Not many belonged. Our 1970 and 1980s Chapel Hill, North Carolina church membership numbered maybe 300 souls, including some babe in arms. So small that we couldn’t afford to pay a preacher. We chose ‘do it yourself’ preaching.
Good idea because the Secretary of the University faculty, Professor Henry Boren, was a foremost authority on the Roman Republic. Although he didn’t deliver a sermon but once a quarter, Henry often read scripture from a Greek-language Bible. He could have read Hebrew-language scripture also.
Also, we numbered a few professors accustomed to delivering lectures, including the Provost and chairmen of Education, Broadcast and Mathematics departments. The Math chairman, Bill Smith, also taught the older children’s Sunday school class of three: my 13-year-old son Kelson and his two High School sisters.
Professor Smith instructed my son that he should prepare himself for Christian lay duties such as reading scripture, serving communion, delivering devotions. Then Bill scheduled Kelson to deliver a Sunday night devotional to a smaller number of members.
Say this for Kelson’s devotional, he had learned the secret to a dynamic sermon. He kept his message short.
Skip ahead four years to our Austin church with much larger congregation. The teacher of the high school boys in his Sunday class announced he was scheduling members for lay duties….scripture reading, communion prayers, devotionals.
Son Kelson announced he didn’t need that training. “I am already a retired preacher.”
Photo by Rod Long on Unsplash
