Stoutsville Baptist

Stoutsville Baptist Church   

When Stoutsville was becoming a town, James M. Pollard thought there should be a Baptist Church. Accordingly, he and his brother, H. O. B. Pollard, Esquire Woodson, and several others made the plans. Mr. Pollard donated the lot, S. T. Pollard hauled the first load of lumber, according to Mrs. Sally Pollard Jackson, of Monroe City, Mo., a daughter of S. T. Pollard.

A History of Monroe and Shelby Counties, printed in 1884, refers to the Stoutsville Baptist Church as follows:

“About the year 1869, Abram Utterback and wife, Gustavis Bannister, Joseph Smeltzer, and perhaps others, met and formed an organization at Hurd School house, largely through the efforts of Rev. Milford Powers. Since then Revs. W. B. Craig, George C. Brown, and G. D. Tolle (who was the last one) have been ministers in charge. There is no pastor of the church at the present time. Services are held once a month. The present membership is about 50. In the summer of 1873 a frame house in which services are held was completed and is valued at nearly $1,000.”

Mr. Bob Yates said that the church was built the same year that the M.K.T. Railroad was built through Monroe County, 1871.

A copy of the Bethel Baptist Association, held September, 1-3, 1897, stated that the Stoutsville Church was constituted in 1870. The Church was at that time a member of the Bethel Association, and the first time an associational meeting was held at Stoutsville was September, 1896. Stoutsville became a member of the Monroe Baptist Association when it was organized in October, 1904, and was listed in the minutes of that meeting as being constituted in 1871.

Informed sources indicate that the church records, from the organization until Saturday before the second Sunday in December 1891 were destroyed by fire.

The first business meeting for which records are available, the record began as follows: “The Baptist Church of Jesus Christ, worshipping at Stoutsville, met Saturday, before the second Sunday on December, 1891; preaching by our pastor after which the doors of the church were opened for the reception of members; none presented themselves; the church then set in a business capacity.” For a good many years the records of the church business meetings, began with this heading.

For some time a roll call was taken of members at the business meeting. The first one of record was Saturday before the 2^nd Sunday in February, 1892, reporting 31 present and 89 did not answer the call, making a membership of 120.

In one of the early records of the church, fellowship was withdrawn from a man and his wife for the sin of dancing. In another instance fellowship was withdrawn from a man for ill treatment of his wife.

The first recorded information available of the ordination of a person to the ministry was on April 8, 1892, when J. C. Pollard was ordained. During those early years the Sunday School was not as closely associated as today, for after giving his report to the church business meeting, the Sunday School superintendent invited the Church members to visit the Sunday school.

A resolution to the memory of Underwood Dooley, a member, who died November11, 1892, was presented and adopted at the December business meeting, to be written into the minutes.

The first person licensed to preach was Joseph W. Borden, March 1894. At this same meeting the church dismissed a group of members to organize a Baptist Church at Casey College, a rural school about 5 miles south of Stoutsville, the Church later became known as Harmony. The following were listed: J. W. Scobee, Mary J. Scobee, Lula Scobee, W. H. Scobee, John Robbins, Fannie Robbins, Sarah Robbins, Julian Robbins, Bertha Robbins, W. C. Robbins, Woodson Reaves, Elizabeth Buffington, E. B. Dowell, Lucretia Dowell, Benjamin Dowell, Sallie Dowell, Matt Dowell, Nannie Dowell, M. L. Carman, Lucinda Carman, Hattie Smith, Eliza Leitch, R. E. Tipton, Ollie Dowell, and Annie Hughes.

In November 1896, a committee was elected to raise money to purchase a bell, and in January, 1897, the committee was instructed to purchase a 40 inch bell. The belfry for the bell was built during 1897. According to Mr. B. J. Dye, the intentions were to place the bell on top of the church, but when the bell arrived, it was so heavy that that was fear of it crushing through the roof, so the belfry tower was built.

Revivals as we know them now were called protracted meetings, and about the time the bell was installed one meeting was held for five weeks.

Evidently Sunday School had been discontinue, for on April 10, 1904 Sunday School was reorganized. Then on September10, 1904, a committee was elected to investigate the possibilities of building a new building, costs, etc. Eventually this committee was dismissed and the building was repaired. In 1905 the building of a union church was considered along with the idea of building a church.

The concrete walk from the building to the street was built in 1907.

The pastor’s salary in 1908 was $125.00 per year, with preaching one Sunday each month. The first prayer meeting of record was on a Friday night in 1910. In 1914 the pastor’s salary was raised to $200.00 per year with preaching once a month. Through the efforts of the Ladies Missionary Society, new lights were installed in 1916.

The first record of fruit being sent to the Baptist Home in Ironton was in 1915. The church would order a barrel of empty jars, then the ladies of the church would bring their canned fruit and vegetables to fill the barrel and send it back to the home. This practice continued for several years, the last being recorded in 1952.

November 1917 the Duplex System of every member canvass was ordered.

The church had become a member of the Monroe Baptist Association in 1904, and the first annual meeting was held with the Stoutsville church was in 1915; then again in 1929, and in 1940, and once or twice since that time.

October 1944, the church voted to go half time with the pastor’s salary to be $35.00 per month. For a time in 1943 services were held two Sundays a month in the afternoon.

The first Vacation Bible School was held in 1945. Business meetings were changed to once a month in 1945, changing from a quarterly meeting begun in 1911. The first Training Union was organized in 1949.

January 12, 1950, the Church voted to go to full time, and has continued to the present. Salary at the beginning of this year was $30.00 per Sunday. This was later raised to $40.00 per Sunday.

March 4, 1951, at the suggestion of the pastor, Rev. Allen Butzine, it was voted to hold an Easter Sunrise Service at the Stoutsville, Cemetery, a practice which has continued to the present time, with the Baptist and Methodist pastors and congregations cooperating.

On November 18, 1951, the church observed the 80^th Anniversary, with Dr. L. A. foster, then president of Hannibal-LaGrange College, as the principal speaker.

The new floor was put down in 1953.

The church as at various times had an active Brotherhood, Women’s Missionary Society, Royal Ambassadors and Girl’s Auxiliary.

The records indicate that the following men having been ordained as deacons:

Ordained ministers recorded: J. C. Pollard & Jim Wells

In June 1966, the Thornton property next to the church was purchased.

The house was repaired and used for social gatherings of the church, and for Sunday School class rooms. For several months the church held monthly socials – this house fell victim to the Cannon Lake. A small amount of material was salvaged.

The Rev. Walter J. Clark was called as pastor of the church on Nov. 8, 1970, and he led the church in relocating the building. The church property was purchased by the Army Corps of Engineers for $17,500 and a moving expense of $2,500, with the Church retaining the buildings. Purchase date April 9, 1972.

Early in the summer of 1972 option was taken on one acre of groun from Leo Levings and his mother, and ground breaking ceremonies were held at the new site on June 18, 1972. At the services held that day recognition was given to the Mc Creery family for their years of service in the church. Consummation of the purchase of the land was made on December 26, 1972.

At first it was decided to raze the old building and salvage as much material as possible to be used in rebuilding, but after getting estimates of cost of materials, it was decided to try to have the building moved. Pastor and Trustee Schofield met with Mr. Sam Cobb, house mover of Moberly, Mo., on April 1, 1973. He said he would and could move the building. When the proposition to move the building was presented to the members in a business meeting called for this purpose, there was only one negative vote, so Mr. Cobb was instructed to moved the building. The bell tower was removed during the month of August, 1973.

After many delays, moving of the building was begun on June 6, 1974. A concrete basement was built during the summer of 1973, and the building was placed on it June 26 and 27 of 1974. A temporary walk way was built and the first service was held in the building at its new location July 14, 1974.

Work on adding front rooms and entrance hall, and renovation of the main building was begun August 19, and continued until October 1, 1974 when the carpenter had to leave to finish other commitments. Work was begun again July 17,1975, and has continued to the present stage. Services were discontinued from December 15, 1974 until May 4, 1975; because the building could not be heated. The new furnace was installed between Sept. 19 and Oct 19, 1975.

It is hoped to continue with work in the basement, installing a kitchen, and restrooms, and dividing into class rooms and a dining room.

The project has been carried out with a minimum of friction. The congregation lost several members due to their being relocated by the Corps of Engineers. Others have perhaps become discouraged and have been going to other churches, but a small group has held on and come to the present stage. An editorial in the Monroe County Appeal, dated April 27, 1972 was headed “They’ll Need the Churches,” referring to the expected population increase after the Cannon Lake is finished, gave encouragement to the Baptist Group.

A satisfying sequence is that the Methodist group also decided to have their building moved, and it, too has been put on a basement and renovated.

STOUTSVILLE BAPTIST PASTORS

From available records, the following men have served the Church as pastors at various times, some for many years.

·        Rev. W. B. Craig –twice

·        Rev. George C. Brown

·        Rev. G. D. Tollen

·        Rev. R. T. Colborn three times

·        Rev. W. G. Stephens

·        Rev. Horton

·        Rev. J. W. Crouch twice

·        Rev. Bain

·        Rev. M. L. Heifner

·        Rev. W. D. Cave

·        Rev. Lett

·        Rev. Atterbury

·        Rev. Herbert Miles

·        Rev. Brangart

·        Rev. White

·        Rev. Howell

·        Rev. N. S. Dunham

·        Rev. Glen L. Greene

·        Rev. Ralph Tamek

·        Rev. I. L. McDougle

·        Rev. A. F. Butzine

·        Rev. James Graves

·        Rev. Jim Wells

·        Rev. Dan Cichran

·        Rev. Arthur Griffin

·        Rev. Bill Huntsman

·        Rev. Dan Anderson

·        Rev. Walter J. Clark

History of Stoutsville Baptist Church now 105 Years Old