Reclaimed Memories
ca. 1934 - 1936

n the Oak Grove Community on the ridge above the little Walker settlement lived an elderly man with his maiden daughter, Mildred. His name was Billy Curran and his background was Catholic, but his late wife had been a faithful worker in the little Oak Grove Church and Mildred was always faithful in attendance. Uncle Billy came sometimes, but he never made a profession of faith.

Each year there were four quarterly conference meetings held for each charge during the year. These were conducted by the Conference Superintendent. If the charge was a circuit, with more than one church, each church was supposed to send representatives. Usually some of the officers from each church would be there to discuss the general work together and with the superintendent. The pastor's salary was always set and the Benevolent Fund amount allotted at the first quarterly conference of the year.

The second year we served the Cairo work Uncle Billy Curran was the only person present from the Oak Grove Community. So the superintendent asked him if he thought the church there could raise the salary another $15.00 for the year. They had paid $60.00 the year before. Uncle Billy said "I'm not a member of the church, but I think they could pay $75.00." There was no preaching at Oak Grove the next Sunday, but Uncle Billy made it a point to be in Sunday School. He made the announcement that he had been at the meeting and had agreed that Oak Grove would pay $75.00 on the pastor's salary that year. One of the members spoke up and said "Well, if you agreed to the raise, you can just collect it." We heard that tempers got a little hot with the thought that a non-member, and a Catholic to boot, would have the nerve to assume that much authority! Uncle Billy was rough talking at times and when they said he could just raise the salary himself he replied, "By God I'll just do that." And he did, without too much trouble, I might add!

He took a sheet of paper and at the top wrote, "Preacher's Salary." Then he drew a line dividing the paper into two columns. At the top of the left column he wrote, "Good Christians." At the top of the other column he wrote, " Stingy, no good, S. O. B's:' Then he would make his rounds, asking for money on the salary. If they said they could not give, he showed them his paper and said, "Well, I will write your name in this column," indicating the right side of his paper. Most people managed to scare up a little change, when they saw Uncle Billy coming with his paper. I was very fond of Uncle Billy. We were entertained many times in their home.

It was the custom on the Walker end of the circuit for the pastor to visit around almost the entire weekend that he was there. It would have meant a trip of fifty miles to return to the parsonage, after preaching at the Walker Church on Saturday night. This was his regular schedule. Then on Sunday morning he preached at Mt. Carmel and on Sunday night at Oak Grove. The church people would get together and prepare a schedule of where we were to be for several weekends in advance. But occasionally they failed to do this. But there were one or two homes where we were always asked to go, if no place was scheduled. So we never worried about accommodations the weekends we were at that end of the circuit.

NEXT - THE HORNER EPISODE