continued
In membership the church is but a little stronger
than it was at the close of
the first year of its organization as it had then about one hundred and
forty
members and now about one hundred fifty in all. Death and
removals account
for the other two hundred and fifty who have at some time been members
of this
fold.
As the church is surround by other denominations
it is limited in
opportunities for building up in membership but this need not
necessarily be a
hindrance to development and a steady growth in this direction is quite
as
needful as growth in other directions.
It may be interesting to not that besides those
already mentioned as
undershepherds of the flock, Blackburn
and Gallagher,
that Rev. R. C. Byers
served the church for almost
four years. He took charge of the work in the spring of 1895
and resigned
in the fall of 1898, Rev. L. B.
Lewellen, then a
theological student, supplied for a few months and he was followed by Rev.
A. T. Carr, who had charge of the work until February
1900. Rev.
H. C. Cockrum took charge of the work in the following
June and continued
as supply until the next May. In June, 1901, an indefinite
call, as to
time, was extended to the present pastor, J.
H. Norris,
and was accepted.
During the history of the church, there have been
eighty-seven infant
baptisms administered as follows: Dr.
Gallagher,
70; R. C. Byers, 9; J. B.
Miller, 1; A. T. Carr,
1; H.
C. Cockrum, 2 and J.
H. Norris, 4.
Adult baptisms have been ninety-four and were administered as
follows: Dr.
Gallagher, 66; R. C.
Byers, 10; A.
T. Carr, 2; H. C.
Cockrum, 5, and J.
H. Norris, 11.
continued