From the Past
Editor’s note: It is always interesting to look at a congregation’s past. This week’s Spiritual Perspectives will feature some past articles and news items. Notes from your congenial editor will sometimes appear in brackets afterward.
News Items
From December 24, 1972: “Bro. Paul Kidwell will be our visiting preacher on January 7.” [Yes, that is Tim Kidwell’s father. Tim preached here in 2000.] Sunday morning attendance for the preceding week was 162, and the contribution was $595.00.
For the week of April 22, 1973, attendance was 235, and the contribution was $830.00.
Barbara and Cecil Lindsley married on July 2, 1974.
Bob Farley and Charlotte Jonas married on September 14, 1974. They became members in November, 1983.
Fred Bogle and his wife placed membership on November 7, 1976.
Dwayne and Nancy Brown placed membership on August 23, 1981. [They moved to Texas in 2003.]
Johnny Rouse was baptized the week of October 12, 1981.
Herbert J. Bass (one of South Seminole’s first preachers), at the age of 90, spoke on January 24, 1982 and at 91 on June 19, 1983.
Joe and Linda Matthews were baptized (April 8, 1982).
April 11, 1982 – Attendance of 319; the contribution “soared to $3,055.”
May 16, 1982 – 381 at Homecoming.
Joe and Maria Leon place membership (8-8-1982).
Luz and Isabelo Villafane placed membership (printed on March 6, 1983).
Earl and Cindy Brooks and family placed membership (reported on April 17, 1983).
L.B. Chastain and his wife observe their 50th anniversary on December 10, 1983.
Fran Peeper was restored and placed membership on March 25, 1984.
On June 3, Tillit S. Teddlie will become 100 years of age…. On Sunday, June 2, we, among 12,000 other congregations, have accepted the proposal to sing only Tillit S. Teddlie songs. We feel honored to be part of Brother Teddlie’s celebration [from June 2, 1985].
Dan Wheeler will be speaking at 9:45 am & Guy Dickinson will be speaking at 2:30 pm on Thursday, Jan. 23rd [at the Florida School of Preaching lectures, 1997].
Attendance for February 2, 1997, was 285.
The 25th anniversary of moving into the building was celebrated on July 13th with Cletus Stutzman preaching.
In September, 1997, Travis and Beth Strackbein place membership.
[Recently discovered are bulletins from 1970 to 1985, 1988-89, and 1997. No record has been found of the other years (until 2003), but by 1997 the Bautistas, the Brookses, Dickinsons, Don Gipson, Jane Hardwick, the Leons, the Rouses, the Rowes, the Walkers, Yvonne Williams, and the Womacks were all members here. Geoff was hosting the monthly movie night.
[The church bulletin had no name for four years; then in 1975 it became The Christian Contender, citing Jude 3 as the reason for the name. In 1979, T. Pierce Brown renamed it The South Seminole Star, citing Matthew 2:2. That name continued through 1990. At some point, probably with the arrival of Dan Wheeler, the name South Seminole Communicator was used. Since 2003, we have published Spiritual Perspectives.]