1. family and parenting
2. children

S UMM E R 2 013
MulberryQuarterly
A PU B L I CAT I O N OF M U L BE R R Y ST R E E T UNI TE D M E T HO DIST C HURC H
From The
Editor’s Desk
There must be always remaining in everyman’s
life some place for the singing of angels, some
place for that which in itself is breathlessly
beautiful.
- Howard Thurman, African-American
minister and educator
I was applying for my teaching
retirement when my husband, Dennis,
inadvertently entered the teaching
profession after thirty years with GM.
I had said, “You can take the courses at
Wesleyan that will certify you to teach
since you have a college degree.” He
acted on this and upon entering the
classroom, his words back to me were,
“You got me into this.” Later, he said, “I
think it is a calling.” He is still at it and
treats every day in the classroom as a
day he can make a difference in a child’s
life. He is anointed to teach.
Anointing is unique to all of us. It
happens when we feel called to a thing
and have the impetus to action. Gordon
Johnston offhandedly anointed me in
my efforts to write. He assured me one
Sunday that I could write. Before his
assurance, I had never thought of myself
as a writer. I had attended a writer’s
workshop preparing to teach writing.
We teachers then did not typically teach
writing as a subject. But now this writing
was creatively putting life experiences
down on paper in some congruous way.
My own experiences in writing were
dismal and had convinced me that I
could not effectively communicate well
in writing. Remember the teacher’s red
marks on papers?
Oil
by Gordon Johnston
On your head this morning—
it is always morning
where you’ve come to now—
the bright oil of birdsong
says grateful, grateful,
says come be little
in these high temples the trees.
Come fill your hollow bones
with dawn and visions.
In this beginning
there is a call so real
it wets your hair.
Your white shirt soaks
and clings to you.
You are born.
What has made finch and snake and wren,
what has wrought light and the moon
and every rapid on every river,
what has made words and given them to us
as dense and old and admirable as rocks,
what spun the zero void into somethingness—
tea olive and tanager, honey possum and larche,
the turtle its own home, burning tiger and brook trout
and every baby, mildew and sumac and salt,
snow and dirt—
the I am that all is has said
You sing, too.
Continued on page 2
PAGE 1
S UMM E R 2 013
Food For Thought
by Kay Wangen
Philippians 1:6. ”He who began a good work in you will
carry it on to completion until the day of Jesus Christ.” Luke
12:48.”From everyone who has been given much, much will
be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted
with much, much more will be asked.”
God has probably had a good laugh at my expense this
past week. A good many years ago, He began a work in me
which should have led down a smooth straight path to an
idyllic life of easy salvation.
He placed me in a Christian home with parents who took me
to Sunday School and Vacation Bible School. They sent me to
choir, Methodist summer camp, Methodist Youth Fellowship
and every other sort of church activity that came along. As
I became of an age to choose my own activities, I sang in
choirs, attended Youth Activity Weeks, and went on to teach
Sunday School, join a Circle, and repeat the drill with my
own children.
However, there must’ve been something missing. At one
point in the process, I heard a Sunday School lesson that
was based on the basic tenants of many 12 Step Programs
for addictive behavior. The third step in those programs is
to make a commitment to turn one’s life and will over to
God. I realized that day that I was not willing to make that
commitment because I believed I would end up becoming
a missionary or a full time religious worker; and I was sure
I didn’t want to do either. It wasn’t until I finally reached
a spiritual bottom in my life many years later that I did,
indeed, turn my life over to God and began to experience all
the rewards that flow from that commitment.
Fast forward some thirty years to this spring when I was
anxiously awaiting to receive a response to our application
to become a part of the Methodist Nomads group of
“missionaries” with RV’s (recreational vehicles) who travel
as volunteers across the US repairing and rebuilding for
people in need. Now that God is bringing his work in me
closer to completion, I’m sure He’s smiling that what I so
fiercely resisted in the process has become the desire of my
heart as we move farther down what has been a path with
many detours and turns. He has blessed me so abundantly
along the way, and now He expects me to use those blessings
to His glory; and I am excited at the prospect of doing
just that with my RV, my health, and my energy and, yes,
becoming a missionary.
God changes us often in so many ways along our journey to
completion as we grow in body and mind and spirit. When
I was a child I wouldn’t touch a cucumber. Now, one of my
favorite recipes is one for cucumbers and just a few other
ingredients. Who would have thought? Try this to keep in
your refrigerator to serve along with a sandwich and chips
to make a meal.
Refrigerator Cucumber Salad
2 Medium cucumbers sliced
thin
1Medium red onion quartered
and sliced thin
1 Sweet red pepper halved
horizontally and sliced in thin
strips
Mix and pack into two quart jars (or another sealable two
quart container.)
2 tbsp
2 c
1 ½ c
1 tsp
1 tsp
1
Salt
White vinegar
Sugar
Celery flakes or seed
Red pepper flakes
Handful of ice
Heat together all ingredients except ice. When combined,
stir in ice until ice melts. Pour liquid into jars containing
vegetables. Will keep in the refrigerator for up to two
months. You may need to adjust the amount of cucumbers to
fill the jars. Pack them in as tightly as possible.
Kersey...Continued from page 1
Gordon's words placed a new burden on my heart to write
and contribute my own thoughts. This column has become
an opportunity for soul searching and sharing, and now, I
find the act of writing breathlessly beautiful as I attempt to
give experiences words and form. I feel the same purpose
and pleasure editing the words of the pieces members
contribute to Mulberry Quarterly. The act of writing and
editing has become for me an act of service, worship and
insight.
I think that when we are doing what we are called to do we are
listening, and the the angels are singing. Mother Theresa felt
impelled to minister to the sick and dying in the gutters of India.
In this she said that she was doing something beautiful for God.
We enter the presence of God and the angels are singing when we
are doing the work we are called to do. Beauty is there.
by Dana Poole Kersey
PAGE 2
S UMM E R 2 013
Seasons of Discouragement
O give me a home…
Where the buffalo roam
Where the deer and the antelope play;
Where seldom is heard
A discouraging word
And the skies are not cloudy all day.
Growing up, this song was one of my favorite cowboy songs.
Maybe it was better “back then,” but I doubt it. Thankfully,
the skies are “not cloudy all day,” but I do hear discouraging
words as I’m certain you do. It seems like there are so many
people who do not realize the “hurt” of words—whether
written or spoken - and the impact that they can have on
lives. Even body language can speak volumes and damage
strong spirits. One cannot look at a person and tell the
strength of the soul. Strong bodies do not necessarily equate
to strong spirits. A person can look full of strength and be
extremely fragile.
It is easy to become discouraged. Our lives move in seasons,
and with the changes that occur, we become dispirited. Amy
Carmichael in Learning of God, writes “that everywhere the
perpetual endeavor of the enemy of souls is discouragement.
If he can get the soul ‘under the weather,’ It is not what
we go through that matters. It is what we go under that
breaks us. We can bear anything if only we are kept
inwardly victorious… If God can make His birds to whistle
in drenched and stormy darkness, if He can make His
butterflies able to bear up under rain, what can He not do for
the heart that trusts Him?”
Discouragement is something that we all face and its
despondency returns. This unwanted guest comes to us
wrapped in difficult life decisions, problems with personal
relationships, job frustrations, choices that we have made
or our family has made, things that have occurred over
which we have no control, constant criticisms and feelings
of unworthiness, economic woes, or an unwanted report
from the doctor. The list is long and unique to each person
and it is easy to end up in a desert of discouragement where
sustenance for the soul is difficult to find.
When I am discouraged and need nourishment for my
inner-being, I go to the reservoir of great sacred choral
music and to countless hymns. Why? Because the texts give
us the truths of the Christian faith, and the music, timeless
melodies, rich harmonies and pulsating rhythms, have the
breathless beauty of creation. Hope and comfort abound in
the words set by Handel in “The Messiah”, “Come unto
by David Keith
Him, all ye that labor, ye that are heavy laden, and He will
give you rest. Take His yoke upon you, and learn of Him, for
He is meek and lowly of heart, and ye shall find rest unto
your souls.” (Matthew 11: 28-29)
I shall never forget the funeral of Captain David Herr, a
Marine helicopter pilot during the Persian Gulf War—Desert
Storm. His mom requested that we sing John Rutter’s setting
of Psalm 27, “The Lord Is My Light and My Salvation.” As
the clarinet played a radiant and poignant melody over slow
moving chords the text continued to assure with “whom
then shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom
shall I be afraid?. . . When my father and my mother forsake
me, the Lord taketh me up. Be strong, and He shall comfort
thine heart; and put thou my trust in the Lord.”
Katharina von Schlegel wrote these words in the hymn, “Be
Still, My Soul.”
Be still, my soul: the Lord is on your side,
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain
Leave to your God to order and provide;
In every change God faithful will remain
Be still, my soul: your best, your heavenly friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.
The transliteration of Psalm 46: 10 set to the “Finlandia” tune
by Jean Sibelius remains one of the most comforting hymn
texts that I know.
Words of hope and comfort in discouraging times! These
words that have been sung stay in our hearts because we
have experienced them in the process of making music.
They become healing, and our soul needs that when we are
discouraged. Through care and attention to the details of
singing and through texts that link us to the power of the
Healer, we have placed God’s words into our souls that
remain with us as we move into, and out of, seasons of
disappointments and discouragements. May these words of
an old Gaelic rune give you hope and peace in the coming
days:
Deep peace of the running wave to you,
Deep peace of the flowing air to you,
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you,
Deep peace of the shining stars to you,
Deep peace of the gentle night to you,
Moon and stars pour their healing light on you,
Deep peace of Christ, to you!
PAGE 3
S UMM E R 2 013
Forgiveness, Reconciliation, And The Kingdom
. . thy kingdom come, thy will be done . . .
. . . and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us . . .
Twenty years ago I often would walk in a courtyard by a
preschool ministry classroom in the mornings, and through
the walls, closed doors and windows, I would hear the
sounds of children praying aloud their enthusiastic
rendition of The Lord’s Prayer. Only two of those twenty
children in the initial preschool class were in the worship
service on Sundays. Week after week as the congregation
prayed the prayer together, those two voices giving their
unique pronunciations and their own sense of timing were
clear and distinct above the one hundred and twenty other
voices. Praying in concert, the coming Kingdom seemed
to somehow be more of both possibility and reality for the
children than for the rest of the crowd.
In my time in both the pew and the pulpit, the centrality
of forgiveness in the prayer has always spoken to me of
the great human need and of the
great human difficulty. In teaching
disciples to pray, Jesus makes the
necessary connection between
the experience of forgiveness and
the practice of forgiveness, with
forgiveness being essential to
Kingdom living. Could we really
expect to experience the coming
Kingdom without our intentional
participation in the practice of
forgiveness?
On the one hand we know our
personal need for God’s forgiveness.
And on the other hand we too often
choose to be less than generous
in extending forgiveness to one
another. In the matter of forgiveness,
we long to be hearers of the word
while appearing to have little
interest in being doers of the word.
Clearly stated, Paul argues that there is no authentic
hearing apart from the faithful response of doing! By
definition bona fide believers become functioning disciples.
For Paul salvation embodies the on-going experience of the
transformational power of God revealed in the consistency
and alignment of word and deed in the lives of disciples.
While the practice of forgiveness has remained difficult
for us to master, we have had little trouble in moving to a
place of legitimating our proficiency in the practice of nonforgiveness:
He cheated me.
She took advantage of the situation.
They were not fair.
And so it goes . . .
Perhaps if we would choose to draw nearer to Jesus, near
enough to see him again on the cross and near enough to
hear him clearly say Father, forgive . . .
A Glimpse Of Japanese Culture
A Macon group of 11 Japanese ladies
presented a program for Mulberry’s
Young-at-heart. Four are pictured from
L-R: Yasyko Makita, Kumi Kagesawa,
Miki Nishida, and Mika Terashima. Also
shown is Gini Lamback, far right, who is
teaching this group of women English as a
second language. The program included a
video of the 4 seasons in Japan with music,
as well as individual presentations about
the culture of Japan and what life is like for
their families living in Macon, Georgia.
Throughout his New Testament
epistles, Paul continually offers himself as God’s
representative, a messenger of God’s word. Time and
again, he makes the case for the intimate connection
between message and ministry, between word and service.
by Tommy Mason
In his second letter to the believers in
Corinth, Paul affirms that God gives
the world a new start in the offer of the
forgiveness of sins. But the practice of
forgiveness on the part of disciples is
not the desired outcome, but only the
beginning! Instead, Paul makes the claim
that he and his company of disciples are
ministers of reconciliation. After all, God’s
action revealed in and through Jesus Christ
serves to offer forgiveness of sins so that
we humans might be reconciled to God
and to one another.
The Kingdom stands before us, ready for
our claiming, experiencing, and sharing.
Forgiveness serves to unlock the door.
Reconciliation with God and one another
allows us to cross the threshold and enter.
In those times when we are having
difficulty practicing forgiveness, when we
lack the heartfelt desire for reconciliation
with others, and when we seem to be so
far removed from the reality of God’s Kingdom, we might
be well served in spending more time praying with the
children, even praying with the confidence of children of
God . . .
PAGE 4
S UMM E R 2 013
China Doll
by Karen Mason
When I asked about her name, they said,
“China Doll,” and I responded, ”No, I
mean her real name.” We don’t know her
real name was the response. I could see
why that name was placed on her; her skin
was like porcelain and her hair was an
attempted very light blond. She was also
tall and well proportioned. Everything in
the right place and held together nicely.
One morning, while driving home from
grocery shopping, I saw her walking and a few steps
behind her followed a stringy headed girl of about five.
I was drawn to this scene acutely as my mind raged with
curiosity. Most noticeable was a pair of very short shorts
exposing her bottom cheeks. As I continued to watch her,
I saw that her midriff was exposed and that her hair was
orange at the roots and very blond on the ends. Her mouth
was painted very red and beyond the lips obviously to
draw attention. By this time, I was looking through the
rear view mirror and I saw that she had on white leather
high heeled boots.
Later, when I was face to face with her, I knew that if she
had been born into better circumstances, she would have
been judged as beautiful. I made a point of knowing this
woman’s name and there were plenty of opportunities giving her lifts and visiting with her on her front steps. I
learned to call her Malinda, her real name. Her daughter’s
name is Kathy.
What I learned about her from the church was not much.
She had received tickets for indecent exposure, and there
was some indication that the Department of Family and
Children Services was involved. The word prostitute was
never used but there was intimation of this activity; and on
occasion, I would see her in old beat up trucks with sleazy
old men.
Malinda began to make room for me in her life as we
built a relationship although she still walked the streets.
Tommy and I both felt she was often visiting the Church
Educational Building at night. On occasion, Tommy would
find a toy or two left out on the side steps - nothing ever
taken - nothing ever damaged.
Though I offered to help her get out of the lifestyle she led,
she never asked for the help and I let her be. On one of
our visits, I asked her about going to church. “I
used to go,” was her response. I learned that she
sang solos and she sang “Amazing Grace” for
me and I sat amazed at the beauty of her soul.
When I wondered why she had quit Church, I
found it hard to follow her conversation but it
was something about being hurt.
Interruptions are “ life surprises “ and I had
one while helping with the Children’s Choir
one Wednesday evening. “Tommy has sent
me over here to get you to go out to the playground to
see about China Doll. She is on the playground and she
does not have on any underwear ,” a concerned church
member announced. I sighed and responded that I would
see about Malinda. In all my life I had never had to tell
another adult to put on underwear. I saw no way around
it. I called her over and said, “ Malinda, we are so glad you
and Kathy are here, but you have to have on underwear.
Come with me. We are going to town to get underwear.”
It did occur to me that in some cultures we would not be
concerned about this. Nudity – what irony! We come in
naked and go out encapsulated in concrete.
One day, Kathy was getting settled into the van after our
shopping trip and she said to her Mother, “I want to go
back to the Church.” It occurred to me that it was about
time for church dinner to begin. The Jesus in me went right
out the window, and I moved into fear mode. How would
I get this woman through the supper line with the short
shorts on, her middle showing, glaring make up and high
heel knee boots? A solution! I took her by my house and
find her a skirt. After trying on about five skirts and rolling
them up as high as she could get them she said none of
them suited her. Now what? I tried to figure this out on
our mile ride back to the church. I saw no way out. I had
no choice but to get in line with Malinda. As I did, I acted
as though she was my best friend and introduced her in a
manner befitting a queen. I wish I could say that it had not
been an act. The response of the church was one of grace.
Malinda and Kathy never worshiped with us, but for a
while, they came to Family Night Suppers and made the
biggest food mess over in a back corner.
Christmas came and someone gave some money for their
Christmas. To this day, I do not know who gave it and
Tommy does not tell.
Continued on page 7
PAGE 5
S UMM E R 2 013
How Sturdy is Your Sailboat?
There was a young man who wanted to see the
world. He saved his money and bought a
sturdy little sailboat and sailed off into
the great ocean to fulfill his dreams. Alas,
after many days he found himself in a
huge storm. He did everything he had
learned about sailing in rough seas –
dropping his sails, securing his tiller, and
dragging a line aft, should he be thrown
overboard. Unfortunately, all that he could do
wasn’t enough, and his little boat foundered. He
was tossed into the sea with nothing to save him but his
life jacket.
When he awoke, he found himself lying on a beautiful
sandy beach. As his consciousness returned, he gathered
his strength and slowly arose. He staggered towards
some trees nearby. He called out, “Hello! Anybody
there?” No one answered. After exploring around, he
discovered that he was on a small island all alone. He
built a shelter to protect himself from the sun and rain.
Mercifully, he discovered a pond with fresh water. He
found some berries and coconuts but nothing much else
to eat.
by Ron Knight
the tiny island. Then he was surprised to see what
appeared to be someone on the beach. That
someone was waving his hands frantically.
The passenger immediately yelled for the
captain. Soon the ship slowed down and
then, stopped, lowering a lifeboat to rescue
the young man. Before long, the lifeboat
was on its way back to the ship with its new
passenger. The young man was safe and his life
had been spared. He was saved!
Is there any similarity between spiritual salvation and
being saved from a small, isolated little island? Jesus
said, “I have come that they may have life, and have
it to the full.” (John 10: 10) Without His guidance, are
we not just as lost and isolated as the young man in the
story? The apostle John also tells us that God so loved
the world that He gave His only Son. (John 3: 16) And
after the people heard Jesus, they said, “Now we have
heard for ourselves and we know that this man really is
the Savior of the world.” (John 4:42)
As the days passed, his body was wasting away for
lack of sufficient nourishment. He had never been a
particularly religious person, but now he began to
consider that he could die. He wondered what would
happen if he did die. Was there really an after life, as
some folks back home believed? Just thinking about this
caused a chill to run through his body. One day, as he
was staring at the line between the sky and the ocean,
he thought he saw a black dot. At first he wondered if
he was hallucinating, but as he stared at the little dot, it
seemed to grow ever so slowly.
Jesus teaches us not only to love God but to love our
neighbor as we love ourselves. (Matthew 22:39) Love
changes the way we look at ourselves and others, even
those whom we may have thought of as our enemies.
Could it be that loving another is like sending out a
lifeboat? Through loving and being loved by others, we
are all brought back on board the same cruise liner –
earth. Through loving one another, we can see that we
really aren’t alone and lost. The reality is that only those
who want to get off their little “islands” of isolation,
selfishness and fear are earnestly looking for help and
can be “saved.” Those who are just sitting around staring
at the sand or sky and bemoaning their predicament and,
even blaming others, miss help when it comes.
The black dot was actually a small cruise ship, and one
of the passengers was looking at the sea through a pair of
binoculars, hoping to see some dolphins, when he spotted
God is ever so near, but if we aren’t looking for Him in
the form of our neighbors, we’ll never receive His loving
salvation.
Chary Williams
Chary Williams was a part of Mulberry’s choir for four years and her grace and
talent have touched us all. Having graduated from Mercer, she leaves for LSU to
pursue a vocal performance degree with opera emphasis. She asked the editors
to thank everyone at Mulberry for being so warm and welcoming. Chary said, “I
never knew how I, of all people, could have impacted people’s lives. The kind words
of encouragement, support and love meant so much to me. I will always think of
Mulberry as my church home and, its members, my family. God bless you! “
PAGE 6
S UMM E R 2 013
Spirit And Spirituality
by Ann Smith
To believe that one does not need counsel is great pride.
– St. Basil
For many people, the Holy Spirit is a vague blur. We read
about the Spirit being given to Jesus’ followers in Acts 2
but we don’t necessarily have such an experience of the
Spirit. The Spirit and spirituality may make us uneasy
and nervous. Yet, spirituality is simply how God relates
to us and how we relate to God. Because our Western
culture is steeped in rationalism, we don’t easily find the
language to describe our spiritual lives. We may sense that
there is more to relationship with God than what we are
experiencing, but not know how to go about deepening
that relationship. Christian spiritual direction is the
guidance one Christian offers another to help that person
see and name their experience of God.
The earliest evidence of Christian spiritual direction on a
significant scale is found in the desert fathers and mothers
of the fourth and fifth centuries. When Christianity became
the state religion under Emperor Constantine, people
flocked to the desert to seek guidance from these men
and women who had left the cities to preserve purity of
spiritual practice.
The Celtic church emphasized the need for everyone to
have an anam chara, or soul friend. “Anyone without a
soul friend is a body without a head” is a Celtic proverb.
And in both the eastern and western branches of the
church, both priests and laypeople sought spiritual
direction.
While the Protestant Reformation initially rejected many
of the practices that were part of the Roman Catholic
Church, including spiritual direction, the past fifty years
have seen a renewed interest in spirituality and in spiritual
direction. People left the church to pursue spirituality in
other religious traditions or in forms not tied to a specific
religious tradition.
However, practicing Christianity is not only about outward
acts of service but also about deepening of one’s interior
life through greater intimacy with God. People need
not leave the church to find spirituality. Programs such
as the Academy for Spiritual Formation, group studies
such as Companions in Christ, and coursework in many
seminaries on spiritual formation and spiritual direction
are some of the responses to the hunger for spirituality.
As many have awakened to the fact that wearing the
label “Christian” does not automatically mean that they
experience the intimate moment-by-moment relationship
with God that souls were meant to enjoy, they desire
to experience the joy and peace of such a relationship.
Spiritual direction is a path toward a more profound
awareness of and a deeper relationship with God.
Mason...continued from page 5
I thought about groceries, paying on the rent or utilities –
but instead, I headed to Belk’s and wondered what would
bring Malinda joy. I found a wonderful make up kit –
lipstick, eye shadow, blush and brushes, and a beautiful
faux diamond heart necklace and, on top of that, some
leopard pajamas, sexy but not Fredrick’s sexy. Any young
woman would have been pleased.
I called ahead to say I was coming with Christmas presents.
Kathy ripped through her gifts and gave me a hug. I
noticed that Malinda seemed surprised about her gifts
and was smiling but could not bring herself to look at me.
She headed to the back of the house. I asked for a hug. We
were two very different women as she put her head on my
shoulder and began to cry. She did not say a word but wept
as I held on to her and she held onto me. She never said a
word. The weeping! What was it about?
I do not know how the world would judge what happened
next, but in that moment we were one, held by our
Heavenly Father - an intimacy only given by our Father.
Somehow, I was able to see my own rottenness as I held her.
We both knew of our need of mercy and grace were being
fulfilled at that moment. We were one standing in the mercy
of God. I desire to have the words to explain this mystical
experience but there is no language that suits that moment.
It was profound, and I am changed because Malinda came
into my life.
I do not know what happened to Malinda after we moved
away to pastor in another South Georgia town. She comes
to my mind often though, reminding me of the mercy
of our Heavenly Father. I know that I stepped into the
Kingdom with her.
PAGE 7
S UMM E R 2 013
Uncle Lester: Miss
Ida's Spot
by Harold Chapman
Her Christian name was Oneida, but she was known to
everyone as “Miss Ida.” Miss Ida was a fixture of the
Methodist Church, taking her place in the fourth pew on
the right aisle just before 11 o’clock each Sunday. She did
not come to Sunday School, WSCS, Prayer Meeting, or
Sunday night worship— but she never missed a morning
worship service. Uncle Lester said that her driving made
Sunday morning “interesting”.
Miss Ida had to learn to drive her old black Ford Coupe
after her back door neighbor/chauffeur got too old and
moved in with his son on the other side of town. Her
next door neighbor, Mr. Renfroe, taught her basic clutch,
shifting and braking techniques so she could drive to
town on Saturday and to church on Sunday.
The Methodist Church parking lot was too small for Miss
Ida to parallel park, and so the ushers had a plan born
out of necessity when almost all of the church members
began arriving late—after Miss Ida had parked—and
then easing out during the final hymn so that they
could get their cars out of the parking lot before Miss
Ida got into her car. (Uncle Lester said the final straw
came one Sunday when the preacher looked up after the
benediction to find only the choir and Miss Ida left in the
pews!)
At first sound of the whining old Ford coming down the
street, Mr. Renfroe, head usher, would walk out and meet
her as she slowly turned into the parking lot; the other
ushers would place themselves strategically in front of
every empty parking place as Mr. Renfroe directed her
to a large open swath of grass between the church and
its cemetery. (It became known as “Miss Ida’s Spot.”)
After church, the preacher would detain Miss Ida with
conversation until most drivers had time to get out of the
parking lot.
However, Miss Ida never progressed beyond the basics
of (a) pushing in the clutch while she (b) stepped on
the starter and then (c) let out the clutch as the old Ford
At her death, Miss Ida was buried in her spot— parallel
lurched forward in first gear. Sometimes it would take
to the new church parking lot. ‘Nuff said.
her two or three attempts until she got her car far enough
around her circular driveway that it would roll
down into the street. When drivers on her street
Mulberry Quarterly is published by and for members and
heard the old Ford’s starter grinding, they would
friends of Mulberry Street United Methodist Church.
stop until she had come rolling out into the street
Co-Editors: Dana Poole Kersey, Mary Leonard Hurt
and turned either toward town or toward church.
She never saw the need to shift gears either, since
first gear sufficed to get her to
town and to church, and so
everyone knew Miss
Ida’s progress by
the whine of her
old Ford’s first
gear. Since
she never
could find
reverse gear
either, she would
just parallel park
somewhere in the
vicinity of a curb
downtown, and
everyone learned
not to park in
front of her.
Finances: Barbara Knight
Food: Kay Wangen
Historian: Carolyn Kennedy Dominy
Humor: Harold Chapman
Music: David Keith
Photography: Cameron Bishop
Other contributors to this issue: Gordon Johnston, Ron
Knight, Karen Mason, Tommy Mason, Ann Smith
Design: Erica Trueheart, EN Designs
Printing: Sunbelt Printing
The Quarterly is published on the church website and
emailed to members. Copies are available through church
office. Your contributions make this journal possible.
P.O. Box 149 | Macon, GA 31201 | 478.745.8601
www.mulberrymethodist.org
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