Memoirs of a Preacher
When I became a preacher in my teens it was customary to have another minister in attendance, sometimes my own minister, Rev. Rufus Booth. Rufus was a much-loved man, the life and soul of our Youth Club meetings.
One Sunday afternoon we set out on our bicycles for the remote hamlet of Moss in the Doncaster Circuit. The torrential rain could hardly have been worse. Rufus left me to conduct the children’s service and it seemed to go smoothly but for the fact that the cow gazing in through the window seemed more interested in the exploits of Gideon and the Midianites than the audience did.
After the service, we cycled off to find our hospitality at a distant farm. The four elderly sisters who lived there who never stopped chatting had laid on an absolutely spectacular feast – huge joints of beef, mutton, pork, hams. There were cakes of all descriptions, too, along with jellies, trifles and fruits galore.
All too soon we were back on our bikes and the deluge was even fiercer. Rufus pulled his French style beret down to make fit firmer. At last, the wayside Bethel showed up. We propped our cycles in the little vestibule and hung our dripping capes on the hat pegs.
We were a little late and the group of worshippers were ready and waiting. My role was to sit and learn from my experienced colleague. He strode up the pulpit steps and sat down for his silent preparatory prayer. Well, when Rufus it stood up I just could not believe the apparition that confronted us all. The heavy rain had caused rivulets of purple dye to run down Rufus’s face from his French beret.
He resembled an ancient Celtic warrior in his warlike woad. Nothing could be done and he pressed on to the end blissfully unaware. The purple hue gave him a frightful appearance as he emphasised various points in his sermon.
When all was revealed Rufus typically took it light-heartedly and we had a good laugh about it. When he teased, or you teased him, he had a habit of giving you a hearty thump. I can still feel the thump today that he gave me after I told him about his vivid purple expression.