<Milton H Peebles Sr 1967 – Pappy>

Church in my Life
24 Jan 2011

My father was a preacher.  So was his father and his father and this goes back like this for about seven generations.

I’ve attended church as far back as I can remember. I was finally Immersed when I was around eleven years old at a church camp. The Baptism took place in Yorktown Bay near Hot Springs, AR. I remember it being a Wednesday and a bit chilly for a summer night. The counselors tried to call my parents for me, but no one answered the phone that night. Back then there were no cell phones and most people didn’t have an answering machine. So my father didn’t find out until they picked me up later that week. My dad was upset over it. He wanted to be there and be the one to baptize me.

The first time I got up to lead singing in church was down at Golden, TX. That is where my Mama Mart and Papa attended (my mom’s parents). Papa was the song leader and I just stood by his side and waved my arm.

When I finally did lead my own songs, I would get up and call out a number. It was always a different number, but I always sang, “No Not One.”

The first church that I remember my dad preaching at was in Bailey, TX. At that time we lived in Wolfe City, TX. I barely remember attending Vacation Bible School in Wolfe City.

When we visited my Granny and Pappy (my dad’s parents) I always went to Granny’s Sunday school class. But I soon became too old for her class, but refused to go to the right one until a red haired girl got me to go to the right one.

My Pappy was the preacher in Hope, AR until he died in 1984. He preached at practically every Church of Christ in Arkansas, Texas and Louisiana. He was always holding meetings during the summer. You could also add in most of the Church of Christs in Mississippi and Tennessee.

We moved from Wolfe City, TX to Arkadelphia, AR when I was around 9 years old. Soon after that my dad began preaching at a small congregation in Fulton, AR. That was about an hour and a half drive to get there. Dad had me helping as the song leader there sometimes. Fulton is where I first helped serve the communion.