BaptistLife.Com Forums.

Anniversary in a Page Six story Sept 13 issue with a cover on Religious Hostility.

About 200 folks attended the Aug 12 two and half hour service in the church where my Mother was baptized around 1936 and her family goes back to 1844 in the region.

Former SEBTS Proff Fred Grissom--the Lolley era, a former CBC Pastor (74-76 or so) was guest speaker. He thanked the church, his first pastorate, for their graciousness and guidance. Grissom and I had an interesting conversation about Collinsville at a CBF Convocation in Atlanta about ten years ago.

My Mother and Father were both present for the 150th anniversary 25 years ago. Both of their funerals were held at the church and both are buried in the Collinsville Cemetery where the stone reads: "The Godly He Doth Set Apart."

Drove through and ate at Collinsville a couple of weeks ago. Ate at a Mexican Restaurant near a Subway, The town appears to be highly hispanic. Has FBC Collinsville been successful in drawing Hispanics?

Intricate story. I don't know how much liberty I have here at the board to explore thoroughly. Short story is several churches rise to the occasion with Vacation Bible School; but my effort to have Robert Parham come to the county last fall fell on deaf ears. I think I shared my letter published in the Ft. Payne Times-Journal in SBC Trends.

Earlier this century there was a vibrant van ministry outreach but it has somewhat dissipated. There are several gripping personal stories, but the witness, especially on the nitty gritty of justice issues has been inconsistent to put it mildly.

Will be interesting to see what History the Morgan sons make over the Holidays in regard Newtown Connecticut and the Bama Immigration story on NPR nationally this afternoon.

Morgan son Joseph now staffs US Congressman's Aderholt's office in Gadsden.
I posted comments on Aderholts Facebook wall today.

http://www.npr.org/2012/12/17/167447908 ... n-overhaul

http://xroads.virginia.edu/~Public/civi ... -south.pdf

. Talked to author Tyson about 2004 at Furman and he was the first to tell me about it, then I got the book in which this essay in appears later. See Link Below. Tyson's movie Blood Done Sign my name was made into a low budget film some scenes shot in Shelby.




http://www.tnr.com/book/review/the-hypo ... -crespino#
Tell Gov Cuomo about Crespino's Book. I read it about a month ago and recommended to Roger Milliken Jr. Completely fascinating

http://www.goupstate.com/article/201101 ... /101181016

Hillary Clinton's mentor has roots in Gaffney. See Story above about her coming to Limestone. I helped get this going after chatting with Ms. Edelman at MLKing's famour 16th Street .

http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=5324

Bob and a young attorney visitted the CBC for a two hour conversation yesterday afternoon. I providentially bumped into the Foundation at a stop near I 59 before they went to the church. We discussed our mutual friendship with Bama SBC Prez John Killian though I was clear my politics differed from Killian and in the brief conversation with the Party mentioned the 32-20 vote of May 28, 2006.

Nice Fellows and I enjoyed talking to them.

I recently brought the following article to King Trilogy and Pulitzer winner Taylor Branch's attention. William Moore of the piece walked through Collinsville in April 1963 the early afternoon in which he was later assassinated a county south, Etowah County.
http://articles.latimes.com/2002/oct/27 ... tm-south43

Below is Taylor's reply to the article:


Thank you for that reference. I had not seen the article by Scott Martelle, which came years after my own work on William Moore in Parting the Waters. The story is very well done. It made me remember vividly what it was like to poke around in hate crimes.

That Sunday is a great memory, one of the highlights of my stay on the membership rolls of Collinsville BC.

I was a leader for bout th 6th grade youth choir and there were a lot of Hispanics in that group including. Christian and Jose, Paloma and Aracely and Jennifer Cortina.

They processed into the sanctuary with olive branches and adult choir rose behind them to sing that morning. Dora Street had a big smile that morn but she is no longer with us. Her Daughter Becky directed the Baptist Choir at Baylor for several years.

I was listeing early to The Reproaches by John Sanders on NPR Heart and Voice Sunday and the classical version of the Sacred Harp standout Absalom My Son. May link the Utube version of The Reproaches Soon. I think some still in the choir and my friends Donnie and Jackie Myers will get it if someone copies the lyrics for them and they read over couple times.

http://www.journalnow.com/news/local/ar ... f6878.html

And see my blog on the Collinsville Soccer team.

In 93 or so Pastor John Morgan took several of his children out of school for the massive march on Montgomery for the fetus.

But here in the most ethnically diverse town in the state, he'll most likely set out the immigration reform movement; set it out for children outside the womb.

Even in the face of Will Willimon's public prophetic witness to Gov Bentley.

Pastor Morgan was so proud of his son Mark gettin to know the Duke Chaplain. But here in Bama while the Bishop was amongst us, nary a word; of if there was one I didn't hear it.

About 7 miles South of Collinsville on HWY 11

Statewide story on Bama NPR. Will have a link for you soon so you can listen online.

http://www.wbhm.org/News/2013/postmansmarch.html

Also google a Stain in Alabama, LA Times.

William Thornton our beloved and out of the closet card carryin SBC apologist on this board has made some strong analysis in the "moderates" thread in Faith and Practice

Using Collinsville as an example and their 175th anniversary, of the two under 40 products they celebrated as testimonials last August, none of them buy the creation science and bogus tea Party history of the SBC, Gov Bentley and what is now the GOP Baptist ideology in Bama.

That is Thornton's hypocrisy, not so much his but the shallow denomination he enables.

I was present with President Carter, Wayne Flynt, Hugo Black's grandson Stephen, Marian Wright Edelman and Kate Campbell for the Baptist Covenant gathering in Bham. Standing room only. I was standing under the glass window blown to Oblivion in 63 when President Carter pointed to that site of the room. At first I was a little nervy since it was one bout 30 months after I was voted off the property of Collinsville Baptist where Momma was baptized; was thinking here I go again, they're gonna show me the door at this Baptist gathering. But I got my bearings.

Later my understanding got deeper. Sharing with the Ivy League this morn and Gaffney S.C. via facebook so thought I would share with my audience at bl.com, my little dot in the Old Redemption Story:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/ ... ary-younge

http://www.gaffneyledger.com/news/2008- ... e/001.html

This woman was great friend of my Dad. Her friend Florence Reaves, the sister of former President of the American Textile Manufacturers Inst and driving force ( John Hamrick) in the founding of the FBC mission Bethany Baptist where my Dad was pastor for 16 years;Both Mrs Reaves and Mrs Sossamon came to Bethany for Dad's last Sunday in 78.

Mrs Sossamon and Mrs Reaves never were quite sure what to make of me, but I had tremendous respect for them that has only grown over the years as I consider what was going on the 16 years in Gaffney 62-78; Race and Textiles, labor relations trying to maintain community; and of course, High school football and integration.