Not quite a native Ripley Countian - she attended only her last year of high school in Doniphan though she taught in the R-1 system for 32 years - Teresa (Pearson) Lee delights in surprising readers and herself with anecdotal observations of life in general. Maybe you can blame her St.Louis roots for a quirky humor and some slightly-askewed opinions, but never doubt she writes from the heart.

Church Ladies (First of 3)

Posted Wednesday, February 1, 2023, at 6:57 PM

Each time I visit this building, I recall how gigantic this set of stairs seemed peering up from the bottom or looking down from the top! And now...how gigantic the view makes ME seem.

Mt. Pleasant Church in Pitman, Arkansas is where my preschool concepts of church life and its people began forming. (It’s close to Supply and takes its name from the ferry that crossed Current River nearby). Some vivid memories include huge pews and swift walks with Dad on a squeaky wood floor to the perilously tall front steps out the imposing front doors. I did not have it in my DNA to sit still and be quiet, so we made that long walk for my spankings. That had to create more ruckus than whatever it was I was doing to merit the ‘walk’ and I have a feeling Mom agreed.

It is there I met my first church lady. She wore pretty flowered dresses and played the piano and always smiled. Everyone was nice to her and she was nice back. She seemed to know the names of everyone in the world. And sometimes she let me sing in the choir. Her name was Anna Mae Carrens. Our paths would cross again when we moved back to the area when I was a teenager.

We moved to St. Louis when I started kindergarten. My church was huge, had two services on Sunday and lots of activities throughout the week. There were so many grownups but only a few of them knew my name. I learned some of their names by reading them in the bulletin. The man who directed the choir was Robert ‘Bob’ Murphy and his wife was Gloria, the church organist. (I didn’t consider Gloria a church lady). ‘Aunt’ Myrt Gossett was the only church lady I knew there though I seldom saw her because she attended early service. She was an older family friend from Steele who seemed to know the names of everyone in the church which seemed almost as big as the world.

The word count beast is stopping me for now. How does one make my list of church ladies? Did/Do I know any more? Next week I will continue my exploration. (Today I’m joining some ladies from church for lunch. I’m not sure that makes me one).