See, They’re Not Freaks
Our storefront church experience was interesting to say the least. We attracted some people who were disillusioned with other religious experiences, some who had personality disorders, and others who made short term commitments before deciding they weren’t looking for what we offered. We sought to engage ourselves in the life of the community, and made friends with people from all walks of life and religious affiliations.
Shortly after we arrived, Ann, Joyce and Nona Sue joined up with the newcomers organization. They were invited to a special program at the Chautauqua Institution. The Chautauqua Institution is located on Lake Chautauqua a few miles from Jamestown. It was started in the 19th century to encourage the arts, music, literature, public issues and religion among other things. Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered his famous, “I hate war” speech at Chautauqua. The programs take place in July and August. If you go during July and August, you’ll pay a stiff admission fee unless you get in for some kind of special program. Ann got to go during the sessions a couple of times. Once she got to hear the pianists – Ferrente and Teicher. On another occasion she heard the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. That gives you an idea of the quality of the programming. During the off season you can visit the grounds without paying a gate fee. The newcomers group decided to plan an excursion to Chautauqua. Ann, Joyce, and Nona Sue managed to get us guys to do the baby sitting, and they went to Chautauqua. On one side of the grounds, they’ve built a scale model of the Holy Land. All the Biblical sites are identified and you can walk right up to them. Chautauqua Lake becomes the Mediterranean Sea. The model is that large.
A young lady, who came on her own, was desperately looking for someone with whom she could share the time. These three Texas ladies sounded like fun, so she tagged along with them. At one point they discovered the Holy Land model. These three preacher’s wives were ecstatic. As they identified various geographical locations, Joyce announced, “I’m standing where Moses stood.” I’m sure their new young friend was probably thinking she’s joined up with a pretty bizarre bunch.
Of course when we moved to New York, we all spoke (and still speak) with a Texas drawl. When I was in speech class at ACC, I was told that I had the worst case of a West Texas drawl they had ever seen. I’ve still got the Texas drawl, but it’s a bit more sophisticated. I probably sound like I’m from Dallas. Because of that, and because we were meeting in a renovated pool hall, and because the people of the area were wondering why Jamestown would need another church, we were looked on with some degree of suspicion during the early years. Store front churches have a bad reputation in the minds of some people. They often think of them as fly-by-night, visionaries, who lack stability. They’re afraid you’ll come in with some kind of hair brained fund raising scheme, con gullible people of out their money, and skip town. We had to live with that stigma in the beginning.
One day, Jim and I went to call on one of our members. She had found the Church of Christ somewhere in the South, and wanted to cast her lot with us when she found out we were there. When we got to her house, we met her grown daughter, who proved to be a likeable person and seemed to enjoy our conversation. We socialized for awhile, and the daughter seemed to warm up to us. Right in the middle of the conversation, the woman we had gone to visit turned to her daughter and said, “See. They’re not freaks.” Obviously her daughter opinion of us had been somewhat negative until she actually met us.
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