Saturday, January 21, 2017

CLOVIS MEN'S BIBLE CLASS





by Dr. R. Gene Walker, CHS '51
Guest Writer

In 1949 Ed Dillon, Baptist, and Tom Seery, Methodist, and 
others convinced Dr. I.D. Johnson, dentist and cattle rancher,
to teach a Clovis Men's Bible class each Sunday morning at
our "old" Clovis High School Library.

I.D. was teaching a men's Bible class each Sunday morning
at the First United Methodist Church at 7th and Main Street...
(just across the street.)

Over twenty men from at least five Clovis churches wanted 
to attend I.D.'s Sunday Bible class....but not at the Methodist
Church....particularly if they were not members of that church.

The Clovis High School principal and our School Board agreed
the "new" class could use the CHS library but that the class
members would be responsible for the facility.

Through the years the class has continued to grow and has moved
to the State Theatre, the Mesa Theatre (now the Norman/Vi
Performing Arts Studio) and the First United Methodist Chapel,
which was located at Seventh and Pile Streets.  The class has
attracted more than 1,000 members and visitors during its  history.
I.D. taught the class for twenty-one years...the class started with thirty
men....they had one hundred-fifty men by 1952.  

A class of about thirty men still meet today at the Clovis
Cinema 7 Movie Theater.  It meets at 9:00 a.m. for fellowship, 
doughnuts and coffee, followed by the Bible study at 9:45. It is
taught by Rev. Chinikidiadi; James Priest currently serves as president
of the class.

The class will continue to serve as a Christian nondenominational class 
to encourage attendance by men throughout Curry County and the
Clovis/Cannon Air Force communities.

I attended at least twice while a student at CHS, as a "guest"
with my father, Roy Walker.

I was an active member for over thirty years and a substitute Bible
teacher for over ten of those years. 


********************
by Dr. R. Gene Walker,
  Guest Writer
CHS '51
15 January 2017
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PHOTO CREDIT...
High Plains Historical Foundation





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