Gunfight at the First Baptist Church

The First Baptist Church of Mount Enterprise holds an annual Men's Night.  Men and boys (and a few wives) prepare a pot luck supper, and afterward there is a program. Last year I was invited to present the program by the pastor, Rev. Joe Orr. Mount Enterprise is only 27 miles from my home in Carthage, and I was pleased to accept. I had driven past the church countless times through the years, and I arrived early so that Reverend Orr could show me the plant. The Sunday School rooms are adjacent to the Sanctuary, but the spacious Fellowship Hall is separate, located across a driveway to the rear (which would prove to be a factor in a 2017 program at FBC).

FBC Mount Enterprise

In 2016 I presented a program on Texas cowboys, which seemed appropriate for a male audience. Someone asked about my books on gunfighters and frontier feuds, and I responded that on occasion I presented programs on "Gunfighterology."



Rev. Joe Orr

Several weeks ago I was called by Rev. Joe Orr, who told me that the men of First Baptist had requested that I return for their 2017 evening social, and this time they wanted a "Gunfighterology" presentation. I asked Joe if he was certain he wanted me to bring Western guns and rigs to his church and talk about killers and shootouts. But we reasoned together that Fellowship Hall was a separate facility from the church, and we rationalized that it might not get us in too much divine trouble.



Chow line

Several of the men had been students of mine at Panola College as far back as the 1970s and 1980s. I had a great time reminiscing with them and meeting their sons. A long table had been set up for my props, and they enjoyed examining the heritage weaponry. The meal was excellent and the program seemed to meet expectations. A number of men bought signed copies of my book on Texas Gunslingers, including a few intended as gifts. Overall I had another fine evening with the men of FBC in Mount Enterprise.