Evan: This is Evan Fridge, I am interviewing Patty North, we are condic-conducting this
interview at, 3-Seasons Apartment in her home at Springfield, Missouri. The date is April 4,
2010. This interview is for the Religious Lives of Ozarks Women, Intergenerational Storytelling
from the Older to the Younger, conducted through Missouri State University in Springfield,
Missouri. Now, let’s get on to the questions. How long have you been a member of your church?
Patty: I was baptized when I was 10 and I’ve been a member ever since.
E: And which church is this?
P: East Sunshine Church of Christ, but I was baptized in Texas.
E: Ok, how are you involved in the church, like how did you start getting involved in
church?
P: Well I went to church when I was an infant.
E: Mmmhmm.
P: My parents were both-my dad was an elder, and so I’ve always gone to church.
E: Ok. Have you been involved in any other churches or religious organizations?
P: No.
E: Ok. What was the role of religion in your home when you were growing up?
P: Well we always went to church and we always had the same thing for dinner on
Sunday ((laughter)) and we had the-when I got in high school, we had reading for the young
people before church on Sunday night. And all my-most of my friends went to church where I
did.
E: Yeah. Ok. What is-what was the role-I already said that. What is your strongest
childhood memory related to God or religion?
P: I guess when I was baptized and when I graduated from high school they made a big
thing for St. Teresa and IE: Mmhmm.
P: I remember things like that.
E: Yeah. And then…do you recall any times as a child that things were different for you
in your religious world because they-because you were a girl or a boy?
P: No.
E: Okay. What differences have you experienced in your religious life because you’re a
woman?
P: Well, I was just brought up that men took the lead and we have, oh, they just had Bible
class that women taught women and the men taught everybody.
E: Mmmhmm. What person has most influenced your religious life?
P: My mother.
E: And how’s that?
P: Well she’s the one that, she was the strong, stronger religion when I was little.
E: Mmhmm.
P: My dad wasn’t-wasn’t baptized ‘til I was about 6.
E: Yeah.
P: I don’t remember it, but he was baptized same time my older sister was.
E: Mmhmm
P: And then we were just all, you know, church was a big thing.
E: Mmmhmm. How do you think religious life is different for kids today than it was for
you?
P: Oh, it’s a lot different. I think children are-they (inaudible). More outspoken and they
get more attention. You know when I was in Bible class, we had those Sunday school cards.
E: Yeah
P: This big every Sunday, and that was the literature we had ((laughter)) and it’s just, kids
these days have much more…they do more and even when my boys were young, they would go
to Tulsa for workshops and things like that that we never did do.
E: Ok, how would you like this church to remember you?
P: Well, as a good Christian lady ((laughter)).
E:Well.