What Games Did You Play - In Church

[Doc Tinker]

In my youth, it was hard to get a kid like me to sit long enough for dinner, let alone an hour on a hard pew. We were hard pressed to keep our minds busy during those sermons filled with warnings of fire and damnation, on hot Sunday mornings. I remember many a stern look and sometimes a threat of a trip to the basement, which meant a whoopin!



Sometimes, I would sneak in a western short story, hidden in my Bible. All the fogies thought I was reading the Bible, or maybe praying back there in the back pew, but not this kid. I was miles and years away, enjoying life the Zane Grey way.



I always managed to sit by someone who would get me into trouble. It usually started with a jab, or a poke. It wouldn't take long before one of us would snicker and the other would giggle. Then came to looks from the section where the old farts sat. I never thought at the time that those old fart were probably just like us, when they were young. If I had. . I would have laughed out loud.



As I matured, the games became more sinister. I learned to hide my activities. It was really cool when I discovered that I could distract the pastor, right in the middle of the scariest part of a sermon, and make him laugh. Those old farts must have crapped their nickers, when the reverand appeared to think damnation was funny.



What do you remember of those hot days in Church and Sunday School, before air conditioners, when electric fans lined the stage and women fanned their faces with the Sunday Bulletin?



Doc

 

[radixr]

Church Games

I used to play footsie with the girl who sat in front of me in the choir. I also got reamed out by the minister whose daughter saw me kissing that same girl under water at our community swimming pool. Ah!! Those were the days!!!!

 

[jwdeeming]

Soon as we were old enough to not have to sit with our parents, my buddy Brad started "frogging" wars. He'd rap on my forearm with the protruded knuckle of his middle finger. Instantly a welt would swell up about the size of a quarter. After awhile, I'd return in kind. This would go on and on, neither of us daring to yelp or make noise. We'd both be bruised and swollen by the end of a good long sermon. Made it hard to hold the hymnal when you stood for the last one at the end of the service. Or worse, with a good sore arm like that, passing a shaky communion tray was really scary.



Jim

 

[The patriot]

I used to check out the girls.

Eric

 

[Jff24Gordn]

Take a squirrel to church one day in a box. I dare ya.

 

[Briar Hopper]

Heehee , Wayne, that reminds me of Ray Steven's "The Mississippi Squirrel Revival"... .

Church was WORSE for me than most, I couldn't hear a thing. I did like Doc, and smuggled paperbacks in there, Zane Grey, Luke Short, Louis L'Amour . Once laughed out loud when I got to a funny part in one book, and there was a QUIET prayer session going on! Got a scary look from Mom for that one. Worse yet, I dropped a book in front of the preacher when leaving the church, it had a racy picture on the front of it. We were poor, my dress jacket came from a yard sale($2. 00), and the pocket just gave out and dumped the book.

Other times, when I wasn't passing notes with the girls sitting in my pew or in front of me, I'd make scary faces at the babies on their mother's shoulders, in the pews ahead of me, and make them scream out loud. Got away with that 3 times.

 

[Fireman Dave]

PK Here

What I remember most is sitting in church with my best friend giggling - you know how that goes - the more you try not to laugh, the more you do. I also used to draw a lot - mostly hot rod car pics. I had to be careful since the guy up front preaching was my Dad. Of course, I was the first one sneaking out at night on the church overnights.

 

[Bill Lins]

Doc- what church did you go to? When I was a kid, we went to St. Andrew's Memorial Episcopal on Putnam in downtown Detroit- it's now part of the Wayne State campus. Used to be a bakery next door- I loved the smell.



I got traded to the Southern Baptists for a future draft choice upon moving to Texas. I usually sat in the back with my buddies, but one Sunday I was late and there wasn't room back there, so I had to sit up front.



There was a seminary student preaching that day and he was pounding the pulpit and spittin' fire & brimstone like a veteran. At one point he said "And CARS- they're nothing but motels on wheels!" My buddies began cracking up until the student stopped preaching, pointed his finger at them, and screamed "I'm talking about Y'ALL!" Thank God I had been late that day!

 

[DaveN]

we used to play "who can fart the loudest and blame it on someone else". We had old oak pews to sit in, and things echoed so bad in the church that unless you were right next to someone it was hard to pinpoint where it came from.

 

[Extreme1]

Originally posted by DaveN

we used to play "who can fart the loudest and blame it on someone else". We had old oak pews to sit in, and things echoed so bad in the church that unless you were right next to someone it was hard to pinpoint where it came from.

ROFLMAO!!!



I used to be an acolyte and was usually paired up with one of the Church Elder's sons. He was the guy that could pull the nastiest dirty trick, pop a halo over his head and glare at someone else as if they did it.



Got caught sneaking communion wine (with the guy above).



Used to make prank phone calls from the Pastor's office.



Had epic battles with a bully (we got to be great friends).



Got little kids to make rude hand gestures while hanging over mom or dad's shoulder.