Mecklenburg County
VAGenWeb
Thanks are extended to everyone who contributed information or pictures used in the preparation of the church history. Special acknowledgment is given to Mrs. Ida Puryear, Church Historian, and Mrs. Grayson Johnson, Church Clerk, for their generous help and support for the project. Great appreciation is also due Mr. E. T. Blackwell, Concord Association Historian, without whose work the earliest history of the church would have been unobtainable. -- March 16, 1986
"Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called
the name of it Ebenezer, saying, "Hitherto hath the Lord helped us.'"
(1Sam.VII,v.12) That stone was erected by Samuel in recognition of divine aid in
his battle against the Philistines. In the same way, Ebenezer Church has served
for 150 years as a symbol of God's continuous, loving interventions in the lives
of men.
In October 1804, churches from the present areas of Mecklenburg,
Lunenburg, Brunswick, Greensville, and Dinwiddie counties met at Ebenezer
Meeting House to form the Meherrin Baptist Association. It is likely that there
was an organized church holding meetings in the building at that time.
The original church was described as "a frame building with pulpit in the front
between two entrance doors facing the back, so arranged that a person entering
would either have to take a front seat or walk to the back, and when latecomers
arrived, the ladies did not have to crane their necks turning around to see who
they were."
Little history of the church is known from the years
1806-1836; however, it is known that the building was standing on land given by
the Edmundsons and was further back from the road than is the present building.
In 1833, the Meherrin Association was split between the "missionary
Baptists," the Anti-mission" element, and the "Reformers." This split let to the
organizing of the Concord Association, and in July of 1836 the new Association
received a "petitionary letter, from a newly constituted church, called Union."
The church, which met at Ebenezer Meeting house, was unanimously received into
the Association. The twenty-two member church was let by Elder J.B. Smith, and
the delegates listed for the 1836 Convention were Willis Crute, James Connelly,
and Boswell Crute.
It was 1838 before Union Church again reported to the
Association, and their pastor C.F. Burnley. Obviously, the church was
struggling, as indicated by their church letter: "As we are commanded not to
forsake the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is, we are
ourselves under obligation to be more punctual for the future, as well as to
make acknowledgments for the past. We have the labors of our faithful and
beloved brother Burnley, but for the present are in a cold and lifeless
condition. We trust, however, that we are in unity and love among ourselves."
The church membership has increased to forty-four by 1840, when we find the
first listing of the deacons of the church, namely James Connelly and Willis
Crute. The church clerk was Joseph H. Lett, who continues in that position until
1880, but the church had lost the leadership of C.F. Burnley. New names
appearing as church delegated were Joseph Scott and Thomas Williamson.
With a decreased membership of thirty-eight, the church found itself in
financial difficulties in 1842. Elder William H. Maddox was working three
churches - Cut Banks, Malones, and Union - "on the faith of the churches, and
our Association, in case of a failure on the part of any of the churches." Union
church requested aid from the Association for support of the minister and
received a $21.62 1/2 collection. In a statement to the Association, Union
reported, "They have been living without the gospel for two years, and have
nothing of interest to communicate. They are at peace among themselves, are a
feeble body . . . They hold with every institution of benevolence in the world,
that has for its object the advancement of the Redeemer's kingdom."
Again
in 1843 the church requested financial aid from the Association and was advised
"to appoint someone to apply to the several churches for the aid solicited." New
deacons listed by this time were J.H. Lett and S.D. Rolfe. In 1845 and 1846 the
church listed no pastors; however, the membership had increased to 103. S.A.
Creath was the next pastor at Union, serving from 1847 to 1851. Membership
fluctuated greatly during this period, ranging from 128 members to 96. In 1848
Union Church hosted the seventeenth annual session of the Concord Baptist
Association, and in 1849 Union Church became known as Ebenezer Church. In 1848,
the last year that the associational minutes listed the church deacons, Ebenezer
had four: J. Connelly, J.H. Lett, G. Holmes, and S.D. Rolfe.
After being
without a pastor for 1852 and 1853, Ebenezer gained the services of Rev. A.F.
Davidson, who continues to serve the church for thirty years. The church
suffered a declining membership during the first years of Davidson's leadership,
dropping to seventy-nine members, but then its growth began one more and climbed
to 134 members in 1869.
Ebenezer's first Sunday School was reported in
1860, and the first numerical report, given in 1867, showed ten officers and
teachers and thirty- seven students.
As did all churches, Ebenezer
suffered during the years of the Civil War. In 1864 the Association Convention
had to change its meeting site "owing to the interruption occasioned by the
proximity of the Federal army," and that same year the executive committee
suggested to the churches that "at least one-half of the pastor's salary be paid
in provisions."
The Civil War brought other changes to the church. For
example, in 1869 Rev. Davidson reported to the Association that with the
assistance of Philip Parker, a colored minister, he had organized a colored
church at Ebenezer, thereby removing sixty of sixty-two black members from the
church roll. It is most probably that the two remaining members were a sexton
and his wife.
In 1874 Ebenezer served as the host church for the Concord
Association Annual Convention. Few records other than statistical data are
available for this time period, but in 1879 Ebenezer reported that they had no
Sunday School. This report was repeated in 1881, 1882, and 1884. Obviously, the
church was having great difficulty maintaining an organized Sunday program other
than preaching.
The church was without a pastor during 1884 and 1885, and
membership had dropped from 113 to 87 when Rev. W.P. Gray came in 1886. Brother
Gray was apparently a hard worker, as demonstrated by the fact that in his first
year, he enlarged the membership to 141. Rev. Gray served the church two
different times the next five years, apparently through some very troubled
times. At the Association's convention in 1888, Mr. Z.W. Curtis of Ebenezer
reported that the church had no pastor and "was in such a condition as to make
it impossible to make an intelligent letter to the Association, owing to
divisions and withdrawals from membership." Although there is no evidence of
what caused the turmoil, membership records show a one-year decrease of 101
members, from 155 to 54. In spite of the return of Rev.Gray, membership
continued to dwindle to a low of twenty-one before Rev. J.E. Powell took over
leadership of the church in 1891. Perhaps the church's survival was due in great
part to the strength of its early members. An 1889 "Tribute of Love" to Capt.
Dennis R. Fielder stated, "Brother Fielder was a very active and useful
Christian, long a member of Ebenezer Church . .. his ripened experience and the
influence of his pure and noble example was enjoyed and blessed to the good of
many."
In spite of what looked like a dying church, Rev. Powell took
Ebenezer and began to pull it back toward life. Church growth was slow for five
years, but in 1898 membership jumped from forty-six to eighty-three. In an 1899
exchange deed between James and Florence Edmonson and Ebenezer trustees J.E.
Powell, L.T. Gwaltney, H.B. Dunn, and W.J. Lett, we find the exchange of "a
certain piece of land . . . upon the old church Ebenezer was located and which
has been taken down and removed" for "the same amount of land upon which the new
church Ebenezer is located and in use." It is generally believed that the
present church contains some of the materials from that original building and
that the moving of the church was for the purpose of getting close to the road.
The year 1901 saw the beginning of a W.M.U. organization at Ebenezer, led by
Mrs. Jennie Powell, the pastor's wife.
In 1906 the church realized the
need for additional land and purchased two acres from James and Florence
Edmonson for $5.00. This land was used primarily for a church cemetery. An early
cemetery containing only unmarked stones is located directly behind the present
church.
In 1907 the Southern Baptist Convention began the Layman's
Missionary Movement, asking each Baptist man to give one tenth of his income to
support mission work. Each church was asked to appoint a committee to head up
the movement; at Ebenezer the appointed leaders were C.R. Dunn, Paul Tunstall,
and John Curtis. Within four years of setting up the new cemetery, the church
began to experience problems. In 1910 Mr. Z.T. Willard wanted to buy a cemetery
plot for his son for the sum of $1.00. The church refunded his money, saying
"the church don't object to his son's grave, but church can't sell burying
ground that was bought for the members of the church." This incident prompted
the creation of the first cemetery committee, L.T. Gwaltney, J.C. Gill, and C.R.
Dunn.
In spite of a growing membership, the church reported that it had
no W.M.U. for the years 1911 through 1915.
Throughout the years, Ebenezer
records indicate that church finances have been a problem, both within the
church and for mission work. In 1913 Rev. Powell appointed a committee of two to
collect funds monthly for associational boards. The first collection netted
$12.60. Then in 1914, the pastor appointed a committee of three to assist the
deacons "in looking after the finances of the church." In 1915, apparently to
aid its finances, the church voted to sell the old organ and place the money in
the Williams and Goode Bank in Boydton. There is no record of the amount
received for the organ or for what the money was used.
According to
Association records, Ebenezer sent delegates to the W.M.U. Convention for the
first time in 1916. he listed delegates were Mrs. J.E. Powell and Miss Virginia
Tunstall.
In that same year the church seemed to become more concerned
about its membership. After Mr. and Mrs. Charlie Harris were dropped from the
church roll, they requested a letter of dismissal. As a result of this request,
the church voted to appoint a committee on discipline "to look after the
delinquent members and to investigate charges against members and report to the
church." Furthermore, inactive members were requested to "appear at next meeting
rendering . . . excuse for not attending church and showing some interest in the
work of the church.
In 1917 the Association responded to a growing church
problem which still exists today. In summing up the "Conditions of the Churches"
as reported in the church letters, the Association's committee said that "a
great need is to have more members to talk inside the church and fewer talkers
outside the church." Obviously, the churches were suffering from outside
criticisms of their work and, perhaps, their members.
Finances and church
growth again dominated church affairs beginning in 1919. In that year the church
voted that "pastor in charge pay none of his own salary." also in the same year
the church reported eight persons received for baptism following a "protracted
meeting." The fact that this information appeared in the church minutes
indicates the importance it played to the church members.
In 1920 as a
result of weak giving, Brother S.A. Moseley was appointed by the church "to
apportion each member that had not paid anything to pastor's salary what he
thought they were able to pay."
The 1921 W.M.U. Association report
indicated that Sunbeams were doing more than W.M.U. at Ebenezer. Evidently,
however, the organizations did not last since the 1926 associational report
recorded the beginning of Ebenezer G.A. and Sunbeam groups. @@@5
The year
1921 also saw fourteen new members received into the church as a "visible
result" of a series of meeting conducted by brother Walton.
In 1922 the
church once again appointed a committee to investigate the lack of attendance,
apparently a major problem since it was brought up at a business meeting.
Early members of Ebenezer also show up in other churches through the years.
In 1923 Samuel E. Lett was recognized as an associational delegate from
Tabernacle. It was noted that Mr. Lett, forty-eight years earlier in 1875, had
been a delegate from Ebenezer. It seems likely that the 1888 "exodus" from
Ebenezer spread early members throughout other churches in the Association.
Whatever the case might have been, Ebenezer was once again growing. In 1923
thirteen new members were received by baptism following a week-long revival.
These members increased the roll to 116 members, the highest number since 1888.
Rev J.E. Powell proved his humanity in 1924. According to the associational
minutes for that year "J.E. Powell,, pastor of Ebenezer Church, read a history
of that church before the Association, comprising twenty or more typed pages.
The Association voted to adopt that part of his report pertaining to the history
of Ebenezer Church and print it in associational minutes. Brother Powell refused
to deliver material to clerk unless it was printed in full; therefore, history
was omitted from minutes." In the following years the history disappeared and
has never since been located.
In an attempt to save some money, the
church dismissed its long-time sexton, Uncle Ben Holmes, in 1927 and members
agreed to perform his duties. Later records indicate, however, that another
sexton was hired in 1930, following Ben Holmes' death.
Brother Emmet
Reese was selected in 1927 as a deacon to replace L.T. Gwaltney, who moved his
membership to another church.
Also in 1927, the church felt the need for
additional cemetery land. Therefore, they purchased land from J.W. and Emma
Farrar for the price of $1.00. This simply indicates once again the generosity
that has been shown to the church throughout the years.
Ebenezer suffered
a major tragedy in 1928 with the death of Rev. J.E. Powell. This man had taken a
struggling, nearly dead church and had revived it into a strong arm of Christian
service. In a service of remembrance on Mother's Day 1948, Mr. Powell was
described in the following words: ". . . he elected to stay with a labor among
people whose every sorrow was his to share and every joy to bless . . . no man
had to guess where he stood . . . he turned neither to the left or right but
calmly and nobly stood until the end."
Following Mr. Powell's death, the
church sent a committee to Wakefield, North Carolina to see if Rev. Raleigh
Sherron would supply for the church. Rev. Sherron filled the unexpired year and
continued to lead the church until 1937. In 1929 Ebenezer reported no W.M.U.,
perhaps due to the lack of leadership previously provided by Mrs. Powell and due
to a lack of funds for keeping the organization operating. It was 1934 before
the organization was reestablished in the church, under the presidency of Miss
Virginia Tunstall.
For the first time in its recorded history, Ebenezer
did not hold a revival in 1929, perhaps again due to the financial instability
of the country and the lack of a resident pastor in the church.
The 1930
records reflect the financial condition of the entire country. Fifty dollars
which had been left to the church by Sister Owen was loaned to Rev. Sherron to
be applied to his salary if the church was unable to meet that obligation.
Records also indicate that the church struggled to raise $1.25 to buy a new
water bucket. When it was suggested that the pulpit chairs be refurbished, each
member was asked to give one dollar or a ham to pay for the work.
The
Depression had also affected church attendance, and in September of 1930, Sister
D.H. Bowers was asked to write to members who had not been to church in the last
six months.
In November of 1930, the church was still $92.00 short on the
preacher's salary, and a committee of three women was appointed to help in
raising money for the salary. At the same time, Brother Sherron was asked to
write Mr. M.B. Jones concerning the Cooperative Program. The church was
financially unable to pledge a certain amount to the program but promised to
give "as liberally as they saw fit."
In spite of its poor finances,
however, the church proved its concern for others when, in December 1930, it
collected $7.23 for one of its less fortunate members.
In a 1931 report
to Concord Association, Brother J.E. Reese reported that Ebenezer "hoped to make
a better showing in the future as they had also been very active during the year
in helping the needy in their community and for that reason were not able to do
more (for the Association) during the past year."
By 1933 finances had
improved, and when the church was asked to accept a ten dollar assessment for
the Cooperative Program, the church not only accepted the assessment but members
immediately pledged $7.50 of the amount.
Following its reorganization in
1934, the W.M.U. became an active and important force at Ebenezer. In 1936, the
organization received a pennant of recognition for having every resident member
give to missions.
For the first six months of 1938, following the
resignation of Rev. Sherron, Mr. Crayne of Lunenburg County supplied for the
church. After Mr. Crayne left, Rev. C.L. Taylor accepted the call of Ebenezer
and continued to serve until the end of 1942. Rev. Taylor offered his
resignation with the condition that the church appoint a pulpit committee to
study the advisability of going on a field.
Rev W.W. Glass was
recommended to the church as its pastor in October 1942. Rev. Glass accepted the
call, and Ebenezer became a part of a four-church field with Mt. Horeb, Union
Level, and Sanford Memorial. Rev. Glass served the churches until 1945.
Evidently the church found itself in financial difficulty again in 1944 when it
agreed to sign for aid from the Baptist Board.
In 1945 Grayson Johnson
was elected clerk of Ebenezer and has faithfully filled that position to the
present time. [note: 1986 date of article]
Following the resignation of
Mr. Glass in 1945, the church voted to stay on the field with the other three
churches; however, in 1946 the field changed to a three-church situation with
Mt. Horeb and Concord.
During the two-year period of 1947-48, Rev. Jack
Taylor, a Methodist pastor, supplied in order to keep the church from having to
close its doors. Also in 1946, the trustees were directed to check into getting
lights in the church.
In September of 1947, Ebenezer finally found a
pastor, Rev. E.C. Tull, who served the church until December 1955.
A
parsonage committee, composed of Roland Puryear, Sam Davis and Willie Carter,
was formed in 1947, R.F. Johnson was later added to the committee.
In
1947 list of deacons included Emmet Reese, Paul Tunstall, and Lennie Whittemore,
Roland Puryear and Franklin Johnson were ordained the following year.
October 1948 was the date of the Home Dedication Service for the new parsonage
constructed by Ebenezer, Mt. Horeb, and Concord.
Ebenezer's W.M.U. again
started to shine as for four consecutive years, 1950-1953, the organization was
recognized for having 100 percent of its members reading mission study books.
The year 1951 appears to have been a prosperous year for the church. The old
rug was removed from the sanctuary, and a fund was begun to install new
carpeting. Mr. and Mrs. Dick Dunn donated fifty dollars with which to start the
fund. Also in that year, the trustees and deacons were authorized to secure one
acre of land to add to the cemetery; however, no adjoining land was available at
that time. A church building project was also undertaken in May of 1951 as
Roland Puryear requested that "all men meet at church .. . Saturday morning in
order to cut logs for the Sunday School rooms."
The year 1952 was a year
of change and growth as Alma Whittemore succeeded Sarah Elliott as W.M.U.
president, and the church voted to install a furnace system. Mr. D.M. Stovall
was also ordained as a deacon during that year.
The Sunday School rooms,
begun in 1951, were dedicated in June of 1953.
Demonstrating its concern
for its own members, the church set up a Christian Education fund in 1954 for
Ann Davis, who was studying for full-time Christian service. That same year the
church also voted to have the floor and pulpit "fixed over." In a subsequent
meeting the following year, it was decided to replace the pulpit rather than to
refurbish the old one.
Ebenezer was again without a pastor for the end of
1955 and early 1956. Then in May of that year, Rev Russell Hunt accepted the
church's call and served until December 1958, when Mt. Horeb and Ebenezer for a
two-church field.
Ebenezer also lost a deacon, Lin Puryear in 1955, and
the church was presented with a memorial vase in honor of that faithful servant.
In 1956 Ann Puryear, another long-time member of Ebenezer, was added as a
recipient of the Christian Education Fund. That same year the church voted to
send a letter to the University of Richmond "recommending Anne Davis for full-
time Christian Service." Alma Whittemore was succeeded as W.M.U. president by
Gladys Cliborne in 1956. Mrs. Cliborne has continued in that position until the
present time.
The year 1957 was a year of growth as the church ordained
two new deacons, Walter Carter and R.D. Cliborne, and again authorized the
trustees, J.E. Reese, R.F. Johnson, and Otis Jordan, to purchase additional
cemetery land.
In 1958 there were some major changes in the church. The
W.M.U. attained an Advanced rating, its first such honor. Also in July the
church leaned that Mt. Horeb and Concord would be going on a two-church field
when suitable. Then in September, the church learned that as of January 1, 1959,
they would be without a pastor as Rev. Hunt chose to stay with the two-church
field.
As a result of Rev. Hunt's decision, Mr. Bill Tomlinson, a
University of Richmond student, supplied in December of 1958 and was then called
by the church as its pastor. The call was accepted, and Rev. Tomlinson served
until March of 1966.
Solomon Loyd was ordained as a deacon in 1959, and
the W.M.U. again achieved an Advanced rating, which it maintained through 1962.
Also in 1959 the church recorded its largest membership, 176 members.
The
year 1960 was a year of church additions. New pulpit chairs and a new pulpit
were given in memory of Rev. J.E. Powell by his sons, Thomas Gray and Stuart.
Mr. W.H. Elliott was ordained as a deacon in that year and was elected chairman
of a committee to write a church constitution. Indicating a concern for new
members, the board of deacons recommended that "any persons desiring church
membership will be received under the watchcare of the church and will be
enrolled in a new member class which will meet on the first and third Sundays of
each month during the Sunday School hour and will be taught by a qualified
person. Afterwards, the candidate will be presented to the church for full
membership." Ebenezer deacons, as listed in the 1960 church minutes were R.D.
Cliborne, L.I. Whittemore, R.F. Johnson, Solomon Loyd, W.G. Warter, R.P.
Puryear, and W.H. Elliott.
Although there are no church records
indicating a church building project going on at the time, it was announced in
1961 that Rev. Dempsey Carwell would conduct the dedication services for the new
Sunday School room.
Two major changes occurred in 1962 when the church
voted to purchase a new piano and to cut a door from the sanctuary to the Sunday
School rooms.
In August of 1963, Bill Tomlinson turned in his resignation
as pastor of Ebenezer Church. However, in December the pulpit committee
recommended to the church that "W.L. Tomlinson be requested to withdraw his
resignation and remain as pastor," When Rev. Tomlinson learned that the church
unanimously supported the recommendation, he withdrew his resignation.
Church organizations were also very active that year. The Vacation Bible School
attained an A standard rating; the Training Union won the Efficiency Banner at
"M" Night, and Robert Elliott won the Young People's Poster contest in the
district Training Union Tournament.
The year 1964 saw the continuation of
church activities as the Intermediate G.A.'s received an Honor Award and Junior
G.A.'s received an Advanced Award. Furthermore, in the Associational Training
Union Tournament, Rose Andrews won the Young People's Poster contest and Judy
Rucker won the Intermediate Poster contest.
Church participation in
Training Union grew stronger in 1965 as evidenced by increased wins in the
Associational Tournament. Sandra Phillips won the Junior Memory Drill; Davey
Bowers, the Young People's Essay, and Mrs. Mildred Lewis, the Adult Poster
contest.
The church lost one of its deacons, R.F. Johnson, during 1965,
and a memorial plaque containing the church covenant was presented to the
church. Church leadership again changed hands in 1966 as Rev. Bill Tomlinson
submitted his resignation in February in order to serve another church. In May
of that year, the pulpit committee recommended Rev. Jack Trent as the new
pastor. Rev. Trent accepted the church's call and served until 1967. In May of
1966, the church sent a letter to Riverside Baptist Church in Roanoke (Rev.
Trent's home church) asking that church to make the necessary arrangements for
the ordination of the new pastor.
In October of 1966, the church voted to
begin work on the installation of bathrooms in the church building, and one
month later the church had installed the bathrooms and dug a well. The G.A.'s
also proved themselves in 1966 as they received an Honor rating. Rev Trent
resigned, effective March 1967, and that same month the church unanimously
passed the pulpit committee's recommendation of calling Rev. Ray McPherson, who
assumed his duties at the church in July of 1967.
After only one year,
Rev. McPherson resigned in order to re-enlist as a Navy Chaplain. At the
Homecoming Service in May of 1968, the church dedicated several donations which
had given the church a "face lift." New carpeting had been installed in the
sanctuary by Rev. and Mrs. McPherson, and the pulpit chairs had been
reupholstered by Mrs. McPherson's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Dewey Bass. Outside, new
sidewalks had been poured and shrubbery had been donated by Mr. and Mrs. Herbert
Bowers, Mrs. W.E. Carter, and by Nellie Curtis in memory of Maynard Curtis.
In September, following the pastor's resignation, the church voted
unanimously to call Rev. Larry James Bennett, who accepted the call and served
until June of 1970. The Training Union continued to remain active ad it received
the 1968 Efficiency Banner. The church received two new gifts in 1969 when Rev.
and Mrs. Bennett gave a scarf for the communion table and a new church Bible was
given by the Curtis family in honor of Nellie and Maynard Curtis.
The
year of 1970 was another year of major change for Ebenezer. In January the
pulpit committee was requested to contact Mt. Horeb Church concerning the
possibility of becoming a two-church field. In March the church voted to join
with Mt. Horeb on a field. In 1970 they lost a long-time deacon, John Emmett
Reese, and in September of that year, Rev. Eugene Payne began leadership of the
church.
A new W.M.U. organization, the Baptist Young Women, began at
Ebenezer I 1972, and the G.A.'s received an Advanced award that year. Also the
same year, a nursery and the outside security light were added to the church.
In 1973, after its first full year of operation, the B.Y.W. received a Merit
award. The church also began discussions on painting and wallpapering the
sanctuary. In July of 1973 the church was once more without a pastor following
the resignation of Rev. Payne.
Following Rev. Payne's resignation, Rev.
Vernon Tuxbury supplied until a new pastor could be found.
In February
1974, Rev. John Small accepted the leadership of the church. The Young Married
Class requested permission to raise money to install ceiling tiles in the
sanctuary, and in May the new ceiling and wallpaper were installed. The church
also began working on getting the stained-glass memorial windows for the
sanctuary.
A major change occurred in 1974 when the church, under the
guidance of Rev. Small, voted to have every-Sunday preaching. The church also
suffered a great loss in 1974 with the death of one of its strongest leaders,
Deacon W.H. Elliott.
In January 1975 Clarence Spake was ordained as a
deacon to replace Mr. Elliott. The next three months saw new additions to the
church. In February a new pulpit was given in honor of Mr. Elliott; in March the
memorial windows were given by various families in the church, and in April a
new bookcase was purchased with a donation given by Rev. and Mrs. McPherson. The
church was saddened that year, however, by the death of another deacon, Mr.
Roland Puryear.
The year 1976 saw two new projects begun by the church.
The Young Married class instigated the idea of installing air conditioners in
the sanctuary, and the church voted to build a new picnic shed and concrete the
floor of it.
In 1977 Bob Kemp was ordained as a deacon, and the ungraded
Acteens received a distinguished rating. Also in that year, the church accepted
the resignation of Rev. Small. Rev. Small was followed in 1978 by Rev. Donald
Emge, and in December of that year the church conducted its first white-gift
Christmas program, which has since become a annual part of the Christmas
program. Also in December of 1978, the Young Married class announced its
financial readiness to install air conditioning.
In January 1979,
Ebenezer joined with First Baptist Church of South Hill for a Bible study
conducted by former Ebenezer member Anne Davis. The church constitution was
revised and updated, including a trial period of using rotating deacons. In
preparation for the installation of air conditioners, the church voted to
insulate the roof and side walls of the sanctuary. In July 1979, the church
faced a problem similar to one seventy years earlier and decided "the cemetery
shall be restricted to church members and their immediate households. Any
variations shall be handled on an individual basis through a meeting of the
deacons and trustees."
Following the death of Deacon Lennie Whittemore in
1979, the Board of Deacons recommended that "as a memorial and out of respect to
Lennie Whittemore" that his position not be immediately filled.
The year
1980 proved to be a very busy year for the church. Ricky Puryear was ordained as
a new deacon. Due to decreased participation, the church voted to celebrate
Homecoming every three years rather than every year. In February the church
learned of Rev. Emge's resignation effective the following month and voted to
call Rev. E.H. Puryear to supply until a pastor could be found. Rev. Puryear
served until Rev. L. Wayne Carter assumed leadership of the church in November.
New sanctuary lights were given in memory of Lennie Whittemore in 1980, and
the church again addressed itself to the completion of the picnic shed. When the
church received a request to sell the land across the road from the church
building, the members voted to sell the land and use the money to complete the
shed. The church also voted to amend the constitution to eliminate rotating
deacons. Woodmen of the World presented new state and Christian flags and
standards to the church.
Finally in 1981, five years after its beginning,
the picnic shed was completed when the cement floor was poured.
Following
the example of other churches in the area, in 1982 Ebenezer set up a cemetery
upkeep fund to provide for proper maintenance of the ground. Also, Jimmy Carter
donated new hymnal covers for the church, and an outdoor bulletin board was
given in memory of Melvin Davis. Also, a new door was cut from the sanctuary
into the Sunday School rooms and a ramp was installed between the two for easier
access.
In 1983 the church voted to celebrate its sesquicentennial in
1986. Bob Kemp was elected as chairman of the Sesquicentennial Planning
Committee.
In 1984, the church voted to complete the kitchen area in the
Sunday School rooms.
The year 1985 saw three changes in the churches.
C.W. Cassada was ordained as a deacon; a new picnic table was donated by Mr. Una
Harris, and a new furnace was installed after thirty-three years of service from
the old unit.
Clearly, the church has seen years of hardship and good
fortune. In all times, however, it has sustained and become stronger as a result
of its experiences. Through the years many people have entered the doors of the
church and found strength and comfort, as well as fellowship, and love. Surely
there is a special meaning for Ebenezer church and its members in the second
verse of "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing."
"Here I raise mine Ebenezer
Hither by Thy help I'm come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home."
Contributed by Carolyn Davis
Mecklenburg County VAGenWeb Copyright
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This page was last updated 03/08/2024