Taylor Co Churches

Turner's Chapel Church

Thank you to Leila Averett who submitted this information

As people settled in what is now known as Turner's Chapel Community, some were members of New Prospect Free Will Baptist Church near Reynolds which had been organized in 1847.

Transportation was by horse and mule drawn vehicles and what roads existed were very poor but the people were still faithful to New Prospect Church once each month which consisted of services on Saturday and Sunday. The people would stay in homes near the church on Saturday night.

In 1897, the people began to meet in an old log building that had been a Primitive Baptist Church about 1 1/4 miles south of the present church under the leadership of Rev. Zachary Taylor Bone (1848-1909) The church was organized from the mother church, New Prospect Free Will Baptist Church and services were held once each month with preaching and conference on Saturday at noon and preaching on Sunday morning. Many of the people continued to attend New Prospect Church and were also faithful to the new church.

In 1898, a deacon of the new church, Perry Turner, deeded two acres of land to be used for a church. So a small building was soon completed and called "Turner's Chapel Free Will Baptist Church"...the name has continued. This building was built by Wesley Wainwright, Geroge Windham and Charlie Pyron. [There is a photograph of this building in the 100 year history of the Butler News.]

Between 1906-1910 the members improved the church by lengthening the building, sealing (done by Bill Robinson), installing new pews, adding a piano, and window glasses replaced the wooden shutters. Worship services continued to be one weekend each month with sister churches joining Turner's Chapel for worship.

The Rev Z.T. Bone was the first pastor of the church. Others included:

Rev. Monroe Posey
Rev. Wallace Culver (1909-
Rev. Emory Grimsley (1910-1912)
Rev. W.R. Lawhorn (1912-1921)
Rev. Charlie H. Moore (1921-1926)
Rev. S. Roy Lawhorn(1926-1929)
Rev. W.R. Lawhorn (1929-1933)
Rev W.J. Childree (193301935)
Rev W.R. Lawhorn (1935-1937)
Rev H.L. Knighton (1937-1939)
Rev. W.R. Lawhorn (1939-1941)
Rev. C.H. Huckaby (1941-1943)
Rev Coy Watson (1943-1946)
Rev. W.R. Lawhorn (1946-1955)
Rev. L.E. Shiffield (1955-1956)
Rev. W.R. Lawhorn (1956-1958)
Rev. Charles Clark (1958-1960)
Rev. W.R. Lawhorn (1960)
Rev. W.J. Owens (1960-1962)
Rev. Warren Wyatt (1962-1964)
Rev. A.G. Windham (1964-1965)
Rev. J.B. Fuller (1965-1967)
Rev. A.G. Windham (1967-1969)
Rev. James R. Stroup (1969-1972)
Rev. Huel Walker (1973-1974)
Rev. A.G. Windham (1975-1977)
Rev. Hubert Arnold (1978-1979)
Rev. James R. Stroup (1979-1980)
Rev. Charles Clark (1980-present)


Some of the names of the new church included:Askews, Byrds, Suddeths, Turners, Moores, Spillers, Robinsons, Wainwrights and Hintons

Progress continued with God's blessing the faithfulness of the people and in 1937, electric lights were installed to replace the oil lamps. The church was painted, a piano was purchased, and new pews were added in this period of revival. Services were still once each month on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

A Sunday School was organized in 1948 with Homer Moore serving as Superintendent for many years.

Some of the deacons who served were:Perry Turner, (his descendant) Walter Turner, Eli Robinson, Edward Robinson, Jack Posey, Earl Bone, grandson of the first pastor, Wilbur Carroll, Randolph Averett, Bobby Rodgers, J.H. Dunlap, Enoch Wainwright, Homer Moore and Arthur Spillers.

The Women's Auxiliary was organized in 1951 with the late J.D. Fincher teaching the first Mission Book in April 1953. The church began having worship services on the second and fourth Sunday mornings of each month with church conference on Saturday morning before the fourth Sunday.

The church from its beginnings in the little log school building continued to grow, and in October,1951, the 173 members of the congregation voted to build a new building parallel with the old church. Committee members were: Mack Miller, John Byrd, Robert Robinson, Jack Posey and Neal Allen listed in March, 1952.

The ladies of the church worked extremely hard picking cotton along with other farm related jobs to help make money for the building fund. Some of the farmers would plant an acre for the church building fund. There were bar-b-ques and other fundraising projects by the people.

The church was completed July 12, 1953 an ddedication of the new church building was the fourth Sunday in July 1953. Rev. W.R. Lawhorn was the pastor and preached the dedication service. This was his fifth of seven times as pastor of Turner's Chapel Church. Rev. Lawhorn served approximately 29 years total.

The members were faithful in their service to the Lord Jesus and on the first Sunday in April 1956, the church became debt free. Full time services were started in 1962.

April 4, 1984, the church voted to start a building program with a homecoming service on the fourth Sunday in July. By the Homecoming in 1989, ground was broken for the new church building. Bro Leroy Lowe had worked with Walter Wainwright to purchase three acres of land for the new church. The building committee composed of Gerald Moore, Jesse Carrol and Eddie Moulton with Rex Robinson and Jack Spell being added later.

The foundation was laid and floor pored in 1990 and work began on framing the new building May 11, 1993 and continued until we moved into the new church March 16, 1997.

Members what have served as deacons through the years are Perry Turner, Homer Moore, Arthur Spillers (died while waiting to be ordained), Enoch Wainwright, J.H. Dunlap, Walter Turner, Elie Robinson, Earl Bone, Edward Robinson, Wilbur Acrroll, George Windham, Jesse Carroll, Bobby Rodgeres, Jack Posey, Randolph, Frank Byrd, Raymond Moore and Leroy Lowe. Elie Robinson and Leroy Lowe are the only active deacons at present. John Turner, appears in the 1860 Taylor County census, as the father of Perry Turner.

More about the Turner Chapel Community

Source: The Butler Herald 100 years in Taylor County


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