A Bad Experience at North End Baptist Church

Our church, North End Baptist, was pastored by J. T. DeLoach. He was a real hellfire and brimstone preacher. He was convinced that the Catholics were bound for hell for praying to idols, that the Methodists and Presbyterians were bound for hell for drinking and he was not too sure about other Baptist

He extended the invitation after every sermon until someone walked to the front. I believe the deacons decided to give him three verses of Just As I Am before one of them would go forward and rededicate their life to Christ and release the congregation.

Periodically J T would organize a revival week with a guest evangelist. When I was about 16 he brought in Michael Gilchrist to focus on youth purity.

At this time Baptists were adamantly against dancing - ballroom dancing, jitterbug, foxtrot, waltz and so on. Gilchrist’s preaching and teaching centered on the evils of dancing and how we should purify ourselves from being seduced by dancing.