Hoosier Happenings – JM Wines

Hoosier Happenings — J. M. Wines (Nazarene Publishing House, 1926)

An intimate, humorous, and heartfelt portrait of Indiana life and early Nazarene ministry.

Hoosier Happenings is the lively autobiographical narrative of Rev. J. M. Wines, a Methodist‑turned‑Nazarene minister whose life unfolded across the small towns, farms, and revival circuits of Indiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. First published in 1926 by Nazarene Publishing House, the book blends homespun storytelling with spiritual reflection, offering a rare firsthand look at Midwestern life during a period of enormous social and religious change. Archive nbc.whdl.org

Wines recounts his childhood, family history, Civil War–era memories passed down through his parents, his call to preach, and his decades of ministry among ordinary Hoosiers. His voice is warm, witty, and deeply observant—full of the kind of everyday humor and humility that made Indiana writers like James Whitcomb Riley beloved. Early reviewers noted that once you begin reading, “you will not cease until you have finished it,” because the stories feel so familiar, so human, and so true to Midwestern life. nbc.whdl.org

What Readers Will Find Inside

• Personal history: Wines’ birth, upbringing, and family stories rooted in rural Indiana.
• Cultural snapshots: Vivid depictions of Hoosier communities from the post–Civil War era through the early 1900s.
• Faith and vocation: His call to ministry, early preaching experiences, and work within the emerging Church of the Nazarene.
• Humor and humanity: Anecdotes that reveal the quirks, challenges, and joys of everyday life.
• Selections of his writings: A curated set of his reflections and short pieces. nbc.whdl.org

Why This Book Matters

Hoosier Happenings is more than a memoir—it’s a cultural artifact. It preserves the rhythms, values, and voices of Indiana’s past while documenting the early growth of the Nazarene movement. For readers interested in local history, rural Americana, religious heritage, or family‑storytelling traditions, it offers both charm and historical insight.