You'd never believe what happened in the Chatham church yesterday. A large bat flew around the congregation during Sabbath School. I recieved a report about this on Sabbath afternoon after I returned from the other church in my district.

The church member who called said the bat flew close to some people's heads, causing screams and panic throughout the congregation. A member finally caught the bat when it got tangled up in some drapes. I asked the caller if the bat was large and she said that it was "a good size."

A few months back I prayed for a livelier Sabbath School--but this is too much!

Actually, I would have loved to see it all happen and be the hero who caught the intruder but I was in the other church in my district, dealing with the aftermath of a flooded church basement.

The things we pastors have to put up with...

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"He Restoreth My Soul"

Pastor Andrew

Get out the buckets and boots Mabel, the drain backed up again.

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Is what you're living for worth Christ dying for?

Gerry B.

That church needs some good water activated sump pumps in the low spots inside the basement floors and french drains outside the walls under the dirt around the foundations.

When a church or house is built, several coats of swimming pool paint on the exterior blockwork helps seal it for quite a while. Then hot tar it & cover that and put in french drains with layers of gravel and drains alternating. Then put weed/grass preventative barrier over the top to keep roots out of drains. Every few years move the weed/grass barrier and pour copper sulfate & water solution to kill any roots in the corrogated pipes.

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Edward F. Sutton

[This message has been edited by Edward F. Sutton (edited August 11, 2000).]

That week a large number of homes in Leamington got flooded. Things were worse in Detroit.

One member said that he left Leamington because the twon sewer pipe was positioned right next to the water pipe.

We also have an oil line going under the church. We're being compensated by the government for the danger.

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"He Restoreth My Soul"

Pastor Andrew

Woops, no sunday social cookouts at your church.

Pastor "A" if you ever get cranked up good and discide to preach a "hell fire and Brimstone" sermon there, could someone about a mile away video it for me ? We could title it Pastor "A" canada's hottest preacher, an he aint even Baptist.

All humor aside how did you'all ever get so lucky to stradle a commercial oil pipeline ?

The church was built by Pentecostals. We bought it from them several years back.

Another fact about the place. The Heinz Ketchup plant is a few blocks away. There's a large field of tomatoes just behind the church.

If the sermon's bad--the supply is there!

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"He Restoreth My Soul"

Pastor Andrew

I hope they didn't kill the bat.

I wonder how often Pastor A got free tomatoe soup.

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What is popular is not always right.
What is right is not always popular.
Gerry B.

A man named Luke caught the bat with his bear hands while it was tangled in some drapes.

He tenderly carried it outside where later there must have been a wonderful reunion with the bat and his family.

The winged rodent hasn't returned to our church since.

I hope he doesn't invite his family to our services.

We don't want him and his kind in our congregation.

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"A man at peace with God and his fellowman cannot be made miserable."
4T p.88

Pastor Andrew

When I was growing up in the country ( farming country that is) we used to say that some one had 'Bats in their belfry', usually noting that they had a serious sanity problem.

That is what I thought of the first time I saw the title of this thread.
Still comes to mind after all these years.

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What is popular is not always right.
What is right is not always popular.
Gerry B.