Protracted Meetin’ 2008

The last two weeks of July and the month of August was a time when farmers and their families could take a step back and not work as hard.  Spring was always a hard time  — tilling the soil, planting the seed and then tending the crop.  The weeks in mid summer were reserved for revival or what was called Protracted Meetin.’  Protracted Meetin’ was a two-week affair with services held mornings and nights.  Morning services usually started at 10:00 or 10:30 and evening services at 7:00.  The Methodists held their revivals at one time and Baptists held theirs at another — that way people could attend both.

The Corner Church

I well remember such meetings being held in the old building at Macedonia # 1, which is some mile and a half from The Windy knoll and, of course, we walked to the church services.  This quaint old church was built in a different manner than we see churches today — it had a right section, a left section and a middle section — all sections faced the pulpit.  As one faced the pulpit, in the left section was the amen corner where all the men sat and the women occupied the right-hand section.  The middle was for younger folks and visitors. Pews as we know them today, were then called benches and were homemade with, sizable cracks between the boards — no padding.  The very front bench in the amen corner was the mourner’s bench and it was well-filled at Protracted Meetin’ time.  I remember my time at that bench.  Mother came and squatted behind me as we prayed.  She had on a beautiful rayon-type dress, but I can still see that under skirt (slip) which showed when she squatted — it was made of sacks.  Why do I remember that detail?

Another revival I frequented as I got older was the Methodist one held at Skirum.  I would go spend a few days with cousins who lived there and walked to church.  After evening services the road would be full of young folks walking home as a group. It was a social time for youngsters — especially such as me who seldom had opportunity to see others during the summertime.  Of course, pairs walked together, too — still a part of the group, but walking side by side.

Psalms 23

During services, nighttime especially,  babies slept on pallets under the pews and mother carried water in a pint fruit jar for the little ones to drink.  Maybe a snack of some kind would be nearby as well.  No air conditioning, and windows were raised high with hopes that a cool breeze would pass by.  Funeral home fans were the order of the day, but it was still hot in with all the body heat.  Hell fire and damnation were the general topics from the pulpit.  At altar-call-time, good saints of the church would go talk to some young man or woman about coming to the altar for prayer.  Very embarrassing for those young people.  Today, a man John’s age, tells the funniest story about one lady headed to the back of the church and this young fellow knew she was headed his way.  The young man jumped a bench and crawled out an open window, but as he jumped he snagged his leg on an exposed tip of a nail making quite a bad opening.  So the story goes, that man carried a scar from that episode to his grave.

Another story I recently heard was about a church service at Skirum Baptist Church many years ago — not sure it was protracted meetin’  but during the service a loud BLAP came from the back of the church.  On investigation it was discovered a  teenaged boy had used a hymnal to kill a snake as it crawled along under the benches.

Of course, food was a big item during these times.  The visiting preachers always went from house to house to eat and every lady tried to outdo the other.  At this time of year, gardens were flourishing, apple trees were producing and fryers were large enough to kill, so getting food to cook was not a problem.  Most folks cooked on wood stoves, so it was a hot job.  We always brought out the  very best at our house and fried chicken was most always the meat.  My mother could make the very best apple pies — she call them plate pies.  They were double-crust pies and she cooked and mashed the applies. I have tried over and over to duplicate that specialty, but to no avail.  Today, people use apple pie spice — she used allspice with a little butter for seasoning.  I can still see those pies — usually made in pairs on Saturday — setting in the china cabinet (with glass doors).  We always had to save them for Sunday — “somebody just might come with us from church.”

This was a different day and time, but it’s how things were done with that style of country living