by Mike Patrick

Sometimes situations arise at church to put a smile on your face. And yet, perhaps these can serve as signals that point us to needed lessons. The following three humorous stories that I witnessed or heard through the years provide food for thought.

Dr. Elwin Skiles

In the late 1970s, just a few years before Ruth Skiles’ death, she shared with a group of Abilene pastors some stories about her husband, Dr. Elwin Skiles, then president of Hardin Simmons University. As a young married couple during World War II, he pastored a church where many of the men had gone to serve their country in war. He convinced a woman who sang in the choir to lead the music, but she refused to stand in the pulpit. So, she led the singing from the choir loft. Because she had to hold her hymnal in both hands, the church rigged up a foot pedal where she could pat her foot to signal the tempo of the music. The pedal connected to a red lightbulb that glowed with every tap of her foot. When the music concluded, young pastor Skiles stepped to the pulpit to preach.

On a hot summer day in the 1940s, when no one had air conditioning, the older men of the church placed a large block of ice in the baptistry and hooked up a strong fan to blow cool air out toward the congregation. Because the wind from the fan blew so strong, young Elwin wore a hair net to preach his sermons. 

It was almost too much for those of us who listened to a smiling Mrs. Skiles because he was such a proper presidential type. 

I suppose many of us would pray that we had a strong, rushing wind, or even the sound of it as in Acts 2, that would blow renewed spiritual vitality in the church.

Dr. Gage Lloyd

In the early 1980s, I pastored a Baptist church in Big Spring, Texas. Dr. Gage Lloyd, a local retired Presbyterian pastor, would attend our evening services from time to time since the Presbyterians did not have services on Sunday night. He shared with me a story about a hot summer in his church many years ago.

As his customary practice, Dr. Lloyd wore a robe in the pulpit each Sunday. Having a hot west Texas summer and no evaporative air conditioning working one particular Sunday, he decided that he would slip off his dress pants that morning before heading to the sanctuary. After all, his robe would conceal the change. During his sermon, he sweated profusely and decided he needed to wipe his brow. Having forgotten that he removed his pants, with one hand he reached to lift his robe to retrieve a handkerchief from his back pocket. He said, “The choir fell out.”

I suppose we could use a little heat in the pulpit whether it be to warm our hearts or to singe our consciences.

Dr. Peter James Flamming

This last story was told to me third-hand. I never knew for certain its accuracy. On January 15, 1978, the Dallas Cowboys would play in their first-ever Sunday night Super Bowl game (Their first Super Bowl game was in the afternoon). That created a tension for some pastors and churches. Dr. Flamming, pastor of First Baptist Church, Abilene, at the time, decided he would be creative himself and make the best of the situation. He suggested to the deacons that they could record the game, and then have an after-church men’s fellowship to watch the game together. One of the deacons replied, “Bro. Jim, we would rather watch the game and record you.”

I suppose there is a time when we need to struggle with our priorities.

Mike Patrick is retired as Chaplain and Ministry Education Coordinator at Hendrick Medical Center