Church

I really can’t remember not going to church and Sunday School…The Antigonish Baptist Church was a very small church. We had a resident minister and if there was a gap between ministers, sometimes a “supple” was sent from Wolfville, N.S., where a lot of retired ministers lived. They would come by train Saturday and leave Monday.

Our family always sat in the second pew left of center. The little organ had pedals which had to be pumped by foot and it was just in front of the first pew. Our heat came from a wood burning stove…

When joining the Baptist Church new members were baptized by being fully immersed in a large tank at the front of the church called a baptistery. In our church the tank for the immersions was under part of the floor of the pulpit. The floor was pushed to one side when needed…

After we reached church and settled in the pew, Dad passed money for each child to put in the collection plate…

I was reminded that we may worship God anywhere. One of my favorite walks in Antigonish was to St Ninian’s Cathedral. There was no lock on churches then, so I could go inside and quietly meditate, drink in the beauty of the striking paintings and admire the stained glass windows. God seemed very near then…