So I’ve gotten more old church bulletins. These are from 1975-1988. Primetime growing-up years for me. They are invoking some memories (more or less) about those church years.

• The great revival of 1987 – 15 people (mostly teens) were baptized during a Gospel Meeting in September, 1987. Looking over the names listed in the bulletin, only 2 of the baptizees are still active attendees at church (and those 2 only come on Sunday mornings). To get back to the original story of it, Bill Watkins came and had a gospel meeting during that time. Many of his sermons were emotionally based. (And there’s nothing wrong with that). I can remember the last sermon where he had the chairs lined up on the podium. He told what each of the chairs represents (the innocent child, the faithful Christian, the sinner, the backsliding Christian, the lukewarm Christian). And if he pointed to us we’d have to go and sit in the appropriate seat. Of course he never actually made anyone go up into the seat. It was more of a retorical question. This got the largest number of responses. Years later I saw him do the same sermon with less results. I guess coming off of the 10 persons baptized in one night, just can’t be topped.
  Still I wonder about these people who were baptized that week and ponder if we need to call up VH1 for a “Where are they now?” segment. Was their response based on emotionalism? Are they attending church elsewhere or not at all?
• My less than spectacular prayer leading. I can distinctly remember two specific times which I was asked to lead a public prayer at church and completely bombed. Once was during VBS when I was in 8th or 9th grade. The VBS director asked me to lead an impromptu prayer at the end. I wasn’t prepared at all for it and declined the invitation. The director later apologized to me for putting me on the spot, (which I thought was always cool; He didn’t have to apologize, but he did just to make sure we were both cool with each other. Most people wouldn’t have done that). The second time was when I was scheduled to lead a closing prayer Sunday or Wednesday night. (I was in junior high at the time) I stayed out in the foyer area pondering my thoughts during the closing song. In the end I ended up chickening out and ran out the doors and sat in my parents’ VW Rabbit feeling ashamed of myself. I doubt that anyone remembers that I chickened out of that. But to this day I still remember that and feel disgusted with myself over it. But on the positive end of things this is a story I tell the younger boys who are anxious about serving publicly at church. Anyone can get scared about doing that type of thing. You just have to make yourself do it. This seems to give them some sense of reality.
  I also distinctly remember once praying to God in church – thanking Him for the sick – a huge mess up… But more on that later on.