-
20. A Bishop Visits Our City
- Southern Illinois University Press
- Chapter
- Additional Information
20. a bishop visits our city At first glance it seemed that the Baptists l1ad a comer on the religious market in Du Quoin. They boasted of four churches: rebuilt Mt. Zion, pastored by Lija Holmes; Free Will Baptist, pastored by Grandpa Berkley; Mt. Olive, presided over by Elder Winston; and a sprawling, squawking hybrid, St. Paul, that had gathered its members from dissatisfied factions of all three. 'The African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church carried the banner of John Wesley proudly and alone. It needed no sister church to bolster its morale. Its offerings exceeded the combined collections of its four rivals. Come blizzard, stifling heat, or hail storm, you would always find Ottaway and Mary Scott, Sarah and Joe Love, John and Belle Kirkpatrick , the Mason, Peters, and Berkley clans in their family pews on Sunday morning. Strangely enough, this was the only church to which the fancy women of our town seemed to feel free to come. Beautifully dressed but decorous, these girls from North Oak and South Division streets quietly entered the church almost in a body and sat throughout each Sunday morning service. "Maybe it's all right," Cousin Dora, who was Baptist, said skeptically one day when the topic came up for discussion , "but everybody knows how they get their money." 203 it's gooif to be black Mother looked at Cousin Dora, then nodded her head toward us. "Oh Sophia, don't be such a prude. These children ain't no fools. Everybody in town knows what everybody else does. They probably know more about Rena and Hallie and Katie than we do." "Just the same, neither Braxton or I talk about people before the children." And that was the truth. The uncomplimentary things we learned about the people of Du Quoin were never learned at home. They were learned on the schoolground, or on our way to the company store, or when visiting some of our friends. Dad had been quietly figuring how many entry feet he had cut that fortnight. Evidently he had heard Cousin Dora's remarks for as he put his small notebook in his inside coat pocket, he said slowly, "I guess we look at people different from God." "Well, I don't know. The Bible makes it pretty plain about some things." Cousin Dora defended her righteous stand. "Yes, it does. I was just thinking when they brought one of these same women to Jesus. He told the people who were accusing her, 'Let him that is without sin cast the first stone.' I've heard people say that nobody throwed a rock. Then one time when I was a little boy I heard another preacher say that an old hypocrite raised his hand to throw a stone and his hand become paralyzed and the Lord had to stop and heal him. But I ain't never found that in the Bible, though I've read the gospels many a time." "Braxton, you ain't trying to say that one sin is as big as another." [3.236.19.251] Project MUSE (2024-03-28 15:06 GMT) a flishop visits our eity "I never found yet in the Bible where Jesus said, 'you can do this 'cause it's just a little sin, but don't do that 'cause it's a great big sin.' He jes lumps 'em all together and says, 'Don't lie; don't kill; don't steaL' " "Well, I can see why they go to your church, if the pastor and the trustees feel like you do. I wish they'd have the brass to stick their noses in St. Paul one Sunday. Wouldn't Rev. Wright get them told?" "Rev. Wright? That old chippy-chasing devil ain't as good as an honest prostitute." "Braxton!" Mother's shrill voice put an end to Dad's tirade. Smugness always did something to Dad. He wanted to tear the mask off and let people see the conceit and deceit it usually covered. But we had heard a few things about Rev. Wright too; so we snickered. Cousin Dora got so mad you could fry an egg on her head. Dad's anger reminded me of our rains in ApriL It passed quickly. He was now thoroughly ashamed of himself. He mumbled something indistinct in an apologetic tone and left the room. In a few minutes we heard him outside, his sonorous voice lifted in song: "Shine on me, shine on me, Let the...