Little Egypt Heritage Articles Stories of Southern Illinois (c) Bill Oliver 23 March 2003 Vol 2 Issue: #12 ISBN: pending Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen of Little Egypt, As usual, a lister on one of the e-mail lists that I subscribe to mentioned something that grabbed my thinking and off I went. You've read it before if you have read my articles, that many of my ancestors came from Scotland and Ireland. Another characteristic of that happens to be common in those ancestors is the Ministry ... so many of them were "circuit" preachers. Yes, they were farmers, but they were also preachers. Grandma never said that she was raised in a religious home, but she was a zealously devout Christian. She often recounted her "saving" in detail. And, many a session with her would tell of all the things that the "Lord" did for her and her family. Back in Grandma's day many folks were Methodists and she would talk about the Northern Methodists and the Southern Methodists. At first I believed she was talking about north and south of the Mason - Dixon Line. I think that it did come from the Civil War era and thus close to the truth. Even today, I am not positive about what difference there was or is. Great Great Grandpa Richy, I was told, didn't make a difference between churches ... give him a pulpit and he just preached. And, listening to Grandma, I got the further impression that he'd preach even if there wasn't a pulpit to hang onto. There also were regular Methodists and Congregational Methodists. Their doctrines were the same, but the Congregational Methodists selected their own ministers while the regular ones got their ministers from the conference. Many homes were under the influence of the family, and family prayer, at least twice a day, was very common. The Sabbath Day was strictly and rigidly observed. Sunday school was a family activity and church could be an all day affair with morning services and evening services. This also made Sunday a social celebration as well. Revival, or "protracted", meetings were very popular. They often were held in tents, so they were also called "Tent" or "Camp Meetings". These might run two — three weeks. As time progressed at these meetings, some folks would want to join the church and they would need baptizin'. Some would want immersion and some would want to just be sprinkled. Usually there would be a pool or a creek, or a creek with a pool, nearby where they could be baptized. The Minister would put on clothes that he didn't mind gettin' wet. Usually the minister would be in the water and a church elder or possibly another "preacher" would lead those to be baptized into the water and out of the water after immersion. I know there were some differences between revivals and meetings, but I really am not clear on the distinctions. Grams would say that both would go on all day and night. Preaching at noon and "meeting" of a night. I have always compared the night meeting as more of a singing meeting, like our Sunday Night and Wednesday night services. Sometimes traveling evangelists would attend these revivals. Often they were called "Holiness" preachers. Grandma used to say that they were all pretty good singers and prayers, so they would often be set to those jobs. Grandma said folks would "move there" and take their "rations" with them. Folks didn't go and buy rations, they raised them in the fields, and gathered them up and shared them with folks at the campground. The people would spread their tablecloths down on the ground and put the food on the tablecloth. Food was shared with others, as well as, other camp followers ... ants, yellow jackets, and such. These meetings were often in August in the hottest of weather. I've heard of them referred to as "roast ‘n ear religion". Gramma recalled some meetings lasting as long as six weeks. She would say that "those meetings were the best meetings in the world". She would further say that "today the Church does not adhere to the King James Version as strict as they used to." When the dearly departed were talked about, folks would say "Church ‘em." They meant bury them. We were told that when you got religion you kept it. People lived right ... they wouldn't even grind coffee or churn on Sunday. Nor would they bake bread. Saturday they would bake several loaves of bread to last until Monday. "Times ain't like they used to be." was oft heard. And, "... the end of time ain't far away." Folks once shouted up and down the aisles. I remember that as a boy, when Grandma would take me to church. You don't see that any more, though folks still holler "amen". Grandma would characterize the Spirit as leaving the church, and would quote, saying "... without a falling away, He will not come back." She firmly believed she would see the Second Coming. Old Time Religion meant a lot to Grandma. People used to take care of each other like it says in the Good Book, she would say. Before the Spirit left the Church, if anyone needed something done it was done by their neighbors. If there was sickness in a family, the church would take care of them and their animals and their crops. If the corn crop was in grass, the Church would take care of it. They called that "brotherly love". That Spirit is not in many churches today. They talk about it but that is all ... talk about it. There is something else that Grandma used to talk about once in awhile, and that was feet washing. Seems that it didn't happen often and certainly not regular. She said that when it did happen that it was, oh, so great. That everyone would just feel the Spirit. Grandma didn't hold with Doctors. She believed in Divine Healing. Her written "testimony" is dotted throughout with Healings by God and other wonder works. Grandma had other beliefs that made her a Pentecostal believer and during my life she seemed to favor that denomination. She certainly did strive to be filled with the Holy Spirit. She believed in the gifts of healing, speaking in tongues, and prophesy. In her own words, she was a strong witness for God. At the age of one hundred two and eight months we "Churched her" next to Grandpa. Wado, Bill -=- http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/SOIL http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/ILMASSAC http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ne/state/BillsArticles/LittleEgypt/intro.html