March 19, 2013
My mother took my brothers and I to church at the Raisin Valley Friends Church that was on the corner of M52 and Valley Road, a half mile west of our house.
Pastors while attending there were:
Harley Bowerman and his wife Florence 1935 - 1945 Roger Wood and his wife Joanna 1945 - 1948 Lawrence Cox and his wife Ruth 1948 – 1978
It was during a Revival Service in February 1945 at the church that the Holy Spirit called me to come to the altar and I asked Jesus to come into my heart and life. I was 9 years old. I used to have Bible School on our front porch with the neighbor kids that were often at our house. I used the Sunday School papers that I received to read the stories from.
I remember as a girl, sitting during the church service with Edith Salter, who later married Erving Wendt.
Mrs. Elizabeth Bailey was my Sunday School teacher when I was in kindergarten. Mrs Bessie Jones was one of my teachers. Waldo Johnson was teacher of the junior high students and Edith Salter of the senior high students. Pastor Lawrence Cox and Shirley Firestone were adult class teachers.
The Sunday School Picnic was held during the summer at the State Park at Wampler's Lake. There was swimming and good food, topped off with ice cream.
Some ladies my grandmother, Lila Crawford's age were Mrs. Deis, Bertha Scharer, Etta Coy, Mrs. Wines and Mrs. Sarah Green, who used to take my face in her hands and give me a kiss on the cheek.
Some ladies my mother, Winifred Comfort's age group were Velma Black, Ethel Mills, Marie Emery, Bessie Jones, Lona Emery, Ina Asbell, Adah Slayton, Dora Russell
I was married to Orville Poling in the church. We brought our children to church at a young age as they came along. There was no nursery at that time, so the children were with us during the church service. I did help a few times with Bible School that was held in June each summer. After our divorce I had a strong feeling that the Lord wanted me to continue to be faithful in taking my children to church, Sunday morning, Sunday evening and Wednesday evening, even though I was tired after working all day. God supplied the strength for me to do that.
I delivered the tapes of the Raisin Valley Friends Church Sunday message to the shut-ins. It was a blessing to visit with them and they were so appreciative to receive the tapes.
In December of 1974, I felt the Lord's leading to find a different church. I talked it over with the kids and we decided to visit some churches to see where we should go. We visited Tecumseh Assembly of God where our neighbors, Gloria and Noble Poe attended. We never did try out any other churches. We were welcomed and even though the youth group was my kids and a couple of others, there was no argument about going. The youth group that they left had people that they had gone to school with for years.