Remember When: Out of Place Christians

Everyday Christianity

          Blackfoot, the farming community where we moved to in the ’50s, was a long-time Baptist community and the local people were leery about a catholic family from out of state moving in. The congregation was always trying to convert us. But when they found out my dad was a master mechanic and inventor they soon came around. He could fix just about anything and shared his knowledge with anyone who asked. During harvest time he was in big demand fixing equipment that had set ideal all summer. In payment for his free knowledge and willingness to work on others’ equipment first, our farm was the first on the list to get planted and harvested.

 When we had electricity to do the milking during a power outage and everyone else had to milk by hand and lantern light the neighbors wanted to know what his secret was.  He showed them how he hooked a conveyer belt to the back axel of his tractor and then to a homemade generator made out of an old lawnmower, to produce power for the milking machine. Everyone wanted one so he showed them how to make one themselves.

          My parents showed Christian love to all in the community by always lending a helping hand to anyone in need. Since all four of us kids were in school mom volunteered to cook lunch for all of us. There was a small lean too kitchen that had been added to the school building. Dad got the appliances working and some of the other moms helped when they could to make sure we had a good meal at lunchtime. If they couldn’t donate time they donated food. Everyone in the community pitched in to ensure we were fed and warm in the winter by bringing wood for the stove, they wanted the school to be a good experience for all the kids in the community.

          My mother was a barber and she offered free haircuts to any child who wanted one before school started. She would set up a chair on the porch of the school the Saturday before the first day of school and start cutting hair. Word soon spread and before long there would be a line waiting. Being a small farming community we were more like an extended family than a group of kids that went to school together.

          At Christmas time we were always invited to the Christmas service at the baptist church. We always went to be neighborly and not to offend the congregation. We kids liked the bag of candy and fruit they handed out to all the kids. Dad would be polite and thank them for the invite and ask them to come to midnight mass if they were so inclined.

          When John F Kennedy ran for president the other farmers would come to dad and ask his advice, if a young Catholic man could run this country. Dad would always say they needed to follow their heart but that he was voting for him not because he was Catholic but that he was a Navy man, which my dad was also. I overheard our neighbor telling another farmer once who was putting down the Catholics that if he was ever needed anything fixed who would he go to first. The other guy answered why Tom Denney of course. Our neighbor said well, Tom’s a Catholic. Kennedy won in our district that year.

          We lost my father to cancer at the age of 38. We had not lived in the Blackfoot community very long, a little short of 10 years. There were so many people who attended the funeral it was standing room only. The funeral procession was over 75 cars long from town out to the little community cemetery where he was buried. A great testament to living your faith and showing God’s love every day no matter what your religion. Are you leaving a legacy of Christian love?