Time Change: A Short Story

[David Flick]

Time Change Sunday: A Short Story

I drive to my preaching charge every Sunday morning. It is 77 miles from Chickasha to Watonga. The drive time is 1 hour and 27 minutes.

Services at Indian Baptist Church begin at 11:00am clock time. However, according to a long-standing tradition, we don't begin on clock time at WIBC. We honor Indian time, which is somewhere between 30 and 45 minutes after clock time.

A year ago tomorrow, I rose at my normal time and set out to fulfill my weekly duty. I arrived in Watonga at 10:30 with plenty of time spare. My wife Effie, being ill, did not make the trip with me. I opened the church and set about preparing for services for the day. Not expecting anyone to arrive before 11:30, I spent time going over my sermon and doing the usual things I do on Sunday mornings.

Clock time passed uneventfully. Eleven thirty came and went. Indian time had kicked in. Eleven forty-five came and went. My people were late even by Indian time. Twelve o'clock came and went. By 12:30, I realized that nobody was going to be present for the day's services. At 12:35pm, I uttered a silent prayer and closed the building. This would be the first service I had ever had where no one showed to worship.

I left the church building and drove around the block to return home to Chickasha. As I drove by Herb White Buffalo's house, I saw him standing in the yard. I pulled over and stopped in his driveway. Said I to Herb, "I missed you today Herb. Nobody showed up at church today. I was the only one there."

"Oh?" said Herb, "I was just getting ready to go to church. Did you forget that today is time-change Sunday? I'll be there in a few minutes."

"Uh oh," said I. "I completely forgot that! I'll go back and open the building and we'll have services."

I went back around the block, opened the building, and we had 19 people show up at regular Indian time on time-change Sunday.

Moral of the story. Set my clock back tonight and remember that services begin an hour later tomorrow. Tomorrow, Indian time is also an hour later...