Letona Baptist Church Baptizing

--Photo Courtesy Betty Bennett, White County Historical Society

Letona Baptist Church baptizing on Little Creek, August 6, 1939. The flock appears to be all female, except for the preacher shown in the water at left. The date was provided by Wanda Wise Thompson of Clay, the young girl at far right, who saw this photo on the Internet and provided the following additional information: My older sister Frances is 9th from the right, wearing a dark dress. This was the end of a revival. Crowds of people always stood on the bank and sung songs and watched. This was a big event for such a small church. The preacher was Lonnie Lasater. I cannot remember the other people. We rode to Letona in a wagon to the revival services. I remember large crowds of people, with some (usually boys) standing on the outside looking in through open windows. I do not know why no boys or men are in the picture but it may be that they were baptized at a different time. The church was made up of both men and women, as any other church. At that time, all people who made profession of faith were baptized in whatever body of water that was near and crowds of people always came. You were baptized in whatever clothes you had on. I remember my dress being the one I wore to sing in the Glee Club in Pangburn school.”