|
Convention
of Monroe County Christian Churches
After
Session of Unusual Merit, the Convention Adjourned Wednesday
Afternoon to Meet Again Next August in Granville
Source:
Monroe County Appeal
August
18, 1916
Granville
will be the next meeting place for the annual convention of
Monroe county churches, to be held in August, 1917. Eld. E. B.
Shively is the new president; Eld. J. D. Powell, vice-president;
J. W. Lewellen, secretary and T. W. McBride, treasurer.
The
county board for 1916-17 will be composed of A.L. Alexander,
Ash: Eustace Snell, Antioch; Warren Rash, Granville; R.G.
McCreery, Holliday; Jeff Noel, Madison; J. P. Ownby, Middle
Grove; Frank Reed, Mt. Carmel; Frank Glenn, North Fork; Roy
Meriweather, Monroe City; S. T. Darnell, Oak Ridge; Nelson
Turner, Pleasant Grove; H. T. Blakey, Paris; Byron Wilkerson,
Santa Fe; A. S. Woodson, Stoutsville; J. R. Spires, Tulip; Mark
Willis, Union; Wm. Hattersley, Victor; J. H. Woods, Woodlawn.
The
State C. W. B. M. Secretary Mrs. O. W. Lawrence, of Kansas City,
made a very practical talk, and Roy Meriwether gave his ideas of
an efficient Sunday School class.
With
“Efficiency” as its keyword and a good crowd in attendance
the annual convention of the Christian Churches of Monroe county
convened at Union, southwest of Paris, Tuesday evening. The
address of the evening was delivered by Eld. W. E. Reavis of
Hannibal.
On
Wednesday, with ideal weather and settling roads the attendance
was swelled by visitors from far and near. The devotional and
Bible study exercises were conducted by Eld. J. L. Shumaker, of
Columbia, following which the keynote address was delivered by
the county president, Eld. E. B. Shively, of Paris. Then came a
conference on what constitutes the efficient church, conducted
by W. C. Gibbs, of the Christian Bible College, Columbia, MO.
Miss
Jennie Burgess took a negative view of the topics, “Is 50
percent attendance enough.” The matter of finance and the
every member canvass was discussed by Elders Shumaker, Reavis
and Gibbs, following which the convention sermon was preached by
Eld. C. H. Swift, of Sturgeon, one of the most promising young
ministers Monroe county people have heard in a long time.
Paul
Alexander read an interesting paper on church advertising. He
contended that if the Coca Cola people, Gold Medal Flour makers
or other national advertisers had such a proposition as the
churches posses they would make it the most popular commodity
this old world ever saw.
At
noon such a dinner as has seldom been equaled and never excelled
was served by the ladies of the Union vicinity. After several
hundred people had been served enough remained to feed two more
crowds of equal size.
The
afternoon session opened with a C. W. B. M. conference, led by
Mrs. W.E. Reavis and presided over by the county president, Miss
Jennie Burgess. Reports from seven organizations were received.
Monroe City led them all with contributions to the amount of
$267. Paris came next with $185. Santa Fe, with only three
members, gave $10. Mrs. W. W. Longmire was elected president for
the ensuing year, Miss Jennie Burgess declining to serve longer,
having been in charge of the work for 21 years.
W.K.
Hall was president of the convention; Miss Jennie Burgess
secretary; Eld. Shively president of the county board; J. W.
Lewellen, secretary, and T. W. Mc Bride, treasurer.
R.L.
McCann and W. H. Snell
served as the committee on time and place; J. D. Powell, Roy
Meriwether and Miss Jennie Burgess, committee on nominations;
Miss Pat Bodine, Mrs. Sue Nevins and Mrs. Oscar Moore, committee
on obituaries.
The
convention was composed of delegates from nineteen Christian
Churches whose total membership is 2,900. Paris, with 360
members, was the largest. The Paris church reported $3,130
contributed for the following causes last year: Pastor, $1,200;
revival work, $125; incidentals, $400; repairs, $100;
indebtedness, $1,000; state missions, $50; home missions $50;
foreign missions, $100; church extension $30; benevolence, $75.
The
convention was royally entertained by the Union congregation.
Eld.
J. D. Powell is now serving as its pastor. His board of elders
is composed of R.L. McCann, E.B. Dry, R.A. Curtright, Chas.
Hickey and Austin Foreman. The Board of Deacons is composed of
A. and K. Curtright, David Dawson, Clarence Rutter, Thomas
Curtright, Marcus Willis, John Lear and Abbie Fountain.
Plans
for the building in which the convention was held were made in
1846, the church having been organized in 1835, as will be seen
by the following characteristic bit of history written and
placed in the records by the late W.H. Foreman:
Organization
of Union Church
Union
Church, eight miles southwest of Paris, Monroe county, was
organized in 1835 or 36 with seventeen members, names as
follows: John A. Holloway and wife, Benjamin Mason and wife,
Thomas Watts and wife, James Hawkins and wife, Joseph Foreman
and wife and sister, Woodward; John Foreman and wife, and Eliza
Chapman and William Foreman, also a daughter of Brother Benjamin
Mason. This will approximate very near the organization. John
Foreman and Benjamin Mason were elected the first elders, Joseph
Foreman and James Hawkins, deacons. We met for a time in a
school house near by. We then met near the old Foreman mill for
two years or more, for worship. Bro. Thompson preaching for us
occasionally, also Bro. Thomas.
During these years Bro. Thomas Barker came to Missouri,
also Bro. Henry Glascock, who put in their membership with us,
and some of their children also. This helped us very much
indeed. We often had additions to the church, but the first
meeting of any consequence was held in 1839. The preachers
present were Etham Ballinger, of Marion county, Henry Thomas,
B.W. Stone, Jacob Creath, John R. McCall, also Henry Thomas and
Alfred Wilson, who had just commenced to speak in public. The
meeting was held just south of James Foreman’s house on the
river near a good spring of water. We had seventeen additions,
J.C. Foreman and his sisters Minerva and Amanda among the
number. Time passed on—the church was prospering all the time
with frequent additions. The next protracted meeting we held of
special interest was held in 1846 by Bro. T.M. Allen.
It was held on the farm of Samuel Curtright, just south
of his residence. We had 26 additions. Bro. Thomas was present
all the time. We then began to talk of building a house of
worship. It was agreed to build. We had the frame put up,
costing $75. It stood there more than a year. Finally we got it
enclosed. Times were hard and money scarce. Bro. Barker
furnished the plank to enclose it. I dressed all the plank
myself to enclose it with. We then set in to plaster and seat
it. All hands went to work. We soon had the lime on the ground
to plaster the house. I, with the assistance of a hand prepared
the mortar for the plastering. Additions were still being made
to the church. It has been a custom with the church ever since
its conception to hold a protracted meeting once a year in the
month of August. With a few exceptions we have kept it up to
this time. We have had regular preaching once a month. I was a
deacon for 20 years, then the brethren saw fit to elect me
elder, which office I have held to this time.
As
every yours, W. H. Foreman.”
|
