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HISTORIC CHURCHES
Howard County Arkansas Genealogy Trails BETHANY MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH FELLOWSHIP BAPTIST CHURCH BETHANY MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH - Dierks AR Contributed
by Christine Walters -- sent to her by Earnestine
Moore taken from the Howard County Heritage Book
Possum
Hollow is an area just south of Dierks AR. Some of the early settlers
were Obadiah Gilbert (b 1795), Children of Jehue Littlefield ( b 1787),
Daniel Weems (b 1833), David Shrum, Robert Walston, Brackston Nelson,
Andrew J Potts, John M Gray, John Wynn, Elisha Dyer, Robert Young,
Joseph Mitchell, Ross G Shuffield, W J Morgan, W R Crisp, Green
Brandon, Alexander James (b 1833), Logans, Kestersons, Westbrooks,
Beans and Watsons.
Possum
Hollow had a church very early. The first one was chartered, with
records still available, is Bethany Baptist Church. It was a branch
from Oak Hill Church and located 2 1/2 miles south of Dierks.
The
Bethany Missionary Baptist Church was organized in September 1906. 20
Members were involved. The church met for some time in the James
Schoolhouse. In 1907 they built a new building near B A James house.
They built a new building in 1913 across the road near the place where
the present building now stands. This building was destroyed by fire in
early 1932. The building of today was built in late 1932.
Brother
John Mc Whorter was the first pastor. G C Westbrook was the first
church clerk. The men who served as pastor are J A Westbrook, T F
Westbrook, J M Parrish, J A Turner, McCarroll, Paul G Byers, C H
Tippit, E T Burgess, Hollis Purtle, Chester L Young, J F C Crain,
Carlton Roberts, Rymon Wilson, Kenneth Tatum, Rickey Parker, Zane
Clark, Roger Arnold, Keith Smith, Glen Cannon and Bro James R Bradford,
perhaps more since the writing of the Howard County Heritage.
Bro. J E Beane was the church's
first deacon. Bro. C H Weaver and Bro. J W Hampton were the first
deacons. Bro. T C CRisp, Bros, Fletcher Harris, Troy Allen, Carl
Kesterson, Leslie Killian were serving as Deacons at the time the
Howard County Heritage Book was written.
Charter
Members were John Beane, Mr and Mrs Charles Henry Weaver, Mr and Mrs J
W Hampton, Bob Wilson, Olen Westbrook, B A James, Emma Brandon, T W
Griffin, Marcus Crisp, Tom Crisp, G C Westbrook, Adolphus Corbell,
Louis Westbrooks, John M Buster, Mr and Mrs Lee Beane, Ms Lula Weaver,
Mrs Mattie Westbrook, T H Westbrook and J E Bean. This information
contributed by Ruby Eudy to the Howard County Heritage.
Built on land donated by Samuel
& Sarah (Propps) Kesterson
Contributed by Christine Walters, sent
in by Norma Kesterson.
This information extracted
from a Cookbook.
Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church is
located on Hwy. 4 between Center Point and Dierks. It is one of the
oldest Baptist congregations in the county. The date of organization is
unknown, but the church existed as early as 1845.
The original log church building stood
beside the Fort Towson Road, north of Fellowship Cemetery. In 1880, the
church acquired property south of the cemetery from Samuel and Sarah B
Kesterson and erected a large board-and-batten structure. This second
"church house" stood where the present one is located.
In 1918, the congregation used lumber
made from timber grown on the church and cemetery grounds to put up the
present building.
During its early history, Fellowship
Church had preaching service on one weekend a month. Beginning in 1953,
preaching services were held on two weekends a month, and since 1969,
on every Sunday.
Sunday School was conducted irregularly
or not at all during the earlier decades. More emphasis was placed on
Sunday School after 1934, when officers and teachers began to be
elected on a regular annual basis.
High points of the church year were the
"protracted meetings" held by visiting evangelists in the late summer
heat of August and September. Services were held twice daily, for a
week, or longer, either in the church house or beneath a brush arbor.
Meetings ended with baptizings in Messer Creek, Holly Creek, the
Charlie Mauldin pond or in Saline River.
Pastors serving the church since 1870
have included: Thomas H Westbrook, his son Thomas F Westbrook, J H
Denson, Thomas Dulaney, T J Lumpkin, J H Bennett, Bud Tate, J A
Westbrook, L M Webb, D W Cornish, William Allen, T L Epton, Lee Beane,
L M Keeling, C H Tippit, J C Burgess, Hollis A Purtle, W H Stingley,
John L Ferguson, M C Barhan, J W McAdams, Larry Gaines, Jimmy Freeman,
James Stone, Gary Bobo and the present pastor Coy Zumwalt.
Deacons who have served the church since
1908 have included: B N Greenhaw, O S Thompson, H N Jacobs, J F Stone,
Fletcher Harris, Ruel House, Don Tollett, Charles Reel and Michael
Crisp.
Total membership of the church has
ranged usually from 30-60 persons: in 1986 there were 67 members. The
meager funding of the early days, when a pastor might be paid $12.00
for a years work, has been replaced by a budget adequate for a greatly
expanded and enriched church program.
Beginning in 1880, a public school was
also conducted in Fellowship Church Building. This school operated
until the Second World War. Among the teachers durings its last years were Hiram V
Keating, Pearl Chesshir, Homer Eastwood, Marie Wynn, Georgia Jacobs and Mattie Mae Bolland.
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