Church Membership

Mable Elsa Davis Butler
outside the LDS Church at the corner of 7th Street and Fountain

Sometime in 1928 or 1929, my mother was approached by Sister Maude Myers who lived just down the street from us at 1822 East 5th Street. Maude had a son, Jack, who played with me. Sister Myers was housing some LDS missionaries, but she worked at a restaurant out on Highway 50 and needed help feeding them sometimes. Mother agreed to provide some of their meals. As Mother got to know the missionaries, she listened to the discussions and readily agreed with all the missionaries taught. She had been attending the Baptist Church in the 1300 block of East 5th Street, but one Sunday when Eldon was fussing the minister asked her to take him outside. She did, and she never returned!

Mable singing in church

On August 10, 1929, Mother was baptized as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was an active member the rest of her life. Mother loved to sing and she got the opportunity right away after her baptism. She sang in the little chapel at the corner of 7th Street and Fountain Avenue just across the street from Fountain Elementary. While Mother was listening to the discussions, Dad would go down to his sleeping room in the basement, a room he used to get his rest when trying to sleep in the daytime when he worked nights.

However, without Grandma Mable knowing, Jess was meeting with the missionaries on the sly! He was baptized three years later. She recorded the following:


"One of the greatest days of my life was the second of Aug 1932. Elder Watts was boarding & rooming with us & was to hold Baptizmal [sic] services at 4 o'clock. I had talked to my husband but he just teased me. He finely [sic] said he'd go see my sister [Marjorie]"ducked". When they got ready to baptize the bunch the first man out was Jess all in white and walked into the water. I was so happy I wanted to cry.
"Elder and Jess surely did tease me then but I was to happy to even care -- "

Jess and Mable were faithful, active church members for the rest of their lives. They served in many positions of leadership. Jess was the Finance Clerk for 7 bishops, the last being his son, Louis.