Pentecostal Childhood Memories

We were raised Church of God. Ye Olde Tyme Church of God, back when you were gonna bust Hell wide open if you wore makeup, pants, or a ring. (they are more liberated now).

I wouldn't take anything for it. We totally looked forward to Church, cause you never
knew what was gonna happen.

Like the time Sister Gloria fell out in the Spirit. She had this big old beaded barrette in her beehive hairdo (you could wear bejeweled hair ornaments), and when her head smacked the floor, it busted, and beads went rolling way back down the aisle. You should have seen us kids running for those beads like candy thrown at Mardi Gras. ( not that I"ve ever been)

It was always loud, so we could talk to our friends and not get pinched, like those poor Baptist kids. You could even fart and only smell it, and gross out your friends. Sometimes when i played the organ, I would rip one and get a giggle at how it vibrated off of the vinyl bench.

Brother David would get to running in the Spirit, and make several rounds all over the church, burning rubber around those corners,and never once open his eyes. Now that's real, people.

I loved the music, we had drums, organ, piano, several guitars, you could feel that beat in your chest . "I"ll Fly Away " was the rockinest. (again, I pity the poor Baptist kids, with only the dry piano) .

It was fun to invite your friends, and not warn them, and see them shaking in thier shoes......and NOT from the Holy Ghost, either.

When you go the Church Giggles,it was OK, you could bow your head and pretend you were Touched. .........Except Daddy could always tell, and we fairly often got spankings on Sundays.

Once our little Foster brother, who came from a heathen drug using mother , got in trouble. I think he was about 2. Mama took him out to spank him in the foyer, and we could hear him yelling "FOK YOU , MAMAW , FOK YOU !!!!" (he couldn't talk plain, and called our Mama Mamaw)

Yep, we all ended up getting whipped that day.

We were preacher's daughters, so it was up to us to set An Example. We Set An Example all right.......on how to sneak jeans to school and get them on in 5 seconds after deboarding the bus........and THROW those culottes in that bag!

The worst thing we ever did was sneaking a whoopie cushion into the funeral home when Daddy was preaching the funeral.

DUDE, that was FUN !!! And even Mama got tickled beyond all control. She WAS NOT setting an Example. And when we got home, we got tte switching! and she laughed harder than we did!

Fond memories........except for Foot Washing night.

In the Bible Jesus washed the feet of the disciples to show his love and humility, so every once in a while the churhc would have A Foot Washing. It was such a hard decision to make for a kid: do you stay in the sanctuary to see that water splash when they got to dancing in it, risking getting called up there and having to wash some skank adult feet? or do you just fake the squirts and hang out in the bathroom? I could always time it just right, and see the drama , but take off for that potty at the first sign of a wet-footed adult heading my way. My sisters weren't so lucky. They have horror stories of corns, and yellow , wet toenails.

I had such a good childhood. Really, it was.

In honor of my Pentecostal Raising, I have a new vintage dress up for sale. You can view it at http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=6229188. NOT recommended for a Foot Washing, it doesn't have enough running room.

Good night, and God BLess. and find a Pentecostal church Sunday morning, it just might grow on you!

www.bamabelle.etsy.com