Tennessee

[Liza's Note : This is an awesome post that I meant to promote to the front page before the holiday (soy) nog and mojitos got in the way. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.]

Rarely were Tennesseans so blunt the first time they met me. It was more likely something like, “Do you have a home church?” Which of course I didn’t in Maryville. There is no United Church of Christ in Blount County. In Knoxville, one is listed on Weisgarber Road.

During the late 60s, I served as Sunday School superintendent and my husband was treasurer in such a church located in a near-west Chicago suburb. Half of the children went to Catholic schools.

In the public schools, a large percentage of the children attended Catholic churches. When we had pancake breakfasts, mothers of the Catholic children thanked us for accepting their children.

Often the family had a “mixed marriage.”

U C of C history comes straight from the story of the Old North Church in Paul Revere’s time. They often work with other Christian groups to promote acceptance of all Christians.

During college days, I participated in an interracial fellowship group, hosted by Northern Baptists in Iowa City. Southern Baptists split from the national organization before the civil war, clearly over the question of race. In East Tennessee, one finds the denomination further divided with names like Missionary, Independent and Reformed.