Vacation Bible School 3

I dutifully saved the Vacation Church School post cards from the childhood years that I attended. Although we called the two-week event “Bible School,” the post cards use the expression “Church School.”

Postal Card from the Methodist Chuirch in Pine Village, Indiana, 1964

In my first year, Mrs. Clarence Weyls* was the teacher, and the co-directors were Mrs. Tom Builta and Mrs. Robert Davis. The teacher in my second year was Mrs. Enoch Freeman. In my third year, the teachers were Joyce and Betsy, and Mrs. Jack Summers was the superintendent. (Joyce may have been Joyce Snedeker, and Betsy may have been Betsy Builta.) Mrs. Leo Mann was the teacher in my fourth year. In my fifth year, Mrs. Leo Mann and Mrs. Amos Speck were the teachers. (As I recall, Mr. Speck had passed away not long before.) Mrs. Builta was the director.

One of the Large Certificates Awarded Prior to the Postal Cards

I well remember all of the women named on the post cards. They had such distinctive personalities!

Mrs. Clarence Weyls, with the first name of Grace, was named appropriately. She was only a few years younger than my grandmother, and she had a gracious outlook. Mrs. Tom Builta, whose first name was Elizabeth, spoke with a southern accent; she was as welcoming as she could possibly be. Mrs. Robert Davis, whose first name was Joan, took a friendly interest in the achievements of each kid! Mrs. Jack Summers, whose first name was Beulah, was accommodating and kind; she and her husband ran the church camp ground. Mrs. Leo Mann, whose first name is Marilyn, had a lively, artistic personality that I appreciated. Mrs. Amos Speck, whose first name was Erma, carried herself with a regal bearing; she treated everyone with her trademark serenity.

I wonder if the staff members knew what profound effects they were having on children—even if for only a dozen days annually. In those years, I became oriented toward the future that I now occupy.

My mother often warned me that, even though events might be unfolding smoothly for the time being, the vicissitudes of life might well be visited upon me in the future. When such tough times came, she said, I would need to rely on my faith, for, without faith, circumstances could seem overwhelming. Now that I have discovered many potholes in the proverbial road of life, I understand—and fully appreciate—what my mother taught me. Further, I can see clearly that the women of the Methodist Church—with their larger-than-life personalities—encouraged me to remain faithful through every bump along the way. Am I thankful to them? Yes, indeed!

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*With names, I am following the social conventions of the time. Married women usually were called by their last names with the title “Mrs.” in front, as in Mrs. Rhode. Customarily, they could be named for their husbands, as in “Mrs. Joe Rhode.” Now and then, they might be called by their first name, as in “Mrs. Ida Rhode.” Seldom in broader social contexts would they have been designated by their first and last names, as in “Ida Rhode,” or by their first name only, as in “Ida.” Of course, in informal conversation, the first name alone would have been employed, as when a friend of Ida’s was chatting with her. I mention these matters, as I have no interest in writing anything that might seem politically tinged; I am merely recalling names as they were constructed at the time.