"Of Faith and Family" Submission #9

Any influence that faith or religion had on my life and my behavior up to this point began to slowly fade.

Here is the back story to that...

During her freshman year of high school, in 1961, my sister, Barbara, was invited to church by a girlfriend. That single invitation to church started a chain reaction that would mightily impact the Munson family for generations to come.

Breaking ground in the cabbage patch

Community Bible Church was a rather small but growing assembly of believers, who took seriously the command to evangelize the world, beginning with those around them. The church was built on a former cabbage patch on the corner of Norwalk and Alondra Boulevards in Norwalk, California back in 1952.

At some point in her attending church, Barbara made a decision to become a Christian, a commitment that she didn't take lightly and Christianity was introduced to our family.

Barb's new found faith compelled her to share her new world with her brothers. One by one, they made their way to see what had made such a profound difference in Barb's life.

The first church service of Community Bible Church

I don't know how often or how long Butch attended but it was brief. Even though I know he went, I have no actual recollection of it. But as with the whole family, his ties and association with the church would remain. In fact, Butch was married at Community Bible Church in 1969.

Bob's Army picture - about 1970

I do remember Bob going and his involvement in the church was steady throughout his high school years, even leading the congregation in singing on occasion. He was active with the youth group and really seemed to embrace this new way of life. But the evidence of that faith seemed to disappear when Bob returned from his tour of duty in Korea with the Army. A lot of things changed when he came back from overseas.



Barb and Bill stayed with the stuff pretty faithfully. Especially Bill. When we moved back to Iowa after dad's passing, Bill lasted only a few months before he headed back to live in California. He had his heart set on two things; becoming a minister and landing the pastor's daughter as his bride. Both dreams eventually became a reality.

Me, Barb, Bill and Butch in 2013. Brother Bob... looking down from heaven.

I clearly recall my first experience at the church. I was four or five years old and Barb had brought me with her one Sunday evening. We sat on the second row, on the right side, facing the pulpit.

I soaked in my surroundings and everything that was happening around me. The wooden pews were hard and uncomfortable. The church building had huge wooden arches supporting the roof. There was a side door leading to the outside to my immediate right and a picture of a long haired, bearded man hung on the wall, next to the door.

The skinny talker man - Pastor RG Osborne

I even listened to the tall skinny man up front as he talked and sometimes yelled at us for nearly an
hour. He was a very serious man and seemed to have a recurring theme throughout his talk. He kept talking about someone named "Jesus" and that I needed to get to know him because he was coming back soon. Back from where? I didn't know but my wheels were turning.



When the man quit talking and told us to bow our heads, I disobeyed because my eyes were fixed on the picture next to the side door. I was pretty sure I had figured it out. The long haired man in the picture must be that "Jesus" guy the preacher kept talking about.

When the service ended and the congregants started filtering out of the sanctuary, I stayed put, still staring at that picture with an occasional glance at the side door.

When Barb told me it was time to go home, I shared with her what I had figured out. "This picture is Jesus and the talker said he was coming back. I don't know why everyone is leaving before he gets here. I think he might be coming through this side door and so I want to be the first one to see him when he comes."

Barb, me and Butch - 2014

I was crushed when Barb explained to me that Jesus probably wasn't coming back that night. I felt
deceived by the skinny man with the white shirt and black tie. I guess the silver lining was that now I knew what he looked like. I would be sure to recognize him once he did decide to come back.

With the influence of Barb and Bill, I was pretty regular with my church attendance up until the point of my dad's death. With a steady diet of teaching from the good book, I had a decent grasp on right and wrong. I was far from perfect but I wasn't a bad kid.

When we moved to Iowa, I recall attending church a handful of times but found it overwhelmingly dull and boring. That, coupled with the fact that Bill had moved back to California, I quit attending church.

Brother Bill - 2013

If there is one thing that Bill has done a remarkable job of over the course of my life, particularly my pre-adult years, it has been his loving ability to hold me accountable for my spiritual life. When my allocation of time on this earth is about spent and I evaluate who had the most significant, earthly impact on my existence, there will be no hesitation, it's not even close... it will be my blessed brother Bill... with an assist from Barb and the Community Bible Church of Norwalk, California.

However, at that point in my life, Bill's influence could not be felt from 1,700 miles away.

I had emotionally separated myself from my mom and had drifted from my religious roots. Those two facts spelled trouble and that trouble began to manifest itself.