Years of Growth 1919 - 1925
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Years of Growth 1919 - 1925 |
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| The purge of the Membership continued through the Fourth Quarter. Some
13 more were dismissed by Certificate. Over the Charge 123 members were dismissed. A good all day Sunday School
Institute was held at Smiley for the whole Charge and organized to be repeated. In his first Pastor's Report to the First Quarterly Conference on Jan. 16th, 1921, A.T. Cooke, Pastor in Charge, said: We are trying to put on the Educational Campaign as best we can on a four-point Circuit, This work is too important to be neglected or entered into half-heartedly. "We must Educate or we must Perish!' The Second Quarterly Conference reflected a greater interest in the Church. Ten were received by vows, and ten by Certificate. In the Pastor's Report of April 2, 1922, Bro. Cooke reported that the Sunday School at Smiley had on a contest and had more than doubled its membership in the last two months and the interest had increased many more times. Some eyebrows of the "good sisters" were raised when it was discovered that Bro. Cooke had added to the amenities of the parsonage bath with the installation of a chemical commode. -So-much for progress! |
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| In the early years no pastor permitted a year to pass without holding
a revival or protracted meeting, which at times lasted from two to three weeks. Some years a large tent was raised
in the city park; there the Methodist and the Baptist Churches held their respective meetings with visiting preachers
and evangelists. One summer the Methodist evangelist was named Beane and the Baptist was named Bugg. It was referred
to as the summer '"-the Bugg came to eat the Beane." Just as inevitable as the summer revivals were the annual Children's Day Programs in which all children of the Sunday School, even the young people, participated. For weeks the children were trained in monologues, dialogues, acrostics, drills, and tableaux. Adults assisted by making paper flowers, letters, and costumes. Many little angels, some "little imps," bees, birds, and butterflies flitted across the stage. This was the forerunner of Church School Days and now our Vacation Bible School. Another annual event was the Church Christmas Tree. From one year to the next as men would ride along the creeks, they looked for the perfect tree to use at Christmas. At the proper time it was cut, set up reaching nearly to the ceiling in the Church, and trimmed by the adults. Everyone took presents for the whole community. Poles with hooks were used to hang gifts in the uppermost branches and to get the presents down. There would be a program and the arrival of Santa Claus. Bags of fruit, candy, and nuts were given to each child so none would go away without a gift. The next day the surplus goodies were distributed to other children in the community. There were the Rally Day exercises when the church house sides would bulge with the new, old, and prospective members, Study courses, as they were called, were conducted by the pastors and by visiting personnel trained by the Conference for this work. Leadership in the Church was enhanced by these activities, It is regrettable that there are no records in the Church archives for the years 1922 through 1939. Each pastor, during those years, served well and left an impact on the Church and community. Records may be gone, but some "memories linger on." In 1922 Rev. H.A. Seymour came to serve the Smiley Circuit, As we recall, he was new in the ministry and one not well-versed in country living. It was a learning experience for him as well as for the Congregation! At the West Texas Annual Conference held in Gonzales in October 1923, the Smiley Circuit was read out including the following four points: Smiley, Westhoff, Rocky, and Mound Creek with Rev. William Lee Hankla as pastor. Twenty-eight days later the last two points named were taken off. Smiley and Westhoff were made into a Rural Demonstration Charge. Rev. Hankla said this distinction meant that "the eyes of Southern Methodism" were upon us and we could not falter or fail. Rev. Hankla instituted a bit of controversy into the two Churches and communities when he involved himself and "The Reflector" a monthly publication which he edited, in the push for an east-west highway. Large land owners whose land would be cut through, and upon whom higher taxes would be levied, opposed the issue. Harkla, with ads and editorials, aligned himself with the Good Roads Committee. The issue carried, Hankla moved on at Conference, and "The Reflector" passed into oblivion. The pastorate of Rev. Olin W. Nail in 1924 is remembered with great affection. He officiated at the marriages of several couples of dedicated workers in the Church. Rev. Nail went on to very notable work in the Conference. He was selected to be the author of The Hundred Years, a history of the Southwest Texas Conference of the Methodist Church spanning the years 1858 - 1958. He was also chosen to write The History of Texas Methodism 1900 - 1960. Of interest to us is the feat Bro. Nail accomplished while living in Smiley. He considered the "hard water" from the Church's windmill-powered well not suitable for household use so he almost single-handedly dug an underground cistern to catch rainwater for use in the parsonage. |
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Copyright (C) 2002 Smiley UMC |
