Pilgrimage of Joy . . . No. 47

THE DAWN OF THE 1970’s
W. Carl Ketcherside

One of the great regions of our land is that which has been designated Appalachia. It is ill-defined and no one can tell where it begins or ends, or where its boundaries are. It was fortunate in being settled by a people who were often poor but proud, and who were adept in adjusting themselves to wringing a living from the impoverished hill land on which their little farms were snuggled. These settlers were independent, resenting intrusion from the outside and keeping alive their traditions regardless of cost.

One of these was the Appalachian Preaching Mission. All of the evangelical congregations in and around Johnson City, Tennessee join together for a week of proclamation once per year. That is, all but the Church of Christ. Services are held at noon in a downtown theater, and at night in the field house of East Tennessee State College. Businesses and industries close down at noon to give their employees an opportunity to attend the meetings. A different person presides each day, including the mayor, the president of the Chamber of Commerce, the president of the college, the head coach of football, etc. Ushers are drawn from various civic groups. One day the Lions Club, the next the police and firemen, the next the Rotary Club. It is a unique situation providing an opportunity for a united effort in proclaiming a common belief in Jesus Christ in spite of differences in dogma and doctrine.

In 1970 I was selected to be the noonday speaker. I delivered five addresses. There were 450 present for each of these. At night, Dr. Walter Judd, Kenneth Chafin, John Anderson, C. M. Ward, and Wayne Smith spoke in turn. It was the kind of thing which could happen only in this area of rugged individualism. I was invited by the president of the college to sit in a meeting of the entire faculty group and make suggestions as to how to deal with the problem of student rebellion. I was amazed to see the deep spiritual commitment of many of the faculty. The meeting began with prayer which I was asked to direct.

One day I was being interviewed over the local television station when the show was caught by the football coach. He called the studio and arranged to pick me up when I went off the air. I went to the school where the football players were in session. He introduced me and I spoke to them for fifteen minutes, witnessing to them what Jesus had done in my life. I then took their questions. I went to dinner with two students who wanted to talk with me. One was a lad who was a half-Jewish kid. He wanted to know how he could obtain what I seemed to have, an unflappable ability to face whatever garbage life flung in my direction with a smile. He confessed to me that he had tried drugs, done the sex bit, and was now trying to find his identity and the answers to life by being into the comtemplative, meditative, esoteric Far-East religions. I told him that he could stare at his navel until the sun. went down and never find anything revealed except a thread or a raveling, but if he saw Jesus as I did, he would have to get up off his haunches, put his clothes on and start marching. He would have to be a part of the personal answer to the world’s woes and problems.

One week later I was at a convocation of college and career young people at French Lick, Indiana. It was held in the great resort motel which was built in the days when this was one of the outstanding spas in the United States. The wealthy came in their private railroad cars to take the baths. Although the luxury had somewhat faded since it had become a convention hotel, it was still fancier than anything most of us had ever seen. We ate together, talked together, and prayed together. Our lives were refreshed by men of stature who had prepared well. I was resource man in the scriptures. On Sunday morning we partook of the Lord’s Supper at our respective tables. Each little group of twelve participated as they wished. There were 644 enrolled for the affair. It was the largest group which had ever attended this annual event, sponsored by Christians Unlimited. One of the highlights for me was to see Jim Bevis, who came to stay with me during the sessions. The one time I had seen him before he was a minister of education at Broadview Church in Lubbock. Bill Banowsky was the minister.

I went next to Santa Ana, California, and the First Christian Church, a beautiful structure, presided over by Gerald S. Bash and James Stock. My theme was “A New Look at the Book of Acts.” But it was the “extra meetings” in which I found the greatest enjoyment. Most of these were set up by “Skip” Stock, a restless bundle of energy who was always looking for new worlds to conquer. We went directly from my plane to a beautiful restaurant for a private meeting with a brilliant attorney who was a skeptic at the time. It was while discussing with him that I first affirmed that the source of all authority could not be limited by the authority which proceeded from him, and that we cannot bind God by the commands which he gave to bind us, realizing that He is sovereign. I made use of the fact that Jesus said that all authority was given to him in heaven and on earth, but Paul declared that God excepted Himself from that authority.

Each night after meeting those who wished to do so retired to the beautiful lounge which was on the grounds, and I answered questions until 10:30 o’clock. The time was never long enough. A tragic thing had recently occurred. Pat and Shirley Boone and their lovely daughters had lately been excluded from the fellowship of their congregation because of their growing conviction that the Holy Spirit worked in our generation as he did in the primitive church. The elders of the Church of Christ in Santa Ana had commissioned their preacher to go and try to restore Pat and Shirley “to the fold.” During the process he also “received the baptism of the Holy Spirit,” according to his testimony, so he was also excluded. He attended several of my meetings. All of this was fresh on the minds of the people and most of the questions dealt with that subject.

One morning just as we were preparing to open with a prayer a two-hour session for questioning, nine preachers from the Churches of Christ filed in and lined up on the back seat. They were as solemn as a convention of undertakers. It was evident that they had come for a shoot-out at the old corral. It began immediately. The first one led off with a question intended to trip me up. But I saw through the ruse and answered it. The second followed to take advantage of the first. I fielded every ball that was thrown. For some reason I never felt more at ease. I have never been more comfortable. It was obvious the preachers were losing ground and they became more sarcastic and bitter as the tide of battle flowed against them. Finally, one of them gave the others a signal a few minutes before closing time and they all arose and filed out. I invited them to remain for refreshments but they ignored me. When they had gone someone in the audience let out a loud “Whew!”

Three days later I was on the beautiful coast of Oregon at Newport. Robert Church was the minister. The little city was noted for its ocean fishing and surfing. The congregation had experienced serious trials and a great deal of internal strife in the past but all was peaceable at the time. We had a varied audience for both morning and evening meetings. The local Lutheran minister, the Assembly of God preacher, two Catholic priests, a nun, and several others came regularly. It was at Newport I first met Stanley McDaniel. He was a college professor in northern California. Later he did his doctoral thesis on my life and preaching at Indiana State University. It was also a real blessing to meet the family of my aged brother George Hendrix. A number of them came and took over a small motel and stayed for the entire study. Brother Hendrix was an old time pioneer schoolteacher. He knew Daniel Sommer, A. M. Morris, and S. O. Pool, names from my own distant past.

One visit I made probably deserves mention. It was to the Abilene Christian College Lectureship. Brother Garrett and I were together. I was invited to speak one night at Southwest Park Christian Church, by Alvin Houser, who was serving as minister. The place was filled almost thirty minutes before the time appointed. A goodly number of professors from the school, together with several visiting speakers, joined with a large delegation of students who were present. I spoke on “Solving Problems of Long Division” and threw it open to the audience for questions. There was not a single untoward minute. On my return I stopped off in Arlington for an address at the Holiday Inn. There were representatives from 17 congregations in attendance, and most were friendly.

It was a notable event for me when I was invited to address the Prairie Young Peoples Association meeting held at Missoula, Montana. This outstanding group celebrated its golden anniversary several years ago. It is made up of Christian youth from the prairie provinces of Canada and from the top tier of states in the United States. There are always friends from other states and provinces in attendance. The meeting at Missoula began in the Snow Bowl Ski Lodge far above the city. It was snowing hard, and after the initial session and snack lunch, taken while sitting on the floor in front of a huge fireplace, it required a snowplow preceding us to get down to the Florence Hotel where everything else took place.

Workshops were carried on all day Saturday, and I made a speech at the lovely banquet that evening. Sunday morning everyone was up early and the Lord’s Day meeting was held so that before noon the attendants could be started on the long trek back to their homes. Each one was provided with a sack lunch. I found myself greatly encouraged to know so many fine young people. The world seemed a little safer for having them.

During the last month of 1970 I went to Houston, Texas for a forum of fellowship. As there was no church building where all could attend we opted for a neutral place, and secured the auditorium of Lanier Junior High School for the night sessions. Noonday meetings were held in the Downtown Y.M.C.A. and provided an opportunity for everyone to ask the questions which they considered worthy. The meetings were attended by representatives of all the churches, but no announcement of them was made publicly by the ministers.

This was the first of two such attempts, and we reached various kinds of Churches of Christ, Christian Churches, and Disciples of Christ, with the message of peace. Some met for the first time and learned they lived on the same street. The second time I invited Ervin Waters to handle the questions with me. I have never worked with a better brother. He was sharp as a tack, having honed his mind through years of debating. It was a real privilege to be associated with him, and we have cemented our friendship as the years have come and gone.

I presented my thoughts for the year in a bound volume of the paper called “Our Living Pattern.” At the conclusion of one of the articles I wrote: “If we can ever sense that Christianity is not a law but a life, that it is not a sacrificial code imposed from on high but the sharing in our lot of a God who came down from above, our fears will give way to faith, and our heartaches to hope. We will cease to ride herd on God’s sheep and be willing to follow in the steps of the Shepherd. We will substitute the law of love for our love of law, and see the God of goodness demonstrated in all of the goodness of God as manifested unto us.