July 8, 2026

Over the weekend, I read A Hoosier Parson: His Boosts and Bumps by Rev. Dr. Edgar Fay Daugherty. Rev. Daugherty was the pastor at Jackson St. Christian Church (the precursor to Hazelwood) from 1925 to the year he retired from ministry in 1947. The book, written in 1951, is a candid autobiography of his life, from birth through retirement.

He was an eloquent preacher known throughout the country. I enjoyed the stories of his “boosts” in the ministry and the inevitable “bumps” along the way. I shared this past Sunday in worship about the “bump” when as he was cleaning his rifle IN THE CHURCH OFFICE it discharged. The bullet went through the wall and struck a woman (just a bruise on the calf) in the quilting circle in the room next door. Rev. Daugherty was an avid outdoor enthusiast, and his church office reflected his enthusiasms and trophies.

Daugherty gratefully writes, “No greater marvel in the ministry have I found than the way a parson is enshrined in the hearts of the people who are backbone of his charge, despite his eccentricities and his idiosyncrasies – to which every life has inherent right.” I thoroughly agree!

Rev. Eric