PERSONAL MEMORIES OF LIBERTY CHAPEL/INMAN METHODIST

Lennie Banks Proux and Sara Banks Overstreet

Interview 1-19-1997 by Graceann Overstreet Rogers, Sara's great-granddaughter

Submitted by Sara Jane Overstreet

The Old Church--In Granny Sara's childhood, the Old Church was located beside the cemetery on Hill's Bridge Road. At Christmas, there was a Christmas tree in the church. It had holly berries, popcorn on a string, and construction paper rings draped all around the tree. For Easter Egg Hunts, they would boil eggs and paint them.

To divide the church into Sunday School rooms, they had draped curtains from the ceiling. Ben Pearce was the Sunday School superintendent. Each Sunday they would have a group assembly. Every Sunday they would sing at the assembly. Mr. Pearce was not much for carrying a tune, but every Sunday they would sing "Bringing In the Sheaves."

There was a young McLucas boy who had broken his leg. Since wheelchairs were so big, they had to bring the boy in a wagon to the service.

Occasionally, there was a Children's Day. The Sunday School classes--children, adults, and all--would come and sing in the church.

They use to have all-day singings. They would put down picnic cloths on the ground, and spread out food that the people had brought. Everybody took a little of each dish.

The church did not usually keep a preacher more than a year. Sometimes a member of the congregation would disagree with the preacher's sermon. A particular member tended to stand up during the sermon and tell the preacher that he did not appreciate the preacher talking him down in the sermon. That person would get angry and stay away for a few weeks, but always came back.

They had funerals in the church, and a few weddings. Most people were married at the family's house or at the preacher's house.

Granny Sara and Lennie and Lunell joined the church together and were sprinkled. John Ambrose and Nell Burch's children were dunked because she had been Baptist before her marriage.

Genealogy--Sara Banks and Lennie Banks were children of Alexander Gardner Banks and Lula Effie McLucas. They grew up and went to school in Inman until the Inman school closed and they went to Fayetteville. The family moved to Atlanta for a time when the girls were teenagers, then moved back to Fayetteville. They had moved to the city so that Alex Banks could have steady work when farming would no longer support the family. Both ladies are life-long members of Inman Methodist. Graceann Overstreet Rogers is Sara Overstreet's great-granddaughter. At the time of this interview, Sara is 84, Lennie is 88, and Graceann is 12.

Also: McLucas, Hightower, Mitchell, Hill

View Photos of Cemetery & 1998 Cemetery Survey 

[Church History [ Member Register - 1883   [ Member Register - 1887 [ Member Register - 1891

[Member Register - 1898 [ Member Register - 1945   [ Inman - Pastors & Infant Baptisms - 1898-1928

[Inman Circuit Church Rolls - 1935-1936   [Pastors

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