Dear Boo and Bubble,
In the late 1960’s, a movement surfaced within the
congregation of First Baptist in Greenville to relocate the church out from the
center of town on McBee Avenue. The
majority voted, after some inevitable contention, to pursue options on property
and begin a capital campaign. By 1970,
the initiative gained enough success to break ground at what is now the
location on Cleveland Avenue. My old
church was sold to the minority members and became Downtown Baptist Church.
The doors to the new facility opened in 1974. (Captain and I were the first couple married
in the temporary sanctuary May of that year.)
In a symbolic sense, First Baptist mirrored the changing times that
confronted the broader community…..leaving years of tradition behind to
position the church for the challenges found on our future’s doorstep. The implementation of the Civil and Voting
Rights Acts consumed Greenville’s leadership during this time. Many members of First Baptist took an active
role, including your great granddaddy Schaefer.
Ministers from both white and black churches carried the significant
burden of executing a peaceful integration.
Out of this effort came the idea that twice a year, First
Baptist and Springfield Baptist would hold joint services. They were the largest congregations of both
races. It was determined that worshiping
together would send a vibrant, undeniable signal to Greenville and beyond that
we could make the necessary cultural transitions with the steady hand of God at
the helm.
At the time, David Matthews was the head minister at First
Baptist. He proposed that the host
church would provide the meeting space while the visitors would conduct the
service including all music, prayers, preaching and, most importantly, the
passing of the plate. Rather than split
the offering, the guests would take it entirely. This would be a dynamic way to show support
for each other.
The first joint service happened in the new temporary
sanctuary on Cleveland Street. Dr.
Matthews introduced his counterpart from Springfield Baptist, turned things
over to him, and took a seat on the dais.
Everything started well enough as the Springfield choir raised the
proverbial roof with gospel renditions of old hymns and Negro spirituals. The minister from Springfield offered fervent
prayers of celebration for the occasion and the cooperation exhibited by the
two congregations. When the time came
for the offering, he took a moment to tender an explanation.
“At our church,” he started, “we believe that giving should
start from the top. If the leadership
wants the members of the congregation to humble themselves before the Lord and
make a contribution to His work, then we must set the example. And so, when our deacons come forward to
receive the collection plates, they will solicit those of us on the dais first.”
The concept intrigued those from First Baptist, but none
more so than Dr. Matthews who sat there on the dais in front of everybody. As the deacons approached, he reached into
his back pocket and pulled out his wallet.
As the service continued, the Springfield minister preached
a stellar, uplifting sermon that elicited “Amens” not only from his own flock
but also from the First Baptist members as well. At the conclusion, everybody deemed the
venture a resounding achievement.
On the following Wednesday evening at the First Baptist deacons’
meeting, conversation naturally swirled around an assessment of the service. After several glowing remarks underscored
everybody’s basic satisfaction, granddaddy Schaefer raised his hand to be
recognized.
“Yes, Schaefer,” Dr. Matthews responded.
“David, I thought it was very interesting about the offering
and I couldn’t help but notice that you seemed to really be in some distress
when the plate came to you.”
Dr. Matthews hesitated a minute. “To be honest, I was totally chagrined. The only thing I had in my wallet was a
hundred-dollar bill!”
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