By Madge Watkins, Church Bus Driver and guest columnist
A lot of people asked me on this Super Bowl Sunday why do we need a column devoted to Church Bus Drivers and riders? Well sometimes I ask myself the same thing. There are not many people willing to get up extra early on a bitter Sunday morning to climb onto a cold bus and drive all over western Hanover to wake folks up and take them to church. And we know how it is to be slighted in the media. A marketing survey shows that in the last 25 years there have been only 2 articles devoted to Church Bus driving (Reformed Church Messenger, April, 1988; “Death Takes its Tollroads” and the Richmond Times-Dispatch, June 21, 1997; “Church Bus Plunge Injures seven”).
Each week Church Bus Sunday on Newsfromdoswell will address the challenges and concerns and yes, the fun of of church buses. Today, I will present three helpful tips to make your ride on the church bus even more spiritual and enjoyable.
1. The ride to your place of worship can be long. Take food if needed. Vegetarians should ride in the back of the bus.
2. If you go to church on Saturday, keep in mind the Jewish Church buses are rolling then also. Take care not to get on the wrong bus. A faithful rider and friend, Julianetta, said that the way to tell the difference between a Jewish and a Gentile church bus is that the tail pipe on the Jewish bus is a little bit shorter. Also, watch the driver at intersections: A Gentile driver always looks left to right, while Jewish drivers always look right to left. If you still have problems, you may want to skip church on Saturday.
3. Finally, have a designated rider carry a pitch pipe. The Holy Spirit is frequently on the bus and you want to raise your voices in song but the whine of the church bus engine is not a key of any hymn I know, including those tricky ones by Isaac Watts.
Next week I will address the history of the church bus. You may be in for a surprise!
Sincerely, Madge Watkins
A lot of people asked me on this Super Bowl Sunday why do we need a column devoted to Church Bus Drivers and riders? Well sometimes I ask myself the same thing. There are not many people willing to get up extra early on a bitter Sunday morning to climb onto a cold bus and drive all over western Hanover to wake folks up and take them to church. And we know how it is to be slighted in the media. A marketing survey shows that in the last 25 years there have been only 2 articles devoted to Church Bus driving (Reformed Church Messenger, April, 1988; “Death Takes its Tollroads” and the Richmond Times-Dispatch, June 21, 1997; “Church Bus Plunge Injures seven”).
Each week Church Bus Sunday on Newsfromdoswell will address the challenges and concerns and yes, the fun of of church buses. Today, I will present three helpful tips to make your ride on the church bus even more spiritual and enjoyable.
1. The ride to your place of worship can be long. Take food if needed. Vegetarians should ride in the back of the bus.
2. If you go to church on Saturday, keep in mind the Jewish Church buses are rolling then also. Take care not to get on the wrong bus. A faithful rider and friend, Julianetta, said that the way to tell the difference between a Jewish and a Gentile church bus is that the tail pipe on the Jewish bus is a little bit shorter. Also, watch the driver at intersections: A Gentile driver always looks left to right, while Jewish drivers always look right to left. If you still have problems, you may want to skip church on Saturday.
3. Finally, have a designated rider carry a pitch pipe. The Holy Spirit is frequently on the bus and you want to raise your voices in song but the whine of the church bus engine is not a key of any hymn I know, including those tricky ones by Isaac Watts.
Next week I will address the history of the church bus. You may be in for a surprise!
Sincerely, Madge Watkins
Photo: Vol. 1, no. 1 of Church Bus Magazine, courtesy of the Dixie Treat Mobile Home Court Archives
