A History of a Church, in Verse

The other day I came across a 56 page pamphlet about the First Baptist Church of Charlotte, NC, by Max Hamilton. It was titled First Baptist Church: Historical & Current Highlights, 1972. I glanced at it, glanced again, and then began reading. The entire pamphlet is written in rhyming verse.

From the first lines of the introduction …

“The First Baptist Church Historical and Current Highlights
Is a concise package of facts, trials, faith, and heights”

… to the beginning of the last paragraph …

“One Sunday evening at Primary B.T.U.,
The main program was over and it was play-time cue.”

… the whole thing rhymes!!

Many of the rhymes are pretty standard, but others are more of a stretch:

“In June 1919, off Trade Street in Seversville,
A group formed a Sunday School to execute His will.”

So to Hamilton’s rhyming tome I give all praise,
Although it left me in a daze.

Another ‘No. 1’? Well, We Were Hoping

The origin of this pinback button puzzled me for several years, until I stumbled onto the story while looking up something else in the North Carolina Collection reading room. (Not the first time for that experience.) Clue: The year was 1946. Can you identify it?

What, no takers? Clue No. 2: It was part of a campaign that also included the song “It’s All Up to You (to Make North Carolina No. 1 in Good ——).”