Memories 1951 – 2011

Cypress Missionary Baptist Church was organized on April 27, 1951, and has been active in spreading the gospel in the South Sacramento/Elk Grove area for 60 years.

The memories below are part of a Memory Booklet comprised of loving and fond memories of those influenced by the church’s existence.

 

May 13, 2011

Dear Brethren at Cypress,

Hello from Cashmere and the beautiful northwest.
Congratulations as you celebrate sixty years of serving the Lord
together!  We would like to have been there to share this celebration in person, but unfortunately are unable to attend at this time.  What a blessed milestone for a church to come to, trusting that there will be many more years of carrying out the Great Commission together.

As I think of my years at Cypress, first as a child growing up through adulthood and then as your pastor, I have been impacted greatly by those whom God has brought through the doors of the church these many years.  Lifelong friendships have been forged, spiritual insight has been shared, and wonderful memories have been made.  God has proved Himself faithful in every sense, and I stand in awe of His grace in my life.

You took me under your wing as a young preacher and allowed me (through the mentoring of our wonderful pastor, G.A. Williams) to grow in Bible knowledge and experience, encouraging me during my time in seminary, and then calling me as your pastor.  It’s hard to believe that it’s been nearly seventeen years since I left the pastoral ministry there and went to the mission field in Albania.  My how
time flies!

Sarah and I wish you the best on this special day, and have fond memories of serving together with you.  May God bless you all.

Yours in Christ,

Brian Ross

 

 

 

In February of 1955, I was saved and became a candidate for baptism.  The church was installing a baptistery and as it was the first among the churches in the area, all were saving their candidates for a joint baptizing.  The services had been set for February 13^th on a Sunday afternoon.  I was 23 years old, mother of two, and had never witnessed a baptizing by immersion.
I had been “sprinkled” as a 5 year old into the Lutheran church and as a teenager, again “sprinkled” into the Methodist church.

The day of the baptism service, our church was packed full.  The singing was beautiful with everyone singing in harmony – something I had never heard in my churches.  I was extremely nervous this day, as I have a fear of water, having never learned to swim. I certainly would never put my head under water! The Cypress candidates were the first in line.  Sis. Lela Johnson before me – and she came up shouting!  I worried that I, too, would come up shouting!  They tell me I didn’t shout
and they tell me I didn’t drown.  They didn’t tell me the water would be freezing (no water heater), and they didn’t tell me to bring a towel (I should have figured that out myself).  So, how many tea towels borrowed from the kitchen do you think it took?

God blessed me that day in my obedience to follow Jesus in scriptural baptism though I was so unlearned and timid.  He in so many ways continues to bless me today, 56 years later.

Thank you Lord!

Janice Ross

 

 

 

From Sharon Twomey:

Saved at 9 years under Bro. Henry Nance
Still feels like home church
Many Vacation Bible Schools
Many singing experiences
Sooo many friends
So many good memories

 

 

From Carolyn Martin:

Hi there….as for me being retired, guess that will happen in another several years, for as long as the Lord allows me my health I will keep
my “day job” as Claude calls it.   As for the anniversay date, our schools are still in progress at that time and also graduations are going on.

We had just moved out onto Bradshaw Rd about Aug 1, 1951.  I
was 4 yrs old and Sister Joslin and Sister Magee came to our place and invited us to church.  It was in the old Japanese School building… (I  was sure hoping that building would have been on the register of historic buildings..and been preserved.  I hated to see it go.)  At times mom would drive us to church and drop us off,  then other times we would walk.  So many happy memories there…like the night that dad said to Uncle Charles “I’m ready to go, are you?” and they both walked down the aisle to be saved or rededicate their lives.  I don’t know if they were saved before and hadn’t commited to the Lord or what as I was very young, but I do remember that night.

Bro. Nance with wife, Kathrine and son, Buddy…what a deep base
voice he had.  Of course his wife’s name was Loretta I believe.  Bro.
Spradlin and wife, Agnes…son Jackie.  He was 14 months younger than me, but I had a crush on him that wouldn’t quit.  And would you believe that Sis. Spradlin didn’t know FOR 2 YEARS that I belonged to the Johnson family.  She thought I was a neighbor girl that they were faithful in taking to church.  We were at  the EG park for a church gathering and I said something to mom “Hey mom, could I…?”  and she turned and said, “she’s your mom?”  I said yes she is….  then that is when she told us about her thinking I belonged to a neighbor….It just blew her mind.   Then Bro Nance came back and he was the one that married Claude & Me.  Then Bro. Counts.  In all the years we were at Cypress, those were the only pastors we had.  How I miss my HOME
church!!!!    I have to tell you that when our #2 son, Dennis, was about 9 yrs old that we made it to church there..it had been 6 yrs since we
had made the trip to CA…so naturally we all had changed a lot!!!
Herschel Smittle was greeting folks as they came in.. he reached out to shake my hand and I looked him square in the eyes and said “My name is Carolyn JOHNSON Martin” he started to say “nice to meet you” but he didn’t get it all out when it hit him who I was.  He grabbed me and hugged me…looked at Dennis and said “she used to be my girlfriend”.
You see, I used to go home with Phyllis when she was still dating him…and then there’d be times we’d go over to his folks… I was just a little one they always took places with them.  Anyhow, after we left church that afternoon, Dennis asked me “mom how long did you date him?”  we just died laughing!!!  OH THE MEMORIES!!!

Give our love to all,

Carolyn Martin

 

 

 

From Helen Dees:

My Dearest Friends at Cypress Missionary Baptist Church,
I so regret that I cannot be there with you on this very special occasion. Thank you all for wanting me to come.
I have so many good memories of my time with you.  I love you all and
thank God for the memories – I really enjoyed seeing the Ross boys growing up – and the time I tried cutting their hair when they were young!
I haven’t been well and I have a Dr. appointment the same week – a stomach specialist- so I must keep that.  Please give my love to all that I will miss them – my regrets – God bless all of you.
My love to you,
Helen Dees

 

 

From Bro. Luther D. (Doug) Perdue:

Cypress Church has many fond memories to me.  I was your missionary for several years during which time the 1st Baptist Church in Talent, OR was organized and had property paid for.  Also, the 1st MBC of Santa Rosa was organized.  I pastored the Landmark BC of Sacto for 8 1/2
years and had sweet fellowship the entire time with your church.  Pastor Joe Spradlin was my 1st cousin and Henry Nance a very dear friend.  Sonny Williams surrendered to preach under my pastorate at Oakdale.

 

 

From Lela and George Johnson (1996):Cypress Church has been a lighthouse on Bradshaw Road for such a long time.  We spent 15 years
there which we shall never forget.
George and I were baptized there and all 7 of our children were saved
and baptized there.  We also had 2 sons that surrendered to preach while we were at Cypress.  We are so thankful for the dear preachers
that preached God’s Holy Word there to us.
I thank God and praise Him for all he has done for us.  We love all you dear people very much.  Keep on serving God and being a great
lighthouse there for God.

 

 

 

From Irma (Cooper) Welch (2001):

There are several members there at Cypress that I got to see
back when my mother, Mildred Cooper Duncan died in 1997.  I sure did enjoy fellowshipping with them.  A lot of us were kids or young
marrieds when Cypress was organized.  Been a mighty long time ago!  My prayers and thoughts are with all of you at this time, and I hope you will remember me and my family in your prayers too.

God be with you all.

 

 

 

From Bro. Roger Bowline:

The Eastside MBC of Stockton, where I grew up, was very
interested in the organization of Cypress.  I can remember being present with my parents on several occasions.  I was present at the organization (although just a lad).

 

 

 

The Pulpit

Today is “The Day.”  The day I will cease to exist in the fashion I was created.  Several months ago I was taken from the church sanctuary and set outside.  I thought I was still doing a good job, even though a few repairs and a little varnish wouldn’t have hurt anything.  But evidently there were those who thought I was outdated.

When I was designed and built fifty years ago, I was placed at center stage in the first sanctuary, which is now the church foyer.  Seven years later I was moved into the sanctuary that now exists.

I have served all the pastors of the Cypress Church, from the first, Bro. Henry Nance, to the present, Pastor Bob Ross.  Numerous visiting preachers and missionaries have I also served.  They all seemed to
like my wrap-around style, my tapered body and thick, wide top.  Some of the young preachers, preaching their first sermon, would hold onto my top so hard they left their finger imprints.

I’m not complaining; I’ve enjoyed them all.  The loud ones–they seemed to think all the congregation had a hearing problem; the soft spoken ones–I guess they thought if they had the congregation sitting on the edge of their seats in order to hear them, they would feel they were getting through to them.  I have fronted them all.  The tall ones, the short ones, thin ones, heavy ones.  There was one thing that was
common in each, the love they had for the Lord.

Well, I had better bring this to an end.  It would take many pages to tell all the things I, from my position, have witnessed.
The souls who have been saved, the lives that have been changed, the faithful ones who have gone on to be with their Lord.  Faces of former members who moved on to churches in other areas.  If I was human and had a good memory, I could name them all.
But the truth is, I am just pieces of wood crafted together to serve the
purpose for which I was built.

Setting outside for these months certainly hasn’t helped my appearance.  I have swelled, bulged and cracked.  I overheard the man say he couldn’t stand to look at me in this condition.
So it is fitting, I guess, that the young hands that put me together
will be the old hands that will take me apart.

By J.T. Ross (June 2007)

 

 

The Early Years

I have attended Cypress MBC since 1951, and I was 12 years old.  The
churched had just organized and met in an old 2 room Japanese school house, just down the road from our present building.
So “church” was in one room and the various Sunday School classes were in a different corners of the other room.
When weather was nice, our senior class met in an old shed.  Drothey’s Dad, Bro. Ralph Ross, was our teacher.  Sis. Flora Magee taught the
younger kids class.  Since it was an old school, there was a set of “bars” to play on.
Herschel said he used to climb and hang by his knees on the bars, and
once he started daydreaming, and fell off!
There was also an outhouse….no indoor plumbing (we girls hated that)!  We were so excited when the new church building was finished and we started having services and had “real” classrooms.  Our bathrooms were still outside, in a cement block building, although we did have flush toilets and running water in them.

I was saved and became a member in July of 1952.  We had a busy youth group, had parties and weenie roasts, played games out behind the church building around a big bonfire.  The trains still went by on the tracks so we all waved at the engineer when they went by (it didn’t take much to entertain us)!
Our potlucks made the expression “dinner on the grounds” real:  the food was set up in the back room, but everyone ate outside.

Herschel and I were in Sunday School class together, fell in love, and married at Cypress, in September 1957, by our pastor, Bro. Henry Nance. Herschel and I have been members ever since and raised our family here.  Cypress has been an important part of my life for 60 years!

Phyllis Smittle

 

 

 

My parents and I joined Cypress when I was a young teenager and the church was only a couple of months old.  We met in an old Japanese school building which was just down the road from here.  The church was very small, and as a result, everyone had to step up and wear several hats and do more than one job.

I have heard the expression, “dinner on the ground” – that’s exactly what we did!  Well, not exactly, we did use tables, but all potlucks were held outside and you hoped no rain or terrible heat!  Speaking of heat, there was no air conditioner, so at times we pretty much sweltered during services.  The bathroom facilities were also outside in a cement block building.  Not fun, if it was raining!

We felt really “uptown” when we were able to build on the property we are on now, although the building was much smaller and different then.  We had no nursery and I remember many times I would say, while raising our two young rambunctious sons, that I was never coming back until they were grown (sorry, Rick and Steve).

Some of the lighter memories I have are of when, at a younger age, we had great times just getting together.  Our masquerade parties ended up being hilarious, and our mock weddings were such fun.  If you know Herschel Smittle and can imagine him dressing as a bride, you know what I mean!
I remember after doing one of those at some dinner we had, someone asked our then pastor, Bro. Spradlin…”Who are these people?”  And he replied…”Those are my deacons and Sunday School teachers!”  If we only had videos!  Or not!

Of course, the most blessed memories for me are those of the salvation and baptism of my husband, our three children, my daughters-in-law, and all but two of our eight grandchildren.  Since my daughter’s family moved to Washington, my son-in-law has been saved, along with one grandson (the other is still young) and they are members of a Missionary Baptist Church in Seattle.  I am so blessed!

The church has been such a huge part of my life.  We have been privileged to have had great pastors who, along with their wives, served faithfully here.  I have made lasting friendships and lost many of them in death – but they will always be remembered.  My parents are gone and Norm died almost four years ago, but their legacy goes on.

Drothey Zgraggen

 

 

 

We had just moved to Sacramento from Bakersfield in August
of 1988 and, because of my family knowing Bro. Sonny Williams for many years, we knew we wanted to be part of Cypress MBC.
Missie and I joined on a Sunday morning along with Missie’s parents, Rob and Judy Rigsby.  Missie was 5 ½ months pregnant at the time we joined.  The church was searching for a pastor at the time as Bro. Williams was just retiring.  Bro. Brian Ross became pastor shortly after our membership was transferred.

I have many wonderful memories here at Cypress, but some of the best involve Missie and I worked with the youth group.  I have to just stop and laugh (and sometimes cry a bit) thinking of all the fun and crazy times going on mission trips, going to camp at Mt. Gilead, fundraising with See’s candy and fireworks coming out our ears, and just having fun, in general.
It has been a true blessing to be able to watch the youth grow into
wonderful young men and women!  I’ve been very privileged and blessed to be involved with teaching classes, helping with the song leading, and by serving as church treasurer for 16 years.  I so much appreciate the brothers and sisters in Christ that have been so supportive and helpful to Missie, Daniel, Philip, and I throughout our time here.

I love each one of you and I love the Lord and thank Him for the work He has done and the blessings He has brought my way!

Brian Wiggins