Tuesday, November 6, 2007

The Church of Christ in Empire, California...

I found this writing in mothers things, then I remembered we were sitting and talking and Mom got up suddenly and said, "I'm going to write all of this down," and came back with an ink pen and a tablet. She started writing and finished up about the time the church building was finished. I had forgotten all about it.
The first Sunday of service (in the old building) was Aug. 21, 1955. We met at the old building and decided to buy.

Monday, Aug 7, 1955 there were 9 women and 3 men; Bro Scott, Bro Vernon Bue and Bro Brotherton. The ladies were Sis Lewis, Sis Myrah, Aunt Laura, Sis Hise, Sis Georgia Bue, Sis Drig, Sis Gilmore, Sis Scott and Sis Graham.



The history of the church of Christ in Empire.
Empire was a very small town where quite a few widow women lived. They were getting up in years and didn't drive, and some of them didn't even own a car, so they had to get rides with someone who did have a car to the nearest church in Modesto, to worship. So they got together and decided to try to get a church established here in Empire. They knew a Brother preacher that had been a friend as well as a brother in Christ for years.

The church in Modesto was located in the La Loma district at that time and we all met there to worship. Brother Cecil Brotherton was there so they talked to him about starting a congregation out here in Empire. He told us if we could get a place to meet,that he would preach for nothing. So we began to search for a place. They heard that a little house the Pentecost people had had built on Church St. was for sale so they pooled their money and bought the lot and building and, I guess, borrowed some money from the bank. It was so small we called it the Little Cracker Box.
My husband and I heard about it so we started worshiping with the 6 women and 3 men. It wasn't very long until it became too small so the Bro's all got together and bought the corner lot and started the house we have now.

We had quite a few carpenters and electricians in the La Loma Church and they all came out and, with the help of some other men, in no time we had a church house that would hold more than eighty people. Cecil Brotherton was still preaching so we all decided to start paying our preacher and we paid him $25.00 a week and the longer he preached the more people we had. Of course, in the summer it began to be too warm so the Bros. got together and decided to get a cooler. They gave that job to my husband and Bro Sherman Nicklaus. So we went to Turlock to get the fan and finally got it installed.

Then, of course, we wanted to plant some flowers and shrubbery around the house to make it look nice so one of the sisters and I set out some bulbs she had that we thought would be pretty. The men didn't like it because they had planned something else so that's they way it went.

Then Bro Warren Irogrog (?) and family started and he and I were doing the Deacon work. We called ourselves the Deacon and Deaconess. Someone told us about a family over in South Modesto that was in bad need of food. We got a lot of stuff together and went over there and finally found them. They were living in an old bus and it was a mess and they seem to be glad we brought the food. I don't remember what happened to them but I think they left Modesto. So later all the churches received a letter telling of some people that was traveling. I believe if, I remember right, that was just going from town to town and asking for food and clothing.

Of course, that sounded like the people that we helped and since I thought of how we learned about them that we helped; I believe they came to church on Sunday but I'm not sure.

Well, when they started the new building, Bro. Gilmore would be there making coffee for the crew (the Coffee Man). He was one of the 3 men and Bro. Scott and my husband, Vernon Bue. Of course we didn't count our preacher and wife, (and the 6 women and the Brothers were sister Gilmore and Bro and Sister Lewis, Sister Lucy Mirrah, Sister Scott and Bro Scott, Sister Hill, Ruby, Sister Graham and me, Georgia Bue. I guess that make 7. Bro and Sister Black Taylor these names came up and some of them I knew; Nettie Alsup, Lucy Mirrah, Gaudie and Loyd, Georgia and Sherman mNichols, Vernon Bue and me, Georgia Bue.

Cecil preached black board sermons a lot so that morning we all met and there wasn't anything on the black board but a big cross. His sermon was "Please, Purpose and Plain." Then that night he preached on,"A Friend".

Sister Graham taught Bible school behind a curtain we had hung up. some time the kids would be noisy but that was all right. We didn't mind as long as we could worship God. We were so glad to have a place worship. Sister Hise's daughter met with in the new building her name was Janice Ladd. Now I have found that her name is no longer Ladd, but Wagner.

I had a letter from her one day and she was writing about the time when the Bro's were building the new church building. How she and other of the ladies and mother (Sister Hise) would make chicken pies for all the boys for lunch and how they enjoyed every thing could get to eat for they worked pretty hard to get the house built. We needed it so bad for there was beginning to be too many for our little (cracker box) church house.

I remember so well when my uncle Mack Rayburn was baptized. He thought so much of Bro Gilmore. We sure did miss him when he left us to on to his home in Heaven. And now my Uncle has gone on too. How time does fly. My mother and father both left us in '59.

My mother, Sister Lillie Johnson, and my father, Alvha Johnson. Most everyone called him Uncle Ab. I remember when Sister Graham made the Holy Place in the Tabernacle the Bible speaks so much about.

We enjoyed Bro Dan Hopper when he preached for us and his family. Bro and Sister Pack is her parent. Sister Elsie Lively is Sister Packs' sister. For our first bus, it was named the, "While Wheel".

Now that we have a larger one the boys call it the, "Joy Bus," and you would think so when there is a bus full of kids all singing their songs on the way to church.

Above is what Mother wrote. I'll add more later if I find anything else. But for now, I'll close. Miz Micks.

See ya...