nother
prominent family in the Union Church was the different members of a Johnson
family. There were five sisters and a brother in this family. The brother
and two of the sisters were married. Three of the ladies were especially
emotional. If they agreed with what the minister said in the sermon they
really seemed to receive a great blessing. I almost jumped out of my seat
several times, when one of them started praising the Lord. She would walk
the aisle and clap her hands and shout her praises. They were not, what is
now known as "holy Rollers," but were inclined to think that those who shouted
the loudest were the ones who lived close to the Lord In spite of this they
had to be placated at times, because their feelings had been hurt over some
minor incident. That was usually my job. They were good people and all are
dead now. I feel sure all were rewarded with a "Well done." We do not serve
a petty God, but one who understands our frailties.
There are many more people and many more things I could write about this
Union Circuit, but I doubt if they would be of much interest to anyone, except
Troy and me. The pages are piling up on this document, so I will refrain
from further comment. Our closest friends from that section of West Virginia
are now gone. Rev. Harry Miller, our pastor when we entered the ministry
served the New Haven Church as his last pastorate. His wife was about twenty
years his junior and she preached for several years after his death. Her
little retirement home was in New Haven and we tried to visit her each year,
when we made our trip to visit friends and relatives in West Virginia and
Ohio. She contributed a lot to our lives.
