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Wednesday night Bible
study, prayer, and praise meeting was a command performance for everyone in the
small church. If one was absent, either
they had to be very ill, called out of town, dying or dead, or buried in the
local cemetery. No pass cards were ever
given.
Nancy had no choices,
being a freshman in high school who was unfailingly healthy. The only tolerable point of Wednesday night
was stopping by the small grocery to buy gum or candy. The owner’s teenage boys manned the store
then, and it was a chance to flirt.
This one Wednesday
night was to be a real test for Nancy.
Preacher had decided
to change the order of service, move people out of their comfort zones. The teenage contingent sitting solidly in the
back rows were being scattered around the congregation, to sit next to some of
the elderly ‘saints’.
Nancy was placed next
to Sister Opal, a dear woman in her mid-eighties. Well,
this isn’t so bad…
Then Preacher handed
out slips of paper with a Bible scripture address to be looked up. “When
I call out the reference, y’all stand and read the verses.”
Sister Opal opened
her slip, something in Psalms. Nancy
opened hers, something in the Song of Solomon.
She looked it up. Oh, dear God! Please save me…
What will happen? Will Nancy read these verses? Will she drop dead of embarrassment???
What will happen? Will Nancy read these verses? Will she drop dead of embarrassment???
That's a pretty raunchy part of the Bible...maybe Sister Opal will trade with her. Old ladies like that kind of thing I've heard lol.
ReplyDeleteReading that book of the Bible was the closest thing to racy literature I encountered as a teenager.
DeleteEveryone loves a cliff-hanger.
ReplyDeleteHope this one will be satisfying.
DeleteWonderful, really want to know!
ReplyDeleteHope tomorrow will be soon enough.
DeleteHmmm maybe she'll use the old woman ate it excuse? lol
ReplyDeleteNow THAT I hadn't considered!
DeleteOh, you brought some sweet memories to my mind. I will be back to find out.
ReplyDeleteOld church memories can be great.
DeleteManzanita gave you a nice shout out over at her place, so I came to say hello. :)
ReplyDeleteThose old churches are still around, but you don't see 'em so much anymore as you did when I was a kiddo. Looking forward to your conclusion.
No, sadly, once the older generations passed away, the next generation had moved out of town to jobs far away.
DeleteBet she will shout it out
ReplyDeleteThat is a great idea.
DeleteLove old church buildings like this... and the smell of old hymn books and Bibles.
ReplyDeleteI think she'll read it aloud. :)
That looks like my childhood church. About the same size. Something will happen to make Nancy brave!
ReplyDeleteIt matters if this happened today or 50 years ago. Everything embarrassed me then and little embarrasses kids today.
ReplyDeleteNancy discreetly swaps her slip and Sister Opal ends up with her slip?
ReplyDeleteI believe that the preacher chose the readings and the readers carefully. Nancy has no escape open to her...
ReplyDelete