school was usually skipped that day so the singing could get started before lunch. Along with singers from the home church, there were always visiting singers who made the rounds to all the different churches. Some of the singing was out of the hymnals we used each Sunday but a lot of it was something the old folks called convention singing, out of hymn books we never saw any other time. Much of it was four part harmony quartet singing but there was always some old harp singing as well. Old harp singers sang the "do re mi" notes instead of the words. I always found old harp singing interesting but never understood it.
Sometime around mid morning, the church ladies would quietly excuse themselves and go outside to prepare lunch (we called it dinner). Dinner was potluck. Everybody brought something, mostly home cooked, and there were some awesome cooks in those days. Dinner was spread on a long line of makeshift tables assembled under shade trees on the church grounds. There was every kind of food you could think of, fresh cooked vegetables from the gardens, casseroles of various types, spaghetti, ham, dressing, chicken cooked every way imaginable, sandwiches (pimento cheese, tuna and balogna were standard), kool-aid, tea and desserts galore, home baked pies cakes and cookies. It was a feast fit for a king. Everybody always got plenty to eat.
The "old folks" visited while the kids froliced and played. There might also be a little courting among the older teens. Gradually, the singers would begin to file back into the church for an afternoon of singing while the ladies cleaned up. The crowd would be noticeably smaller after lunch as a lot of the visitors made their way home. Most country churches didn't have air conditioning in those days so, by this time, someone would have passed out church fans to make the heat a little more tolerable.
The singing would go on till around 4:00 when the crowd would begin to disperse. As things wrapped up, there was always a lot of hand shaking, neck hugging and planning for the next year. I guess, like me, everybody expected there would always be a next year.
Sadly, that hasn't been the case. Traditions begin to wane as the older generation passes on and are no longer there to keep them going.
That has been the plight of the all day singings and dinner on the grounds. With few exceptions, those days have passed. Over the years, more and more people have moved away from the small country communities. The churches that are still active struggle to maintain enough members to keep the doors open.
As those that moved away have gotten busier and busier it gets more and more difficult to find the time to get back home. While they search for whatever momentary satisfaction they get from the newest next big thing, they have allowed the simple joys of tradition to be relegated to the once white stones in the old rundown cemeteries. And time marches on.
The Cross at Calhoun Pittsboro, Mississippi (Gene Redwine/photo
Song of the Week
Video: Message of the Week: David Lee Penn
Programming with Moral Standards
Freedom Fellowship Greeneville, TV Causal Dress, Serious Faith