The late Donald Prout was a dear friend to me and hundreds of others. Don loved books and loved digging through them for the most amazing things related to his faith. He spent his life reading, researching, collecting books and delving into the history of the Christian church.

Don is what I call a ‘wag’, a humorous, teasing individual who was determined to enjoy the moment and make people laugh. His presentations were unique. Over the years I not only learned from Don’s extensive reading, but I prompted my sons to learn from him as well. In his last few years I helped him post many of his gleanings and his personal notes, including his humourous nonesense, onto a website. The very first website I worked on was Don’s.

So it is my great pleasure to share with you some of the amazing information Don brought together in a lifetime. He compiled a Church History, linking dates to many events he had read about in his decades between the covers – “book covers” that is.

My aim is to post a daily Church History update, with information about people and events linked to that day. In a year from now the whole calendar should be covered.

Now, before we get to the church history stuff, let me share with you a touch of the Don Prout humour. Don would prattle on with a patter full of one-liners about people and things. Here is a sample of some of that. Note: please don’t write dear Don off, just because of his style of humour.

Uncle Charlie wrote a song about his wife, Rose. She was a singer too. But Uncle Charlie said he wished she would only sing Christmas carols. That way she’d only sing once a year.”

Did you know he always went out on the front porch when she was singing. That was so the neighbours would see that he wasn’t beating her.

Unc. Charlie was choir master at a Baptist church.
 
That reminds me of riddle. What is the difference between a Baptist Church Choir master & the PLO?

You can negotiate with the PLO!

Now that reminds me of song.

There was a young lad in the choir
Whose voice …it rose higher & higher
Till one Sunday night
It rose out of sight
And they found it next day on the spire.

A young choir singer named Hannah
Was caught in a flood in Montanna
As she floated away
Her sister – they say –
Accompanied her on the pianner!

Well, so much for the humour. Tomorrow we get to the Church History stuff.