Mt. Olivet News

At this writing I have just learned of the death of my good friend and former fourth grade teacher Shirley Smith (Mrs. Lloyd) Joiner. She had definite ties to the Mt. Olivet community.

As a young child her family lived in the old stone Mt. Olivet school building, then moved to the home across the street from Dees Store, which had been an old doctor’s office in the early 1900s.

Miss Shirley went away to college then came back to teach at the new Mt. Olivet School. She lived in the teachers’ homes that is now owned by Elizabeth (Mrs. Horace) Browning.

She and I worked off and on writing an article about her life, but health problems prevented us from completing it.

She became a military wife and enjoyed extensive travels, then she and her husband came back to Batesville where she taught elementary school for 34 years.

Mt. Olivet Methodist Church will resume Bible study tonight (Wednesday). There will also be Sunday School at 9:45 a.m. and worship service at 11 a.m. this week.

Definite plans will be released later on in the week, but plenty of hand sanitizer and masks will be available. I am going to have to reprogram myself to getting up early on Sundays again.

Shady Grove will have worship service at their regular time.

To wear gloves or not? That seems to be the question. Medical experts have stated that you are only spreading germs if you do not wear them correctly.

A certain store clerk where I recently shopped wore gloves. I bought a Coke and waited in a long line. He grabbed it up by the top to scan it, and it quickly occurred to me that was exactly where I was going to place my mouth, on the place where he touched it with his gloves.

It did not bother me when he became irritated when I asked him if I could replace the drink.

My Mt. Olivet news is slight since I am not getting to see everybody at church. I miss seeing David Tidwell, who never missed. He sat in that same seat probably his whole adult life.

Sara and Wesley Hawkins with six-year-old Landon occupy the little short bench at the very back. They took that seat when Landon was an infant. He was then, and still is, a most well-behaved child.

I am thankful for all the good fellowship that church attendance affords us, but I pondered as to whether we sometimes put too much emphasis on the fellowshipping rather than the worshipping.

Church is not a country club, although I have often written that some are just that. Church is not a fashion show where you try to out-dress and out-jewelry your friends.

This seems to indicate your status in the church.

Church is not a one-owner operation, like a one-mule team?

Don’t we all know churches where one person runs the show? Is that why there are so many little churches popping up everywhere. After all, isn’t there just one Church?

I ran across this anonymous poem that made me stop and think. Hope you will, too. Send me news or call with tips. Home phone is 662-563-1742. Cell is 901-828-8824.

First I was dying to finish high school and start college,

Then I was dying to finish college and start working,

And then I was dying to marry and have children,

And then I was dying for my children to grown old enough so I could get back to my career,

And then I was dying to retire….and suddenly I realized that I had forgotten to live.