Doug Rogers says you don’t have to look far to find an episode of “The Andy Griffith Show,” which has been on the air continuously for the past 58 years.
You don’t have to look far for a gospel parallel either, he said. “Unlike many other programs, this one teaches morals, values and life lessons.”
Rogers, director of communications and technology services at the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions (SBOM), is an avid fan of the show, which is set in the fictitious town of Mayberry. He uses his hobby in the discipleship ministry at his home church, First Baptist, Montgomery.
“Our minister to adults, Chuck Ashley, led a Mayberry-themed discipleship class in 2009, which I attended,” Rogers said. “Noticing my interest in the show, he asked if I’d be willing to take on the class, and I jumped at the chance. My wife, Lori, and I have led the class since that time. I teach, and she provides snacks worthy of Aunt Bee’s kitchen.”
Rogers said Joey Fann is credited with beginning the first Mayberry Bible Study back in 1998 and has since published a devotional book, “The Way Back to Mayberry — Lessons From a Simpler Time.” Fann also founded barneyfife.com, a website where he shares lesson plans and Mayberry trivia.
Rogers said he started out using Fann’s materials but also has written his own lesson plans. “I have close to 100 class outlines I’ve used over the last eight years,” he said.
Rogers said he watches Mayberry episodes on television, DVD or online and sometimes thinks, “I’ve not used this one before.” But he also has a working knowledge of all the episodes, so he can usually find one that illustrates a life lesson he wishes to teach.
‘Hooked as a Mayberry fan’
Although he was familiar with the show at a younger age, Rogers said his interest didn’t fully take root until he was a student at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, in the mid-1980s.
“I’d come home at lunch or after class and watch the show in my down time and got hooked as a Mayberry fan,” he said. “I do make one distinction, however. I like the black-and-white episodes better than the color ones!”
Since seminary days, Rogers has attended several fan events, including three visits to Andy Griffith’s hometown of Mount Airy, North Carolina, home of the Andy Griffith Museum and the annual Mayberry Days festival.
He also attended the 35th Anniversary Mayberry Cast Reunion in Winston-Salem in 1995. He met the now-deceased actor Don Knotts twice, and a signed photo is part of his collection. And he had a special date with Betty Lynn, better known as Deputy Fife’s girlfriend, Thelma Lou, whose last name was never mentioned on the show.
“Jim Clark, founder of The Andy Griffith Show Rerun Watchers Club, organized many events over the years, and he asked me at an autograph signing event in Mount Airy back in 2004 if I’d escort Ms. Lynn to her car so she could go back to her hotel and rest,” Rogers said. “Of course, I was thrilled. As we were leaving the store, we passed an ice cream counter and she mentioned she hadn’t had lunch and wondered if she could get an ice cream cone. So I have a photo of me escorting her out of the store as she’s eating her ice cream cone.”
Lynn is a “very nice lady,” Rogers said. “She loves Mount Airy so much she relocated from West Hollywood around 10 years ago and lives there now at age 91.”
In his class, Rogers often looks for current event tie-ins for his Mayberry discipleship lessons. For instance, after the 2017 solar eclipse, he chose an episode called “Barney’s Replacement.”
“Deputy Fife thought he was going to be replaced, though he wasn’t,” he said. “Sheriff Taylor had agreed to bring in an intern from the State Attorney’s office for training. Barney got jealous since he was proud of his position. I used this episode to talk about what to do when we’re eclipsed by someone else who knocks us out of the spotlight — or how to deal with personal pride.”
Rogers had a new experience earlier this year when he was a pulpit guest for Senior Adult Day at Liberty Hill Baptist Church, Clanton.
“I’ve not done this before,” he said, “but I used several clips for my three points about cultivating the lifelong habits of remembering, learning and giving. Then we had a pot roast lunch Aunt Bee would be proud of. The church also gave sheriff’s badges to all the senior adults to wear for the day, so it was great fun.”
Simpler, less-hurried time
When asked about the appeal of “The Andy Griffith Show,” Rogers said it takes us to a simpler, less-hurried time.
“The All Souls Church and Rev. Tucker were important to the community,” he said. “The townspeople spent Sunday mornings in church and then relaxed the rest of the day. The rest of the time, the exploits of the characters are full of life lessons, often told in a lighthearted way.”
Rogers said he has no idea if any programs from today might still be in reruns 50 years from now, but Mayberry has definitely stood the test of time.
“We pore over these episodes, study the good writing and laugh at the humor,” he said. “Mayberry is unique in a way unprecedented in the history of television.”
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