CONGREGATIONAL METHODIST CHURCH
Chapters X thru
XVII
CHAPTER X
I come now to speak of the organization of the first Congregational Methodist Church in the State of Mississippi. In the fall of the year 1852, there lived in Richmond county, Georgia, a local elder of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, by the name of Henry T. Jones. During the fall of that year this minister was attending a camp-meeting at the camp-ground in the county of Jefferson, called “Mt. Moriah.” This camp-ground was within the bounds of one of the districts of the Georgia Annual Conference, of which Rev. John W. Glenn was the Presiding Elder, who was present at the camp-meeting. One day during the meeting Rev. H. T. Jones had preached, and after preaching retired to the preacher’s tent and was lying down resting, when the Presiding Elder and a minister by the name of Dunn, entered the tent, sat down near where Mr. Jones was lying and began conversing on the subject of general Church matters. During the conversation the Presiding Elder said to Rev. Mr. Dunn that “brother Ogletree and a number of others had withdrawn from the Church and gone into a separate organization.” This much of the conversation Rev. Mr. Jones accidentally heard, the tone and manner of the conversation indicated to him that it was intended to be private or confidential, and he did not seek to hear more of it.
Rev. Mr. Jones had never been fully satisfied with the government of the Church to which he belonged; but it came nearer to his standard of a Church—all things considered—than any Church of which he knew anything. Being a believer in the doctrine of an unlimited atonement and free salvation to all who accept the terms of the gospel, the Calvinistic creeds of the Baptist and Presbyterian Churches forbade his identifying himself with then. And believing in personal, heart-felt piety, and the known power of experimental religion in the soul, the formalism of the Episcopalians forbade his uniting with that Church, while the government of the Methodist Protestant Church was even more objectionable to him than that of the M. E. Church, South. Hence he had been waiting and watching for some Church to make its appearance whose polity as well as doctrines he could fully indorse, and when this little fragment of information floated across his path, like a little cloud across the sky, he felt a longing desire to know more of it. But small as the revelation was it told him two things: 1st, That a portion of the members of the M. E. Church, South, in Georgia, had left that church. And 2nd, that brother Ogletree was one of the members of the new Church. But still other things must be known before this information would avail him anything. 1. He did not know where the new movement originated or was located. 2. He did not even know the given or Christian name of the only member of whom he had any information, to-wit, brother Ogletree. 3. He knew nothing of the character of the Church. But having long felt the necessity of certain reforms in the government of the M. E. Church, South, and knowing that the new Church was composed, in part, at least, of others, who had become dissatisfied with said Church, he fancied it was probable that they might have shared his objections, and formed the new Church with a view of meeting them.
At all events he wanted to learn more of this new organization, but how to find out was the difficulty. The tone and manner of the Presiding Elder in the conversation before stated indicated that he spoke of the matter confidentially, and hence he felt a delicacy to make inquiry of that functionary, and he did not know any one else from whom the desired information could be obtained. Shortly after this Dr. Lovick Pierce, then stationed in the city of Savannah, wrote a piece in the Southern Christian Advocate in reply to certain charges which had been laid at his door about the new organization, in which he stated the name of the new Church, and that those who took part in it lived in “a county above,” and were composed of a number of local preachers and others of good name.
This additional information increased the desire of brother Jones to know more of “The Congregational Methodist Church and those local preachers and others in a county above,” etc. but still he desired “more light.”
In the fall of that year brother Jones removed to Jasper county, Miss. And while passing through Georgia, made diligent inquiry as to the post-office address of brother Ogletree, and finally succeeded in finding one man who could tell him where brother Ogletree lived. After reaching his new home and settling down he found some of his neighbors of the same mind with himself as to the church organization combining all the elements of Methodist faith and republican government. Brother Jones, therefore, in the spring of early summer of 1853, wrote to brother Ogletree at Forsyth, Ga., for information about the Congregational Methodist Church, and in reply brother Ogletree sent him several copies of the little book of Discipline, with all other information desired about the organization of the Church, etc. Upon the receipt of those books brother Jones and his neighbors, a few in number, finding in the new movement the very features for which they had so long looked and hoped, met at the house of L. J. Jones, on the19th of July 1853, and there organized with eight members the first Congregational Methodist Church in the State of Mississippi, and I beg leave to close this chapter by exhibiting a copy of the preamble and minutes of that meeting as furnished me by one of those who took part in the same. It is as follows:
“A number of members of different branches of the Christian Church, believing that the itinerate system, as at present carried out by different branches of the Methodist, has alike failed to meet the wants of the Church and the world, and believing the Congregational form of worship to be more in accord with the Holy Scriptures, and more efficient in the feeding the flock of Christ as well as the spread of Scripture holiness, met at the house of Lazarus J. Jones, Esq., on Friday, July 29th, 1853, for the purpose of organizing the Congregational Methodist Church. After reading the Scriptures and prayer by Rev. James S. Terral, on motion broth Terral was called to the chair, and brother L. J. Jones was requested to act as Secretary. The following names from different denominations were then enrolled as members: Rev., Jas. S. Terral, Rev. Henry T. Jones, Lazarus J. Jones, George W. Ryan, Seaborn W. Jones, Pleasant Morris, Francis M. Jones and Mary S. Jones.
The church was then organized by the election of Rev. Henry T. Jones, Elder, brother S. W. Jones, Leader, Pleasant Morris, Steward, and L. J. Jones, Clerk. The Church next proceeded to adopt the Constitution and government of the Congregational Methodist Church extant in the State of Georgia.
The third Sabbath in August and the Saturday before was the time appointed for the next church meeting. After prayer by Rev. H. T. Jones, the meeting was dismissed.
L. J. Jones, Secretary Jas. S. Terrall, Chairman
CHAPTER XI
The third District Conference held its session at Rock Spring Church, Monroe county, beginning on the 13th of May 1853, the C. M. Church being then one year and five days old. Nine Churches were represented at this Conference, Mt. Zion, in Carroll County, Georgia, and Mt. Pisgah and Antioch churches in Alabama, having become connected this session under the name of “High Falls.” New Prospect, having also changed, appeared under the name of Sand Hill, the rest of the churches still retaining their former names. Liberty Hill, Jackson, and Pleasant Grove, were admitted into the District Conference and their delegates seated. The delegation present was—from High Falls, W. P. Fambro; Jackson R. Shepherd, Jas. R. McCord: Pleasant Grove, D. P. Carson; Liberty Hill, J. E. Potts; Mt. Hope, S. F. Speer and Robert Walker; Rock Spring, Joshua Sheptrino, Theo. Williams, Robert Lotson, Jr.,; Sand Hill, W. H. Bankston, P. D. Pringle; Rockey Creek, M. Merritt, and H. Phinazee. James R. McCord was chosen President temporarily, and J. F. N. Huddleston, temporary Secretary. Upon organizing permanently, Rev. H. Phinazee was elected President, and James R. McCord, Secretary. Before the close of the Conference, John Carriker, as a delegated from Union church, Pike County, presented a petition for admission into the Conference. The petition was granted and he was duly seated as a delegate making the aggregate number of churches in the district ten.
The fourth session of this Conference was held at Jackson, Butts county; all ten of the churches were duly represented, and the Conference began its session on the 9th day of September, 1853. Rev. J. F. Wethersbee, was chosen temporary President, and Rev. H. Phinazee temporary Secretary.
The following delegates were present with proper authority, and took part in the organization, viz: From Union church, Uriah Fincher; New Hope, Daniel Carroll and L. P. Cullpepper; Jackson, Isaac W. Smith and John W. McCord; Head’s Academy, (formerly Liberty Hill), John P. Hunt; Fredonia, (formerly Sand Hill) Carey Cox, M. Goodman and Jackson Bush; High Falls, J. F. N. Huddleston, and Edward White; Pleasant grove, George W. Barber, D. P. Carson and Thomas J. Giles; Rock Spring, Joshua Shoptrine and Robert Lotson; Mt. Home, S. F. Speer, V. Fish and Robert Walker; Mt. Zion (formerly Rockey Creek), David Ogletree and H. Phinazee. Rev. H. Phinazee was elected permanent President, and Jas. R. McCord, Secretary. John P. Hunt, from Head’s Academy, and Daniel Carroll, from New Hope church, having been properly recommended by their respective churches forlicense to preach, were examined by a committee appointed for that purpose by the Conference, and were,in pursuance of the report and recommendation of that committee, duly licensed by the Conference to preach. Thie licenses of brothers Uriah Fincher, Travis Ivey, and John Ham as exhorters, were renewed by the Conference, and brother Frederick Pearce from Pleasant Grove, having been duly recommended by that church, was licensed to exhort.
The reports from the various churches sent up to this Conference, showed that they were in a healthy and growing condition, one church only reported the same number of members as at the preceding Conference, all others had increased their numbers. Pleasant Grove, under the pastoral care of Rev. J. F. N. Huddleston, led the van, her membership having increased from twenty-five to sixty-five, while Fredonia, under the pastoral care of Rev. Absalom Ogletree, followed close behind with an increase of thirty-one members, raising its former number of thirty-eight to sixty-nine. Rock Spring from sixty-five had reached ninety-three. Mt. Hope had received twenty-three new members. New Hope eighteen, and all the rest of the nine had increased more or less, the aggregate increase in the district being one hundred and sixty-one.
The first district Conference for the year 1854, met at New Hope church. In Pike county Rev. H. Phinazee was temporary President, and John B. Thurman temporary Secretary. The proceedings of this session were quite interesting and perfectly harmonious, the reports showed continued prosperity and growth among the churches. This conference was in March, 1854, and was the last conference held during the third year of the existence of the C. M. Church. And although the birth-day of the Church was “a day of small things, the Church now represented by the delegates to this Conference, showed that the hand of God had guarded them and prospered them in their way.
CHAPTER XII
The progress of God’s work is sometimes rapid, at others very slow. Within less than seven months from the organization of the first Congregational Methodist church in Middle Georgia, the seed had sprung up in the State of Alabama, whither they had been wafted by favoring breezes, but it never gained a foothold in Florida until near the close of 1871, more than 19 years from the time of the first meeting at the house of brother Mickleberry Merritt. But such has ever been the history of the Church, and probably the future will not differ from the past in this particular.
In the year 1871, there lived in Alabama and old minister by the name of Virgil Nichols, who was a member of the C. M. Church. He was then very old and poor, his family consisted of his aged wife, a widowed daughter, Mrs. Eliza Morgan, and her three little girls, Emma, Sarah and Rebecca. In the latter part of1871 father Nichols conceived the idea of moving to West Florida. And after making what arrangements he could, started to move between one and two hundred miles, with his helpless family and all his earthly goods in an ox-cart, drawn by one ox. Without stopping to speak of the privation, exposure and fatigues of his long, slow and disagreeable journey, I will content myself on this point by saying, he reached the end of his journey near Portland, Florida, about the 20th of December. Sick himself with fever, his wife with rheumatism, and two of his little grand-daughters also sick,--without provision, without money—a stranger in a strange land. Here was the first representation of the C. M. Church in “the Land of Flowers.” What a picture! Here was poverty, old age, widowhood, orphanage, and sickness, under the same roof. And under that roof was the hope of the C. M. Church for the future in that sunny land, where the birds sing all the year round, and the flowers bloom every month in the year. Reader, do you see this picture? Look at the shadows gathering about it. But lest you should not see the light as well as the shade, let us drop the curtain for a time and look at another picture. Near by this place there lived a gentleman who, although a married man, might be called a young man, financially he was “well-to-do” in the world. Socially he was beloved of his neighbors, morally he was in many respects a model, but religiously he was deficient. From what little I have learned and seen of him, I am inclined to the opinion that he had been converted probably years before, but had not joined any Church. His mother, who was a very good woman, had been a member of the M. E. Church, South, but having looked into its government and economy, became satisfied, and when she moved from Madison to West Florida, took her letter and never would unite with that Church again, and but for the organization of a C. M. Church near where she lived, would probably never have united with any Church again. This man’s name was George H. Berry.
Shortly after father Nichols arrived, as before stated, the rumor that an old preacher and his family who had recently moved into the neighborhood were sick, and in need, came to the ears of Mr. Berry, and in obedience to the promptings of his heart, he went to see them, little dreaming of the new chapter in the Book of Life, which was about to begin with him. In my imagination I see him enter that humble home, and stand bewildered at the evidence of his eyesight. Upon his lowly bed he beheld the aged and wasted servant of God, poor in earthly goods but rich in faith, unconscious of the fact that this feeble old man who was in need of food for his body, was ere long to minister to him in spiritual things, and that it was to be through such an humble instrument that God was to bless him, with the full enjoyment of the bread spiritual which cometh down from Heaven. There is a world of glory and brightness in God’s manifestations. These two men thrown together by circumstances, seemed the counterpart of each other, neither able to do much by himself, but each possessing the special qualification which the other lacked, like the blind traveler and the lame beggar, unable to travel separate, but exactly suited to go together, bearing each others burdens, and thus fulfilling the law of Christ. Mr. Berry supplied the wants of the destitute and afflicted family as far as he could, received the thanks and gratitude of their hearts, and went back to his hime followed by their prayers and blessings, leaving the family profoundly impressed with the care which God takes of his children. While Mr. Berry felt not only a sense of a duty discharged, but also a mysterious interest in that old man upon his sick bed, and perhaps wondering, like Cornelius when he saw a vision at what all this should portend. The old and suffering saint had told him he belonged to the “Congregational Methodist Church.” Mr. Berry had never before heard of such a church; there was something like a charm in the name to him. Question after question about its doctrines, its usages, its government , where it originated, etc., came crowding into his mind, but the sufferer was too feeble and too much in need of rest to answer them now, hence he must wait.
And now, reader, when for the third time we look into that humble home, we see a little light mingling with the shade, and yet, perhaps, you may ask can anything considerable come from such feeble instrumentalities? To which I answer, come with me to the sequel and you shall see in the next chapter, and learn that
“God moves in a mysterious way,
He wonders to perform
He plants his footsteps in the sea
And rides upon the storm.”
CHAPTER XIII
The axquaintance between father Nichols and his new friend grew with each visit of Mr. Berry to his house. Rest and kind attention cheered, comforted and strengthened the aged Christian. As soon as his returning strength would permit, he began to preach whenever and wherever opportunity was offered. His preaching created considerable stir. Some objected to him because he was what they called a new light; others said he was too old to preach, while others became interested in his preaching. Father Nichols seemed to have a special, earnest desire for the salvation of Mr. Berry, and frequently approached him on the subject of religion, but met with little encouragement. But one day he handed Mr. Berry a copy of the C. M. Discipline, and specially requested him to read it. This Mr. Berry consented to do. The perusal of that little book was attended with great interest in the mind of Mr. Berry. In it he found the good old Methodist doctrines, which had been taught him by his good mother, and a government so just, evenly balanced, and Republican in every feature, that his judgment at once indorsed the whole thing, as combining the best faith and government he had ever seen, and soon afterward he gladdened the heart of father Nichols by telling him that whenever he joined any church it would be the C. M. Church.
Father Nichols now began to try for an organization, but difficulties gathered about him, which would have deterred many a younger man, and indeed any man whose heart was not “fixed,” and although he perhaps felt almost like Elijah in the desert, he nevertheless pressed forward, resolved to succeed if possible. Finally he determined to make the venture. He accordingly made a visit up the middle Alabama, and while passing through Louisville, called on Dr. D. A. Murdock, a minister of the C. M. Church; also brother Haines, of New Topia, and induced those good brethren to promise to visit the community where he lived and preached. From what Father Nichols had told them, these brethren felt peculiarly impressed that it was their duty to go. Accordingly they wrote to Mr. Berry (whose address had been furnished them by father Nichols), requesting him to give notice at his mill that they would begin a meeting at the church near by, called “Union,” on Saturday before the third Sunday in October, 1872. As the appointed time drew near for these brethren to leave home and start on their long journey of 130 miles, difficulties began to gather about them, and the nearer the day came the more and greater were the obstacles in the way. Dr. Murdock said it really seemed that he could not go, and still the Spirit impressed him that he must go. Finally the time to start came, with a heavy practice and several patients seriously sick; he resolved to leave all in the hands of god, and go in obedience to the Macedonian cry, the echoes of which they heard coming from Florida, “Come and help us.” They reached their destination in good time, began the meeting at the time designated, and had a glorious meeting, and before they left organized the first C. M. Church ever constituted in Florida, consisting of seven members—two males and five females, and included in that number was George H. Berry. This little flock organized October 20, 1872, and called father Nichols as their pastor.
From the day that father Nichols landed in Florida, he had watched and waited to see the Church which he loved so well planted in that State, and from the day that George H. Berry came like “the good Samaritan” to visit the afflicted and feed the hungry of his household, he had not ceased to pray that he might enter fully into that service, for which he believed he would be so well fitted, if his heart was only full of God’s love. And now, like good old Simeon waiting for the consolidation of Israel, wandering in the temple one morning and seeing the promised “Child Redeemer”, felt that life’s labor was ended, so father Nichols having seen the C. M. Church established in “the Land of Flowers,” and his kind friend Berry taking his stand as a member of that Church and a servant of God, looked complacently for life’s sun-set to come and put a period to his labors and trials, and soon it came. On the 24th of December, 1872, the Great Captain, under whose command he had so long and so faithfully fought, called him back from the face of the foe, and the old soldier, scarred, weary and wasted with life’s long conflicts, stacked his arms and laid down his well-worn armor on life’s last and brightest battle-field and went home to conqueror, while the angel choir sang—“Soldier of Christ, well done.”
The little church so recently organized, so few in numbers, and feeble in earthly resources, with only six members—five of those females, and three of the females widows and one an orphan—found themselves without a pastor and 120 miles from the nearest church of their “faith and order,” and to make their condition more unhappy, the devil had kindled the fire of persecution around them on every side. But this only served to bind them closer to each other, and to make them feel more intensely their utter dependence on the hand of their Heavenly Father, and, like the disciples who were gathered together praying for the deliverance of Peter from prison, this little band prayed continually that God would send them help. They petitioned the District Conference for a preacher, but no answer came. Finally God moved upon the heart of brother Berry, who began, under the promptings of the Holy Spirit, to conduct meetings for the little flock, and finally, in May 1873, when the General Conference met at Mount Jefferson, Alabama, brother Berry was there (having been properly recommended for ordination), and on Sunday, the 12th of May, was solemnly ordained to the office of Elder in the Church of God.
Immediately upon his return the little church of five women called him to be their pastor. He accepted, and entered upon his duty “trembling” but trusting.
God has greatly blessed and prospered his labors, and the little church has increased until there are today in West Florida six churches with 240 members, three ordained ministers and seven exhorters, and the good work goes on. And many there are all over that country who bless the day when father Nichols came to make his home in this section.
CHAPTER XIV
The Second District conference in Georgia for the year 1854, met with the church at Pleasant Grove on the first day of September, S. F. Speer, of Mount Hope church was elected as temporary President, and J. R. MCCord, of Jackson, temporary Secretary. The following delegates where reported present with proper certificates, viz: From Pleasant Grove, Thomas J. Giles, David P. Carson, and John B. Thurman; Mount Zion, Absalom Ogletree, Travis Ivey, Hiram Phinazee and Wm L. Fambrough; New Hope, Jas. Lefsey and Daniel Carroll; Union, Uriah Fincher; Jackson, J. R. McCord and Caswell Ethridge; Fredonia, William E. Potts, James A. Means and Jas. Brazier; Rock Spring, Joshua Sheptrine, Robert Letson, Peter Nicholson and Wm. P. Sheptrine; Mount Hope, Robert Walker, Washington Warren and Simeon F. Speer; Providence, J. F. N. Huddleston and W. F. Mapp; Mount Pleasant, Jesse Waddell; and Liberty, W. A. Walker. The elction of permanent officers resulted in the choice of Rev. Absalom Ogletree, President, and Jas. R. McCord, Secretary. Jno. Bass, C. S. Leseur and McKendree Tucker, were present as fraternal messengers from the Methodist Protestant Church. Rev. John A. Hurst and Peter M. Roland, where present as visiting brethren from the C. M. Church in Alabama.
At the time of this Conference I was a youth of seventeen, and a member of the church where the Conference was held, and will here record some of my recollections of the visiting and fraternal brethren.
My recollection of brother Leseur of the fraternal delegates M. P. Church is limited, I remember but very little, indeed, so little, that I can only say I thought him a very proper person to be sent on such a mission. Brother John Bass was a layman, grave and dignified in manner, and noble and commanding in appearance, he was indeed a fine specimen of the elegant, cultivated Christian gentleman, his conversational powers were very fine, and I then felt it would be a privilege hard to be valued, to associate with him. Brother McKendree Tucker was a minister, then in the prime of life, and at the zenith of his usefulness. I remember to-day distinctly, how I sat with delight and listened to two sermons from him during that meeting. In the beginning of his discourse those not accustomed to his preaching, would be impressed with the idea that his capacity was quite limited. During the first ten minutes after announcing his text, he would proceed as though his subject had not been digested, and it would seem that he was entering upon a rambling talk, rather than a well arranged sermon, and even his voice appeared to be not subject to control; but as he advanced he seemed to catch inspiration, and the longer he preached, the deeper he plunged into his subject, and the higher he soared in his illustrations, clearer, louder and sweeter his clarion voice would reach every corner, and impress every ear in the house; you could be seldom see anybody asleep while brother Tucker was preaching, nobody could afford to sleep on such an occasion. And when he would take his seat, you would rarely hear any objection urged to the sermon, except that it was too short. I never saw brother Tucker until that meeting, but I learned to love him much then, and I have been ever since learning to love him more.
Brother Hurst was an old man, white haired and venerable, he appeared to grace the sacred stand as much as any man I ever saw. He delighted in his Master’s work and loved nothing else so much as duty. His sermons were plain and practical and pointed. He never gathered flowers of fancy to weave into the web of his discourses, but he could tell, with wondrous power, the old, old story of the Cross. And sometimes when he would come to speak of the Heavenly Canaan, he would impress his hearers with the heavenly brightness which appeared that morning when Moses stood alone upon Pisgah’s summit, and feasted his eyes upon the earthly Canaan until he had been prepared to look upon the matchless beauty of the Heavenly Land. He was indeed a grand old man, and a noble preacher. Brother Rowland was then quite a young man, and I believe had not been licensed to preach; he was in appearance tall and awkward, and yet he seemed to have a kind of personal magnetism about him, that made everybody who came in contact with him love him. Brother Rowland is still living, and is one of the most useful ministers belonging to our Church. I have not space to say more of these brethren now, but I hope to be able to write more a length about some, if not all of them, before a great while.
A resolution calling a Convention at Mount Zion in the spring of 1855, was adopted by this Conference. The Church now having taken root in the three States of Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi, it was thought advisable to call a Convention of all the churches to revise the Discipline. By another resolution the Methodist Protestant Church was invited to send delegates to that Convention. And Revs. H. Phinazee, A. Ogletree, J. F. N. Huddleston, and John P. Hunt, with brothers O. P. Willis, M. Merritt, and W. A. McCune, of the laity, were appointed fraternal messengers to visit the next session of the Georgia annual Conference of the M. P. Church.
And thus closed the last Conference for the third year of the existence of the new Church, and the “little flock” “thanked God and took courage”.
CHAPTER XV
From 1852 to 1872 no organization under the Congregational Methodist Discipline had even been effected in the State of Missouri; indeed prior to that time, the news of the origin or existence of such a Church, even, does not appear to have reached that State; so studiously had the publication of what had started in Georgia and spread to Alabama, Mississippi and other States been avoided, that the good people of this growing young State had not so much as heard that such an organization existed at all.
There lived in 1873, near Marquand, Missouri, a minister of the M. E. Church, South, who belonged to the local ranks and was a man of some prominence in that Church, but the name of Reuben Watts. Brother Watts had long been dissatisfied with the episcopacy and itineracy of his Church , but did not know of any organization where he could be better suited, and therefore had made the best he could of his unpleasant position as local preacher, and submitted to the snubbing and slights which usually fall to the lot of that class of men in that Church, believing that that could not be cured must needs be endured.
At the time referred to brother Watts was a subscriber to the Christian Advocate published in the city of St. Louis, and then edited by Dr. McAnnally. In May 1873, the editor of the Advocate gave in the shape of an editorial, a brief outline of the form of government of the different branches of the Methodist Church, and among the rest the form of government of the C. M. Church. As the eye of brother Watts fell on this outline of the Congregational Methodist Church government, he at once recognized the features of government in the Methodist church which he had long since endorsed, and which were in full accord with his own views.
There were quite a number of ministers and members of the M. E. Church, South, in the same community, who were not satisfied with Episcopal power and itinerate rule, as indeed there are in every community (almost where they have an organization. To some of these brother Watts communicated the information gathered, as before stated, from the Christian Advocate. Among the latter may be mentioned Rev. Wm. Watts and Rev. L. P. Yount. By some means (I cannot exactly say how) brother Yount ascertained that Rev. Eppes Tucker of Opelike, Ala., was then publishing the CONGREGATIONAL METHODIST, an organ of the C. M. Church and wrote to him for some copies of his paper. These were forwarded, and a careful perusal of the same resulted in a more earnest desire to know more of the Church; hence brother Yount wrote to brother Tucker for three copies of the C. M. Church Discipline. These were promptly forwarded and duly received. Earnestly searching for a Methodist organization with whose government they would be satisfied, but unwilling to take any hasty or unadvised step, these good men carefully studied and closely scanned every feature of the C. M. Church Discipline. Finally, after long and patient study and much earnest prayer to God for direction, they declared their convictions one to the other, that the C. M. Church was the long looked-for thing—“a church which Methodist doctrines and republican government.”
The feeling was not confined to one community, but the three little books were passed from house to house, and from neighborhood to neighborhood, and large numbers of Methodists became enlisted in the movement which was about to begin in that State. Finally during the first month of the year 1874, the Missouri brethren resolved to take action in the premises, and on the 31st day of January of that year brother Reuben Watts organized the first Congregational Methodist Church in Missouri, at Patton, Bellinger county, with eleven members. Four days later he organized a second church at Rock Point, with sixteen members, and the following week he organized the third one at Pleasant Valley, with a membership of twenty-four.
On the 21st of July, 1879, brother R. Watts, then upon his bed and hear the shore of eternity, wrote me in reference to the condition of the Church as follows: referring to the first organization of the C. M. Church in Missouri, he said: “Since which time we have most gloriously prospered, amid all the hard sayings and persecutions that a Christian people ever underwent.”
Rev. Eppes Tucker visited Missouri not long after the first start of Congregational Methodism there, and do some effective work for the Church there. Prosperity had attended the labors of our ministry, and they rejoice in the blessings of “peace.”
CHAPTER XVI
The first district Conference for the year 1855 met with the church at Providence, in Monroe County, Georgia.
The following were the delegates in attendance:
From Providence—John Ham, John E. Pettagrew, William Scarborough, B. M. Huddleston and H. B. Fletcher.
From Jackson—R. F. Gilmore
Pleasant Grove – F M Wisem, Stephen Moore, D. P. Carson, T. B. McCune and S. C. McDaniel.
Mt. Zion – Wm. L. Fambro, George Edwards and David Ogletree.
Fredonia—W. H. Bankston, Cary Cox and P. D. Pringle.
Rock Spring – Absalom Ogletree, Theo. Williams, A. Hodges and C. G. Harper.
New Hope – Lewis Culpepper and Daniel Carroll.
Mt. Pleasant—Jesse Waddell and John Roper
Union – William H. Graham
Liberty Hill – James Potts.
Rev Cary Cox was elected President, and David Ogletree, Secretary.
Mt. Carmel C. M. Church, located in Crawford county, made application for admission into the Conference. The church was duly admitted, and brother M. Ogletree, her delegate, seated.
Brother Jesse Waddell having been properly recommended by his church (Mt. Pleasant), was granted license to exhort.
The aggregate membership of the district now reached nearly six hundred.
This Conference met on the 23rd day of March. (1855)
The next District Conference met with the church at Fredonia, Monroe county, on the 7th of September, 1855. The following delegates attended:
From Fredonia—Carey Cox, Jackson Bush and W. H. Bankston
From Mt. Zion – H. Phinazee, W. L. Fambro and Mickelberry Merritt.
From Providence – Edward White and J. F. N. Huddleston.
From Rock Spring—Absalom Ogletree.
From Mt. Hope—W. Warren and W. Orear
From New Hope – Daniel Carroll and Lewis Culpepper
From Union – Uriah Fincher
From Philadelphia (formerly Liberty Hill) – J. E. Potts
From Pleasant Grove – John B. Thurman, John S. McDaniel and George W. Barber.
From Jackson – Lory Goddard
From Mt. Carmel—W. V. Gordon
W. L. Fambro was elected President and H. Phinazee, Secretary. John S. McDaniel of Pleasant Grove, and Uriah Fincher, of Union, having been recommended by their respective churches for license to preach were duly examined by the Conference and received license.
The license of Daniel Carroll and John P. Hunt were renewed. Pleasant Hill, C. M. Church, of Upson county, made application and was admitted into the Conference.
The next session of this body met at New Hope Church, in Pike county, March 7, 1856, and was composed of the following delegates:
Jackson Bush, W. H. Bankston, P. D. Pringle, T. W. Moye, Daniel Carroll, L. P. Culpepper, Theo. Williams, M. Byrd, Edward White, Wm. P. Fambro, W. L. Fambro, W. H. Graham, William Gregery, S. C. McDaniel and Belden Brown.
William L. Fambro was elected President and Thomas W. Moye, Secretary.
Among other regular business this Conference elected and ordained Daniel Carroll an Elder, he having been properly recommended by New Hope Church of which he was a member. And after going through with the regular order of business the Conference resolved itself into a State Conference retaining the same officers.
The President appointed a committee of seven viz: Carey Cox, W. H. Graham, Theo. Williams, W. T. Fambro, T. W. Moye, L. P. Cullpepper and B. Brown to divide the churches into districts.
The Committee reported that they recommend that the churches be divided into two districts to be called the Towaliga and Flint River Districts. That the churches of New Market, Pleasant Grove, New Providence, Rock Spring, Philadelphia and Mt. Zion compose the Towaliga district, and the churches of Mt. Pleasant, Pleasant Hill, New Hope, Mt. Hope and Mt. Carmel, Fredonia and Union compose the Flint River district.
The report of the Committee was adopted.
The Conference then elected the following delegates to the General Conference to be held at Mt. Zion, Monroe county, Georgia, in May of that year, viz: H. Phinazee, A. Ogletree, C. Cox, W. A. McCune, W. I. Fambro, W. P. Fambro and M. Merritt.
And now having traced this movement from its inception to this point, I shall not follow it further. I shall take one step backwards to notice the Convention of 1855 and then leave the matter to some able pen to write the regular history of the Congregational Methodist Church.
CHAPTER XVII
I now come to write of one of the most important incidents in the history of our Church, to-wit: the Convention of 1855. I however approach this part of my duty more reluctantly that I have any other part of it in this matter, for the reason that I do not possess sufficient information about the composition or the action of that August and important assemblage, to write about it in a manner at all creditable. More than once I have almost determined to say nothing about that Convention, fearing that an effort to write about such a Convention without more information than I have been able to gather, would be worse than no history at all. But having started, I feel now that it would be manifestly improper to close my labors without referring to the Cionvention of 1855.
It will be remembered that the first district Conference ever held, passed a resolution stating in substance that from the hurried manner in which the first book of Discipline was gotten up, a Convention of all the churches would be called as soon as circumstances authorized it to revise the Discipline for permanent use. Accordingly in 1854 when the Church had taken hold in different parts of Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi, the district Conference in Georgia passed a resolution calling such a Convention to meet at Mt. Zion, in the spring of the next year. And in obedience to this call, the different churches throughout the entire connection elected delegates to said Convention which met on the_______day of_______ 1855. William L. Fambro, who had been President of first district Conference and one of the “original” movers in this direction, was in every way an appropriate person for the Presidency of this important body of Christians, to which he was unanimously called by his brethren.
One of the most important committees appointed by this body, was the Committee on Revisals. That Committee consisting of nine members, was filled with three of the ablest delegates from each of the three States of Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi, viz: J. F. N. Huddleston, Absalom Ogletree and William A. McCune, of Georgia; John A. Hurst, James M. Adams and Robert D. Kennedy, of Alabama, and L. J. Jones, Henry T. Jones and Willis Windham of Mississippi. This able Committee after patient, earnest, laborious effort as the result of their labors, reported to the Conference the following seven paragraphs as embodying the foundation principles of the C. M. Church, as a distinctive denomination of Christians. (These are found on pages 5 through 8 in the tenth edition of our Discipline).
This able report was written by a layman viz: L. J. Jones of Mississippi, now the editor of “The Congregational Methodist.” The substance of the report having been agreed on by the Committee, brother Jones, at their request, put it in shape—and when he presented it to the Committee they were so well pleased with it that they adopted it without a single change.
The report of this Committee was approved by the Convention, and with these fundamental principles thus adopted and settled, as the basis of the distinctive features by the representatives of the Congregational Methodist Church, that humble Church, the child of so many prayers, of so many prayers and tears, of so many good men, took its stand among the Christian denominations, to take part in the great battle for religion and right.
And with these fundamental doctrines thus adopted, the C. M. Church has ever since been satisfied. Seven out of nine of the good men who composed that Committee, have ended their mortal strife, and now rest from their labors, two alone remain. But their work still lives to-day, twenty thousand Congregational Methodists delight in the record of that Committee on Revisals, and many who do not belong to the C. M. Church indorse every word of these seven paragraphs. Methodism has been planted where an Episcopal or a Semi-Episcopal Methodist church could not have lived, many useful ministers who would never have submitted to the degrading distinctions in other branches of the Methodist Church, are doing valiant service for God in the ranks of the C. M. Church. And still the good work goes on. But my task is done, imperfectly done though it may be.
Return to Congregational Index
Compilation Copyright 1997 - Present by The GAGenWeb Project Team