Churches in my lifetime

2003 to the present time -
Pictured here is Elba United Methodist Church where we are members. There is a large bell in the tower and it is still rung on Sunday mornings. When I was elem. school age, I would visit my grandfather who attended this church, and he would lift me up to ring the big bell by pulling on the big rope. I remember the big "sand" table in the children's classroom. We joined this church when we moved to Elba in 2003.

1996-2003 -When we moved to our farm between Elba and Opp in 1996, we went to church at First Baptist in Opp, when many of my friends from Curtis community were members, and my niece and family. Our first Sunday there was also the first Sunday for the new minister David Franklin. It was summertime and Jim was the only person there in a suit. They probably thought he was the new minister. David was entering the church the same time as we were and we didn't see any bulletins and asked if they had one. He said "I'll find you one." He came back with one and we were seated. We were surprised when we learned he was the new minister. He had asked our names and introduced us to the congregation. We were trying to enter unnoticed on our first visit. We became good friends with David and his family and he often came to our place in the country to fish early in the morning. We had been members of Covenant Presbyterian Church before moving to Opp, but there was not a Presbyterian church anywhere near us.

1990-1996 - We have such fond memories of Covenant Presbyterian Church on Lake Lorene in Albany, GA. The church was an unusual contemporary design and had a beautiful pipe organ. There was a big covered area outside the church,facing the lake, where people lingered after church to visit and have lemonade or coffee. I was on the board to help establish a 3-4 year old kindergarten there, and it has grown over the years. We went back to their 50th anniversary in 2004 and enjoyed seeing our old friends. Our minister Paul Luthman had been promoted to the head of the Presbytery and was wearing a beard. As we were getting out of the car at the parking lot, Paul saw us and yelled, "Here come the Gilmers", and everybody knew we were there.

1988-1990 - First Presbyterian Church in Florence, SC was our church and it was here that James wanted to "join the church". Th minister visited with him and discovered that James knew all about the Bible and was so sincere in his decision. Many of our family came with us the day he was baptized (sprinkled). James loved his Sunday School class because sometimes his teacher took them to the donut shop. We visited there last year when in Florence visiting our son and family. Didn't recognize a soul but Roger Gullich, the minister, and he remembered us.

1987-1988 - We lived in Dothan for a short time when Jim decided to try a new career in business real estate. (He decided right away that he wanted to get back into the clothing manufacturing business and we moved to SC). We joined First Baptist Church and really liked the minister there - Bob Baggott. We lived near the airport and he was always dropping by to visit us and talked with James about sports. I went back to that church in July to attend a funeral, and it brought back lots of memories.

1985-1987 - We were members of First Baptist Church in 

Haleyville the two years we lived there. We were not there long enough to get to know the people very well but we did enjoy visits in our country home from Dr. Stringfellow, the pastor. What I remember about that church was that they had a great pianist and her offetory music was always beautiful. I loved to hear her play "My Sheep Shall Safely Dwell".

1979-1985 - these years were spent in Winston Salem, NC - one of my favorite places we've lived. We were members of Knollwood Baptist Church where many people associated with Wake Forest Univ. and Bowman Gray Hospital attended. It was unlike any Baptist church we had ever attended and we really enjoyed going there. We loved Dr. Jack Noffsinger and his associate, John Totten. While there, we helped start a class for mentally handicapped adults, which is still in existence. One Sunday, our son James wanted to sit with the people in his class during church and we sat a couple of rows behind them. Dr. Jack was talking about the qualities of a good mother, and he said something about a good mother doesn't nag. James turned around and looked at me and said aloud, "He's talking to you". Dr. Jack heard him and got so tickled. James sat with us from then on!

1977-1979 When we moved to Minneapolis, I didn't see anything but Lutheran churches. We discovered Minnetonka Baptist church and loved going there. Dr Lawson was a great minister and wanted the church to be a big family. On Memorial Day weekend, the church was closed and most of the congregation went to a lake near Canada. The ice was still frozen on the lakes. James and I went to camp once while Jim was on a business trip. We nearly froze at night. We loved the Swedish people who made up most of the congregation.


1967-1977 Moving to Paris, TX was another world apart from Atlanta, GA. We joined the First Baptist Church of Paris and not long after we joined, the old 

church was replaced with a new one. Our boys grew up in this church. Dr. Jim Semple was pastor there for many years. What I remember most about this church was my close-knit Sunday school class. When I left they had a big party for me and gave me a Bible that I still use today, with this verse on the inside cover: Proverbs 31:29 . We went back to visit in 2002 and didn't recognize very many people. The older members had died and the younger members had grown older!

First Baptist Church, Bremen, GA

1957-1967 - We lived in the Atlanta, GA area. When as in school in Chamblee we were members of Chamblee Baptist Church and Cecil Sherman was pastor. We bought a house in Atlanta later and went to Peachtree Baptist Church. I don't remember much about this church although our oldest son went to Kindergarten there. It was a big church. We were transferred to nearby Bremen, GA for a couple of years and became members of Bremen Baptist Church. While there, the minister, Grover Tyner, took a post as a missionary in the Phillipines and they moved. We went back to Atlanta after a couple of years in Bremen so James could get into special education classes and we joined Woodlawn Baptist church near Towers High School.

1955-1957 Jim was in the army and we lived in Manhattan and Junction City, KS. We attended First Presbyterian Church in Manhattan and what I remember about this church was the kindness offered to us when our infant son died at one month of age.

1954-1955 - Wurzburg, Germany - we attended services on the post. 
Married Oct. 3, 1953
1952-53 - I was a student at Troy State Univ. and went to church at First Baptist Church in Troy. They sent a bus to the school to pick us up. Students didn't have cars back then.

1934-1952 I grew up at New Ebenezer Baptist Church in Curtis community, near Elba. The building was wood with big windows. In 1953 they built a new brick church. I still have ties to that church - I attend the monthly meetings of the WMU, along with some of my deceased mother's friends.

We get a lot of Christmas cards each year from friends we have made in these churches.