. I. New Hope Ghurch, Dale Gounty, Alabama, Oct. . 7th, 8th, and 9th, A. D., , G. L. LovE,-... _/ ~... Treasurer. ...

Transcription

1 v!! :,, _,, J :CONVENED WTH New Hope Ghurch, Dale Gounty, Alabama, Oct r ~ 7th, 8th, and 9th, A D, 897 J OFFCERS: D L CHANDLER Moderator :JEFFERSON D STEPHENs, ; Clerk, G L LovE, _ ~ Treasurer EXECUTVE COMMTTEE R G HATCHER, J G: MLLER, J, M CHANCE, J W H SKETOE, L w GRFFN The next sesson of ths Assocaton wll convene wth Roc~{y Grove Chnrch, Jackson County, Florda, on Thursday at 9 oclock, before the Second Sundty n Octobet A D 898 Loca ted about 5 mles North East of Greenwood, on Old Wre Road; " < J S GARDNERS JOB PRNT 897 :l,,

2 l ), " _ ; l, Pre ceed:t:gs: P~rsuant:to adjournment, the Twelfth Annual Ses son of the State Lne Freewll Baptst A>:socaton con : #,, vened wth New Hope Church, Dale County, Ala, on Thursday at ll oclock, before the second Sunday n Oc~ tober, ~ D, 897 ntro~lucto yservces drectedby ;Rev G L Love, from the loth Chapte of the Actsof the Apostles, and, the frst clause of the 39 verse, followed by Rev J A, Robnson ;, After ntroductory exercses, the body vacated untl f tn;o p m for refre~hments, THURSDAY AFTERNOON SES~ON! Accordng to announcement the body reasse>:tpbled n the church and n the abspnce of the former Moderator the former Clerk opened the busness sesson by readng 2nd Phaptero( Phlppans, and sngng hymn, "A Charge to Keep) HaYe," after whch wa humbled n dvne sup plcltons wtheld D L Chandler; ~ Tbe house was then temporarly organzed by elect ng Rev J H~tcher, Moderato_r prot~m, afte~ whch busness was dspatched n the followng order, vz Letters from the varous churches were called for~ handed n and read by Bros H G Green and R G Hatcher, and ther 6tate mnuted The churches and delegates vere then enrollld as follows: Oak LawnL C Messer, H G Green, t ~ Sl:,et RnnLeande Hley 3 Solng HllL W Grffn, A C Mercer, A Z Culbreth 4: Hckot;y GroveJ T Stephens, J w Rodger S, _ J offerson D Stephens, R G Hatcher, E T Tndal,

3 v (2)! " 5 Howard GroveJ G Mller, Jcshna Bowen, _,Teseph Mller, Mercus Bowen, Joseph Whtaker, Westley Toler, John B(H;en, Wlle Jordan W F Hadney, E R Wllams, W L Hhodes 6 Pttman CreekR Conner, W B Blalock, J Justce, G Fml k, 7 Rocky Gt ove~j C Baxter, W m Roclgers, V:, C,Thgpen,<Wm Chumbley,~Thos Ev~ns, _8,Pt~ospectc::J!,w, Conner,:w ~V C~rk, tj~ : W, Hall,,M G,~qwell, R,E Hays,;F M t~~nrp 9 ; U nonsprng;:a, U Justce New Hope, Dale~ Co H M Matthews, :r ll Krldard Fren,dshp~J,_M,,()hance:Wm;Shelds 2 New Harmony;J ;A James, J G G~ anger 3 S~rngfeldE Rabon, JA Gvens ~,_ " 4 lnmv PlgrrnJ F Thomus, Westley:Golden On moton, all were :eceh ed, wt)~ the stpulaton, that the d~leg~t~:: JV~o,_area]J,s~nt ther yac~tnces~nmy be, slgr,}~~~~}tl)m~rpbyrsjromj~e!rn~spe_ytye,<j4tn:cqes A,fter ~hcpth"e ~()dy~~s;p~rman!~~~lyjlrg~nze~l b,y el~ctg EldD c~,,,, ~ : :, St~pqens, Cler:k, (,,,, ; The MPq!ll"!lt~t:,,:~!~er ~on~r>lmeqtlg the b{)dy,?~led :for Pettonury Letters; ~h,rs~ ;~ppl}cu;~~s jrccqves} :U:s_,~ol~,;,qm~P,l,er, lc!~er~t!jr:~n~l,,jqff~rson rd }OWS VZ: " c _:r:{ ~w ffrwony,, 8P:n_g:f_e<], ~pd NeV J~lg~~ On moton, they,were :receyed, and the rght ;hfqd,()f,: ~ _ : ",,~,_,, fellom,hp ext~rded to ther <;lelegates, frst by ~l;le Cld l ~,_,:,,,, erator, fol9v,ed by t~e body _ ~ ThfJ varous cornmttees Y,erethen!,pponted us fol lows vz:,,_,,~~,,_ On ]vne Ser vces:_brethren J M Chance,,J W, Ccnner, H M Matthews J: " On TemperanceBrethren J Hutcper, f_hos, E,_ ens, G W Cherry,, ",,_ On FnanceBrethren J V Rodgers, A, Z Cubr~ath, J Stephens,, On N omnutons Brethren R G, Hatcher, M J

4 (3) Howell : D Berry, ll: G: Green On Sngge;:;tonsBrethren G W Cherry~ Rufs Wl~ amr, J A Hobn son, Jefferson D Stephens, On Obtuares Brethren G L>Love, F M Lttnpp, A; U Jnstce "" ;_ On MssonsBretht en :A~ C lercer, J B ~Kerns, H T l"d ~ f n Sltbbath::Schools_,_;_Brethrm~ ~J T: Stepl hs, E Rabon, J F Thomas, J A Gveno _ On Documents:Brethren RM Ltmpp,u G:Mlle, JoshualBown, J JVHtttcher ~ e On EducatonBt ethren Jefferson h! D : Stephens, G Wr Chorry, W w : Clark;: J; ) Chance On moton, called the roll torascerttrvtcrnces Oa moton, "rend thedecoram"6f the( AssOcaton On moton of :J Rohlns~n, ad)cl~rned, n o der f~r theeoamttees to prepme ther :eports, ard also deferred # the c:lllng of vstng brethren nntlm<knng Adjotrnc< to meet FHday: mornng atl 8:3 oclock ~, FRDAY MORNNG SESSON Accordngrto,prevots al"r~rge m ents; tle body e assembled, n the church, and was called to order Hy f he Moderator, by readng a portoh b the 8th Chttptcr of,, Romans, undsngng hymu; ~LoeThy Kngdbrl Lord"" after whch we humblell n &vnespplcatons wth tev ) J, B :Kerns r Called for report on Dvne S:n;vc~s We your commttee on Dvne Servces beg ear~ to subrntthe,followng report, t<hvt: On Ft:day, p:en:eh ng at 9a m by B: o J B Kearas followed :by Bro J~ Hatcher At a ~ preachng by Bro G v Cherrv _ followed by Bro J D BMry Preachng tt 3 p m by B o J A Robnson followed by Bro Thomas Preachng to 7 nght at early candtelght by Bro J B Kerns folloved by Bro D L Chandler On Saturdt};; preacng, at 9 a m by Bro G L Love, follove(l by Bro G W Cherry Preachng at lla tr by Bro D L Chandler followed by Bro J B Kearns, J, CHANCE Charman

5 (4), _ r,, On motbn the rer;ort was receved Ulld a lo)ted, and commttf,re <hsrhm ged On moton called the roll and ascertnned vacances Called for correspondents from Ssm Assocatons Two p esent from the South Eastern Assocaton who,comprse the followng brethre!l, vz: B o Lock ard, mth, and they were reeved by extendng them the r~ht hand o:ffellowshp, frst oy the Moderator followed by th<_!b"ody, Apponted correspondqnts t<;~ Sster Assocatons On moton of J W Conner that the llode;ator appont the delegates to Sster :Assocatons Whereupon the Moderator, proceeded, to make the followng appontments, towt: To the South EasternBrethren G W Cherry, Frank Thomas, J M; Whddon, : G Howel, Nealy Whttle To the MartnBrethren G L Love) Rufus l ams, D L Chandler T~ the Ch~ttahoochee,Br~thren G w Cherry J l: Hatcher After whch the Moderator announced preachng at the arbor On moton of A C Mercer, renewed the call for cor respondents fro Sster Assocatons Bro W [ Duncan, frollthe Lbelty, presented hmself for recognto?, whereupon on moton of Rev G W Cherry, a commtte of fve retred to consult wth Rev W Duncan upon the property of hs correspondence wth the State Lne Assocaton wlch commttee comprsed the followng btethren towt; H G Green, Bro Rhodes, G L Love, G w Cherry and C M httle, Called for reports of the varons commttees: " ON FNANCE, We your commttee fln Fnance beg lea~e to st~bmt the h lowng report, towt: Rece ve<l for mn ntes : : $ 4,7, Hecehcd for Assocatonnl purposes 3,5 :, :! : Total : $ 28,2 Re::;pectfully Submtted, J HoDGERs, Charman

6 (5) On motwn the report was receved and adopted, and commttee dscharged ~ ON NOMNATONS : We~ your commttee on ~Nomnatons, beg leave to snbmt the followng report, towt: We fnd that there are three pettons for the next sesson of ths body Ve reconmend that the next sesson convene wth Rocky Grove church, Jackson connty, Fla Bro,G N Cherry to preach the ntroductqry sermon, followed by Bro J Hatcher V e suggest that the next sesson of ths body convene on Thursday before the second Sunday n Oct ~ { at 9 oclock, A D, 898 We suggestthat Bro G L Love wrte the next Crcular Letter R G HATCHER, Charman Commttee On moton the report was receved and adopted, and commttee dscharged,! ; l : l ON TEMPERANCE We, your commttee on Temperance, beg leave to submt the followng r!3port: After carefuby examnng the report on Temperance of the last Assocaton, we sub, mt the same to you, a8kng ths body to let t stand as t s Respectfully Submtted, J HATCHER, Charman, On moton the report was receved and adopted, and commttee dscharged ON SUGGESTONS, Ve, your commttee on Suggestons, beg leave to submt the followng report, towt: We suggest that ths Assocatcm nvte Sster Assocatons o unte wth her n a general A~>:ocaton to bg held annually at some desgnated tme and place for the pu pose of promotng unon and brotherly love n OP r d monnaton Ve fnrth er suggest that all churches composng the dfferent Assocntons be enttled, to one delegate each Ve; also, su_ggest that all preachers brng rt fnll statement of ther work at eac:h assocaton G vv CtmRY, Churmfn On moton the report was receved and adopted, and comnttee dscharged, r

7 , (6) r v ll fl ) <~ ~ t ::, " _ ;, " ~ r ( J ; : ;, ~! ( j " _, ON OBTUARES We, yohr commttee on Obtuares, beg leave to sn h n t the followng report, to: wt: :We fnd fve deaths t,,, sncethe last sesson of ths Assocaton, nnd we recommend that ther,obtnares appeadnonrn~nntes,,_,,,_, ~ _,_ ~ : _, G L LovE, CLnl Ju _man Ou moton the report wasrece~ved and adopted, and commttee dscharged On~moton,of Rev G w Che_rry, read the obtuary of R3Y RG Hatcher:: After, the:readng thebody jon cd nsngng:a porton of hymn, The old shp: of Zon," after :Whch the body bowed n prnyer;wth Rev G: W ~ Cherry ; : ~ :,,, c ", ON MSSONS, We, your commttee on Mssons, beg leave to submt the followng report, t~:wt: As we fnd :ro mcmey on hand for mssons, we~ therefore, suggest that ths: body fall on some plan to msefnnds to pnt amssonary n the feld n~the canse ofuhrst; A,o~MERCER, <Charman Onmoton the report was receved and, adopted and commttee dscharged,,, : > : On,moton Bro JW, H :Sketoe, who was not a del egate, was permtted to speakjon thesubject of Mssons, b~fore the above report was fnally :adopted, ; On moton referyed back, and stated n the recepton of the commt tees report Receved and Adopted" ON SABBATH SCHOOLS We, your commttee on Sabbath Schools, beg leave to submtthe followngreport;to,vt: Wetlearn tlut 5 Sunday Schools are n operaton < We; the ;commttee, beg leaye to say t~at w~ regard the relgous nstrurton of our cnldr(mrs second only to tho, preachng of Gods word, and we nsst tht all Of o,nrchurches go to work now to establsh n each church ofths Assocaton a Sa b " bath School, because we are t<y mse our chldren up to know the commandments of onl Lord~ We, your com~ cttee, rec::nmend the Freewll Baptst :Ltmtnre to be : U>~ed n onr Hchonls J T STEPHENS, Chul man ; ~ On moton the report was receved the adopted, acd ~ com nnttee dscharged )

8 (7) At ths juncture a query, arose, "Shall we adjourn f()r preachng~" On moton contnued busness ON DOCUMENTS Ve, your commttee ondocuments, beg leave to suh mt the followng report; towt: We ask the Assocaton to let the same ltrature stand ts t s V e also recom mend thht otn churches use the ~M;u!ys Choce Hymn, Book," pqblshed by the "Baptst Book Concern;" Lous Ky As to arelgous paperwe know nothng about v~lle, one, ht we ask the body to dscuss the paper queston, thatlthe b~dy may learn wher~ they mght get one ~: RespectfullyS_ubmtted;;F L LAMPP,Charman On n?oton the report wao receved and adopte~, and commttee dscharged, Cull~dfor:the report ofth~:clmmttee on Rev W M, Dnnc:m Commtteewas notready:to report, and rsked, for Jurther tme; whch; on moton, wasgranted ~ _, : ON EDUCATON; We, yoqr commttee on E(lue:ton, beg leave to,suo mt the fopowngreportj to~ wt: We beleve educatng the mnd s very essental to t_qe future developnent, hap pness, and progress a lfe t prepares men and women to better understand the word of God, rnd to more rghtly dvde ts teachngs to dyng m~n and women We nsst thttt alto the members n ths Assocaton aval them selves, of every possble opportunty to elevate the lterary standng of onr consttte!lts; and ther chldren And ln, ~ hor for the erecton: of: a general educatonal centre, wherenonr p:ea~he;5 may qualfy themselves to fl( ther! honored callng, ancl nlso to_ labor for n denomnatonal > or?;nn whrren ourdevelopment may~be made manfest to, the world; JEfFERSON D STEPHENs, Charman,, On moton the report was receved and adopted, and commttee dschargecl, ", :, " ~, : On moton atljou ned tll half past 2 for preachng " and refreshments ~,, FUDAY AFTERNOON SE8SON, ; Reassem blul n the church and jon>d the Modem tor,j, n sngng hyma "At a S:>lder of the cross" After "!" <,,,,,_, J _; (,

9 " (8) whch we humblecl h dvne supplcaon wth the Mod era tor, Called for Treasure: s report Repot us follo;ws: Heceved for mnutes; $ 2 2 Re<:eved for Assocatonal purposes, 85 ; Total 23 5, lud fm; prntng mnutes $ 3 5 Pad Clerk for hs Servces _: Balance on hand $ 37 On moton tle report was receved Agan ~a led for the commttee report on Rev W M: ~ l, [,! :", n, Duncan~ Report ll s follows:,, We the commttee can~ot agree to receve correspon dents from the Lberty AssocatOn,,wthout propernc knowleugements from the brethren that htve been expell, ed from ths Assocaton H G GREEN, Charman On motonthe report was receved and adopted, and commttee dscharged Pendn,g tpeadopton ofthe above report, on moton, Bro W M Dmrmn was permtted to assume the floor,_ and durng whch tme he rendered acknowledgements for hs formm conduct, w ble a njcm ber of the State Lne Assocaton, and they were receved from hm as a prvate brother, < ~ ( Called for the Crcular Letter None presentecl~ Bro Robert Hatcher; the one assgned to wrte t havng ded On moton of Jefferson D Stephen s tbat Eld D L Chan dler prepare one for publcatan for ths ssue of the mnutes Amended by Rev J Hll:_tcher that Rev J B Kearns prepare the letter for publcaton nstead of Eld D L Chandler :, On moton ofre" G Y~ Cherry read thelettgr ft om Panther Cr eck Church On moton of Hev G;; W Cherry tbnt the Jeter be reeeved and a cmnm_ttee ap ponted to m?et wth Punther Cref,k Church Voted down On moton Bro John Robnson s excused the remander of the scsson, On moton of Rev G Y Cl;crry Saturday momn_g a 8: a m : ::djonrned to meet r l ) j, < " < l,

10 _ SATURDAY MORNNG SESSON Acco: dng tc prevous arrangements the body reus sembled n the church and jone<l the Modemtor n sngng 2 verses of hymn, "How fnn a Foundnton" after whch we humbled n prayer wth Bro,J F Thomas MSCELLANEous~ The subject of mssons was agnn consdered, and after dscus~ng the matter, the followng brethren pad the amount set opposte theh name:; for the pt omoton of mssonary work, vz: (h) J A; Bown $ 5 E Ra~a_n, 5 J W Hall 25tH T Tmdal 5 J A Gvns : 5 W W Clark :, 4 J W Rodgers 5J T Stephens 5 Joshua _Bown 5 J A James D L Chandler J B Kearns ~ 5 Jefferson D Stephens Z B Rabn 5 J G Mller 5 J M Chance 5 J W Corner 5 Total $ 9 65 The folloatlng brethren pledged the amount set opposte ther names for mllons, to be pad at the ) ext ses~ son of ths body, vz: J A Robnson $ " Thoma>~ Evens L W Grffn, 5 F J Thomas J W Hall ; T M Krkland J C Thomas A U,J u~:>tce W B Blalok D L Chandler A C Mercer~ 2 Jefferson D Stephens J G Mller : Rchard McGrff Total l$2 5 On moton, Bro G, L: Love beng sck, was excds3d from preachng at 9 a m On moton, Bro J C Thomas flled Bro G L Lores appontment, follcn~ed by Bro J B Kearns On moton of,rev John Robnson that we,hear the repat t of the preachers on ther years work Heports as follows, vz: Brethren: have beenpastorof Sprng Hll Chmch for the past year have preached thttyfom sermons as best could have baptzecl ten, rest~ red eght, Sup ~

11 !, () j,,, erntende<l ;a abljath School nearly two quarters J; A HonNso:N n the year; 8fl7 preached to three churches, bap tzed twenty,sx, receved u the church 46 and preached 72 sermons G W CHERRY,, Thefollowng brethren grve only a verbal report, vz: G L Love, C l Whttle and D L Chandler, bn moton of J: M Chance thut each mnster make out a report~fther work, and furnsh the clerk wth a,,,, mannscrpt, and that he have them pnbshed n the mn utes On moton of J W Conner, the mnsters are rel~ved from actng on the Executve Commttee, Whe eupm the nwderator apponted the followng,,, brethren tq compose the new ~xecutve Commttee, vz: R G Hatcher, J G Mller, J M Chance, J W H :sketo and L W: Grffn, On moton of Rev John Robnson that nny mnster may have the avthorty where there <tre no c)ther mns > " terrl pmyer, tofonn a prr;,bytery to organze churches At ths ju!l~~u~e ~be dscnsson ar<?~e ~s to whether the church members alone shall elect ther Plstor or be as sstedby tlor,e who are rot ~embe~ s T~~ char ruled thut each church san ndependent body; therefore has of th,elght ~?: ~aj: who shall vote n the eh;9ton a r;nstor On n~oton of J W Conner that we ) pay our clerk ten dollars On moton of J, W Conner that we pay, renutnder, after payng clerk tm dollars, to have mn tes prnted Amended by Rev G W Cherry that the clerl luve the npmber of mnutes prnted necessary, and,, ~ then dm w on the Treesurer for an amount suffcent to pay for then,, Oa moton of A C Mercer that we t<:~ncler our henrtfelt thanks to ths communty for ther knd hosptalty shown us durng our stay wth them On moton of W Conner adjourned, unc wll meet wth RocKY GrwvE Cntmcu, Jackson Connty, Flot"d::t or Tbut sday at 9: n m before the seeord Sn~dny n Oeto:: ber, A D, 897 JEFFEtSON D STEPFNS, Clerk D L CHAND"ER, Moderator, "! {! j J!

12 () ~ THE SNNEH QUESTON BY J n KEARNS "What must do to be savcdacts 63 V!J should guard aganst hasty reasonng and mma~ure conclusons re~rectng ths mportant questons No man s competent to act as a juror n our cvl or crmnal courts who makes up hs mnd beforn the evde_n,e has been gven: Nether s t proper to ntellgently settle the queston before us,_ untl he has heard and consdered all the Holy Sprt_ has sad on the subject What s sad n one place may be modfed by wlwts sad n another; hence the mportance of brngngtogether n one,, vew all the dvme sayngs touchng ths queston Veread the followng scrpture as mbracng every dstnct thoght c6taned n the New Testament on the queston before us Beleve on the Lord Jesus Ch~st and thy shall be savedj Acts 6:32; ~ Thou shalt confess wth thy, mouth the!ord Jesus: and beleve n thne heart that God has rased Hm from the dead, tnou shalt be saved; Romans 9 He that belev eth and s baptzed shall be saved; Mark 6 6 Repent and be baptzed every one of you n the name of Jesus Chrst, for the remsson of sns,, an; ye sha receve the gft of the holy Sprt; Acts 2:38 lhs~ducton of passages shows the danger of relyng exclusvely on a sngle passage for~ full and complete answer to ths mporta~t queston One passage mentons nothng but fath as a condt(jn of salvaton, or pardon, and another repentmce, and stll anotbe:baptsm Now, to take the frst passage by tself, and conclude that, that salvaton s condtoned on fath alone, s to reason hastly an< conclude rashly?"ot only SO but such concluson would be a volaton of the plan teachng of G6ds word The Lord says: By work (orobedence) a man s justfed, and not by fath only; James 22: f t be objected that the jalor to whom Pal~ad "Boleve on the Lcrd Jesus Ch~st and thou shalt b~ saved; dd not have the other condton before hm; and therefore could not have unde; stood there contents to lutve been mpled n what Paul sad to hm, the answer s at hancl He had Paul present before hm to tell the rest; and t)ls the apostle proceeded to do wheq he preached to hm the word of tho Lord " The L~rd Jesus, before ascendng to the Father, gayp the ~om msson to _hs decples to go and preach sayng: Go ye nto all the world and preach the gospel to every creature He that beleveth and s baptzed, shall be saved; but he that beleveth not shall be dammed; Mark 6:5,6 lhs s the commsson Uller whch we are preachng today, and t s the commsson under whch Peter was actng when he sad: Repent ad be baptzed every one of yon n the name of Jesus Chrst for the remsson ofsns; Acts 258 See how beautful ths harmonzes wth the com msson Convcted snners propound tlus gr<>at queston that we are now consderng, and" hee answered n the language just quoted There s no obscurty n rhs JangungP, t s plan n tself, :wd when vewed n the lght of ;lark 6 6, t s very clear,,, Now, f you are bothered by the consderaton that the Scrpture apparently dve dfferent answers to the qu<>stnn before n", the soluton of the dnlculy s ensy f the answer expres,cs only fath, as n the case of the jalor, t was because he was an unbelever and needpd frst of all ~, J

13 (2) :, ; ~! ), to be brought to beeve n t!e Savor For the Lor<l says: Wthout fat t s mprssble to please God; Heb Ll f the answer expressed only repentance an<l baptsm as n the case of Pentacost; t s because they were already belevers, that convcton ha<l already reached thdr heart s evdent from thp statemen,t of the text When they heard ths they were perced to ther heart; Acts 2 3? f only b aptsm s expresse<l as n the case of Saul: Arse and be baptzed; Acts 22 G t s because he was a pentent belever He had seen the Lord and for three days had been prayng, penttent belever, Acs 4:9 The belever was not told to beleve, nor was the pentent belever ether told to belere or repent lhe answer was suted to the condton of the person addrersed Now by combnng all these answers we get the full answer to the ques ton What mu~t do to be saved? The foregong scrptures say: Beleve on the Lord Jesus Chrst, repent of your sns, confess the Lord as YlJUr savor and be baptzed nto the name of Jesus Chrst, and thou shalt be saved, n the apt lan~uage of Albert> Barnes ~ths s the complete dvne arrangement n order to the forgveness of sns,~ or, n order to salvaton from past sms,lhs s one scrpturally translated from the kngdom of darkness n~o the kngdom of Gods dear son" Such obedence makes us smply Chrstans" or decples of Chrst" Acts 26, members uf the one body of whch we read n the New Tes ment Now n concluson snner, wont you gve your heart to God? to hs servce Make a surrenderofyourseu to "The Lord and to the wor of hs grace" Look nto the perfect law of lberty, and contnue theren beng not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, and you shall be shall be blessed n your deeds OBTUARES Sacred to tne memory of our bfloved sster Hesse Loweary, who departed ths lfe January 9, 897 She was a fathful member wth us, and was a nember wth us fve years and about fve months Her age was s ;teen years, eleven months and twentyfour days L f t has pleased the Lord to remove from our mdst our worthy Broth er, Elgy Hall He has been lvng a coosstent chrstan lfen the free Wl Baptst Church at Prospect for many years He leaves a strcken companon and several <hldren and grandchldren to mourn hs Joss ay they strve to meet hm n Glory where there, wll be no sorrow Dedn hs 8th year Geneva County, Ala, Oct 2nd, 897Ths s to certfy that sster Nmcy Amerson Vasa consstent member tl the church at Frendshp, rn tl she lost her mnd, and was sent to the Asylum; there she ded Age not known nor the dayof ner death She deq n the Asylu <tnrlllg ths year We are paned,to chronc!? the death of onr,helavcd Brother Robcr,t Hatcher He was a most consstent, earne~t, and devotrd member of Hckory Grove Church He was a mnster ofthe Gospel, and s sadly mssed n our mdst HeleavPs a famly, an aged f~~ther, relatvr s ar;d many frends to mourn hs departure Pence be to hm He was born, Oct 7th, 854 Ded June 2th, 897 Age 42 years 8 months, an<l 3 days " l! l ; l!!! t

14 (3) ~ SERMONS PHEACHED AT THE ASSOCATON lhe followng s a full lst, nearly, of the sermons preached dnnng, the Assocaton, the name of the preachers otcatng, together wth the Serptnal texts nsed by them; vz: Thnrslay at a m, preachng by Hev U :, Lovl, fron Ants chapte and frst clause of the 3~h verse follnwed by Hcv J A Robnson Frday at a m preachng by Hcv J B Kearns from Cor c JOv, At a m preachng by Hcv G W Cherry from saah!l c 6 v follow cd by Rev James D Barry At 3 p m preachng by Hev John Robn son from Prov 22 c 28 v followed by Rev C J Thomas At nght, Jreachng by Rev J B Kearns from Mattt5 c 2 and 3vs followed by ltcv G L Love Saturday at 9 a: m, Preachng by Rev C J Thomas from St John 2 c 6 v followed by R v J B Kearns STATSTCS OF THE ASSOCATON Thll State Lne Freewll Baptst Assocaton was organzed at How ard Grove Church, November 2th, 886 Year Moderator Clerk Church No 886 D L Chandler Calvn Dykes Howard Grove D: L Chaldler Calvn Dykes Beulah R l Gray Calvn Dykes llac"edona 53 HSU R ll Gray Calvn Dykes Frendshp 56 8 R l! Gray Calvn DYkes Lovewood Jt l Gray Calvn Jykes Prospect, R l Gray Calvn Dykes Slver Run J): L Chandler Jeff D Stephens Hckory Grove 45 8llt R! Gray Jeff D Stephens Sprng H!l 422, 895 D L Chandler Jeff D Stephens Pttman Creek 53, 896 Calvn Dykes Jeff D Stephens Howard Grove D L Chandler Jeff D Stephens New Hope 653 LST OF ORDANED MNSTERS & PosTOFFcEs R l Gray, Geneva, Goneva County, Alabama 2 D L Chandler, Pansey, Henry County, Alabama~ 3 Calvn Dykes Ashford, Hehry County, Alabama 3 J Hatcher, Bascom, Jackson County, Florda: 5 G L Love, Howard, Henry County, Alabama 6 B B Holls, Newton; Dale County, Alabama 7 J D Sowell, Newton,,pale County: Alabama r t f ~ J 3 8 J B ~flls, Dothan, Henry County, Alabama, l 9 G W Cherry, Dotln, Henry County, Alabama V W Tremontana, Ennola, Alabama Jordan Murdock, Ashlord, Henry County, Alabama 2 C!f Whttle, Echo, Dale County, Alabama 3 fa Robnson, Crosbys, Heury County, Alabama 4 H G Wggns,fDothan, Henry County, Alabama 5 Tamrs D Berry, Eunola, Geneva County, Alabama 6 Elbert J Davs, zngone, Holmes County, Florda 7 Jasper O lhomas, Clo, Henry County, Alahama 8 J B Kca rns, lltscon, Jackson Conn ty, Florda LCENTATK, F lf Swals, Varwck, Geneva County, 2 S unter, Columba, Alabama Alabama,

15 (4) Org:ze ORDER OF BUSNESS 2, Call for letters from the dflerent churches 3 Elect Moderator and Clerk 4 nvte vstng brethren to seats wth us 5 Call for pettonary letters 6, Appont commttee, 7 Call the roll and read the decorum 8 Call for Correspondents from sster Assoc~atons g Appont correspondents to sster Assocatons Oo Call for repg>rt of cammttee n (Jal for crcular letzer,, t2 Call for Treasurers report ~ 3 Call for mscellaneous bu5ness 4 Adjournment CONSlTUTON The Consttuton of ths Assecaton s as follows: Artcle Ths Assocaton shall be composed of delegates, annually sent from the churches based n t, Artcle The delegates from each church shall bear a letter sgned by the Clerk of the church, ceftfyng th,e appontment, to whch shall be subjoned a table statng the mem~ :,hers baptzed, receved by euer, restored, dsmssed, excluded, dead wthn the last Assoc ntona year~ the total me~be~shp and ordaned and lcensed mnsters; the~ uame ot the church and pastor, and the tme of ther monthly meetng and the name of ther nearest postoffce Artcle ll Any church wshng to become a memher of ths body must brng a letter of dsmsson from some other orderly Assocaton, or f t be a ~ewly consttuted body, t, must send, by deleglton~ a letter st<tng thelame of th~ mnstcr, by whom t ~as consttu, ted, and f t s found to be sound, t shalt be receved, Artcle V Each churc~ shall be enttled to two d<legates for the frst twenty fve members, and then one delegate for the fractonal part of twentyfve Artcle V t s expected that the churches composngths body wll senddelegatesand contrbutons for mnutes every sessoxl, and that no church wllwrhdraw from the Assoca aton wthout assgnng a reason for the ntended wthdrawal Artcle V The offcers of ths Assocaton sh al be a Moderator and Clerk The Moderatorshall presde over the bgdy and enforce the rules of the Consttuton and Decorum but shall not be allowed to vote except n a case of 3 te, on any matter~ Artcle V t shall be the duty of the Clerk to mnute the proceedngs of the body ln sesson, and to supperntend the publcaton of the same, and to do such other wrtng pertanng to the busness of the body, ( Artcle V lhe Clerk shall, also, preserve a fle ol Mnutes of the Assocaton, whch he shall delver to hs succ~sser when be goes out of offce : Artcle X Ths Assoceton shall meet annu!llly, accordng to adjournment, and sh~ll have power to transact all busness pertanng to the general good Of ths body _ Artcle V The Consttuton and, also, the, Decorum of the Assocaton may be altered or amended durng any sesson of the body by a vote of two thrds of the delegates present DECORUM OF THE ASSOOfATON Artcle t t shall be the duty of the Moder3tor to pro de over the delberaton of the body n sesson, preserve order, submt motons, or other matters He m~y have the saffe rght of speech as any other member, proyded the char be occuped, but s not_ allowed to vote except the body be equally dvded, n ~hch case he shall cast the decdng vote ~ Artcle 2, The Treasur! r shall keep a correct account of all the money conng nto hs hand:, as the m:lnncr n whch t s dsbursed He s h:l only pay out money upon the mdcr Of the Assocaton of :ll funds recevcd ~and dsbursed by hm, showng the bahncc, f any, on hand

16 Artcle 3 Every moton made and seconded shalt come under the notce of the body unless wthdrawn Artcle4 The As~ocaton shall be opened and closed wth prayer Artcle 5 The Moderator and Clerk shall be elected by ballot annually,, Artcle 6 Only one Person shall be allowed to speak at the same tme, am~ sad speak ) er sh~ll frst address the Moderator, and shall not be nterupted whle speakng, except by the Moderator Artcle 7 T?e names of delegates shall be enrolled and called as often as the bodf may deem proper _,, Artcle 8 The Moderator shall not nterrupt the speaker whle speakng, unless he departs from the subject n debate ~ Artcle 9 An offcers shah be elected by bahot, except the Executve Commttee t shah be apponted Artcle to f newly consttuted churches, or others desre to be admtted nto ths,,, unon, they petton by letters and delegates, and f ~ound upon examnaton to be :orthodox and orderly, they shall be receved by the Assocaton, and such recepton shah be man fested by gvng the rght hand of fellowshp Artcle tt The pastors of each church shall have power to form a Presbytery and or dan deaco~s for the ehurch, also to examne preachers who may apply for such, al"o to examne ordaned mnsters who make applcaton to our order, and f foun,d sound, shall be set apart n ranks, but not to be eordaned Artcle 2 We, thetefore, resolve that no church nor mnster shall be receved no ths As~ocaton that refuse to comply wth the ordnances that s gven us n the gospel, ths decorum may be atere or amended as the body may see proper :! CHURCH DECORUM t The church may choose a pastor annually, at the last regular conference n the AssOcatonal year, or, Uthey prder t, may choose a p:stor for an ndefnate length of tme to contnue from year to year, so long as he may de~m t propeto keep up the connecton 2 Vh~n t becomes necessary, a pas tor m:y be ~h osen at any other tme; but f the choce be made at a specal conference, the tme must be apponted at a monthly meetng ol the church, 3 The pastor shall be the Moderator of the church, but when be s absent, or does not st as moderator~ beng present, some sutable brother shall be apponted to st n hs place 4<> There shall be two or more deacons n the church, whose duty t shallbe to supern tend the collecton and dsbursement of all contrbutons made by the church for the pastor ~ etc, and to dstrbute the bread and Wne n the admno;traton of the Lords Supper,, " 5 The deacons shall also take notce of such members as refuse or neglect to partake of the Lords Suppe~~ and endeavor to ascertan the cause, that the same tpay be_ lad before the church, n conference, f :recessary, 6 Some su table member shall be apponted Clerk, and t shall be hs duty to do all recordng and other wrtng pertanng to tho busness of the churc:r, and to preserve a me of the mnutes of the A:ssocaton A 7 Vhen a new Clerk s apponted, all the books, mnutes, etc,, belongng tothe Clerk, shall be mmedately delvered to hm by hs predecessor 8 VheD the chutrch deelns ~t necessary, a commttee of not less thanthree male mem _hers, well acquanted wth busness; shall be appoo:ted whose busness t shall be to gve advce to brethren who apply to them relatve to Cases Of dealng, etc, _wt_h the church 9 The church shall hold a two days meetng monthly, embracng Saturday and the Lords day follownff, the frst of whch shall be the regular trre of confelence, xo meetng, f they can, for on that day the pastor s expected to nstruct the church n a spec ::tl manner by gvng plan and ponte~ lessons on doctrne, dscplne, and the rules of holy lvng: _ n Any male member who_shall fa~ to attend three ~uccessve conferences~ and any member, whatever, w~may be gerer3y_ rems~ ~ attendng the meetngs of_ the church, ac :orrlng to the covenant Artcle xo, shah be cted to appear n conference and answ :r for hs negle:t, but the church may Cxempt mcnbers from ths rule, f_ necessary lt shall be the duty of every member, ffale and female to attend each Conference

17 , " ;r, :, : ll n, (G) 2 Conferences, after prayer or dvne servces, shall be Opened and conduct~d as fellows: nvte vstng brethren to scats wth us 2 Open the d?orof the church for te recepton of members 3 Call fo~ the readng of the mnutes of the last conference 4 Call for ttbseutees 5 flor acknowledgements 6 For ref renee; or de; erred busne<>s 7 For new matters of dealng whch s n order: to come before the body 8 For mscellaneous busness 3 Ystng brethren, as also helps caned n from sster Churches, shah be allowed JO spc:k or make motons or seconds, but not allowed to vote q An ord~rly member of the B::tptst church, whch does not hold ths church n fcl o,~shp ma:y bc ~ecevcd nto the church wthout a Jetter, when t s made apparent that hs chrstan character s unmpeachable, and that he has appjed for a Jetter, and cgmld not obtan t because he desred to jon ths o~ some s~ster Church All otherpersons must jon by Jetter or baptsm rs No member shalj be receved_ wthout the unanmous consent of the members pres~ ent; but unreasonable objectons shall not be vald; and unless wthdrawn, the member who makes them shall be lable to be taken under dealng by the church r6, When the moderator calls for absentees, the clerk shall nform the church what ~embers have been absent from three successve conferences, and the moder:ltor slal~ ap pont some brother or bethren to dee e: ch of them to the next conference 7 No member shall be expelled unless he has been cted verbally or n wrtng to attend hs tral, provded hs resdence be known to the church r8 When a wtness not a member of ths church s ntroduced, he shall not be ex a mned tll the queston has been put to the church, "Vll you hear the testmony of ths wtness?" rg The evdence n every case of dealng and acknowl~dgement shall be mnuted n _ the church book, 2 _ ~{embers dsmssed from thschurch by letter who become dsorderly, or contnue to hold therlet:ers wthout a good reason Shall be cted to conference to answer for ther, conduct, 2 Expelled members may be restored to fellowshp on the~ petton, f ther walk snce expulso~ has conv~c~d the chu~ch that they havc snce~ely repented of ther forroer evl conduct 22 A vgte shall not be taken upon any queston wthout a move and SecO~d, and n all, mportant questons the vote shah be taken by rsng to the feet 23 No moton shall be made whle a move and second s before the conference ~ 24 t shall be consdered dsorderly for any member to abscnt hnlself from _con(ercncc when,ar mportant queston s to be decded; but a member upon hs own request may be exempte9 b}r the church from votng on ether sde n pecular Cases 2_~ No member shall leave the house durng conferenc~ wthout suffcent cause, nor eng3gc n conversaton nor whsperng, wthout beng subject to be called to order by the moderator " 26 AU dscussons n confere~ce must be conducted wth calmness and good feelng Those who speak must arse to ther feet :nd addn!ss the modcror, and keep to the pont _ n debate " 2 7 _No one shall speak ffore th3n thrcetmes ou the same moton wthout permsson from the moderator, nor shall the remarks of any one be umeasonably long 28 When the moderator speaks n debate, he must nomn~te some olhe~ moder:ltor n hs stead 29 No one shall be nterrupted whle speakng unless t s necessary to c=all hm to order 3 t shall be the rule of the church to attend to ~h~ admnstratonof the "Lords SUp per, at least four tmes a ye:u, and the expenses are to be pad by thc church _ 3 Members not n good standng shal "not commune, but the admnstraton shall not be deferred on account of any ordnar)r matter of dealng 32 Feet w~shng Shall be tttendcd to as_ the church se~s proper 33 Publc fastng, humlaton and pray~r shall be observed On proper occa~ons 34 The decorum may be altered or amen(led by a vote of two thrds of the members Present at any t~o successve monthly conferences J j l : j : l ; ) t t! " l j! l l ; f l

18 l "Y, _, : (7),, " ",_ " J ARTCLES OF FATH, : :; r ~ l : ls"~_ OF Gor :~Ve beleve that there s one and only ore lvng and true God, nfnte, n all hs attrbutes, th~ Creato~, Preserver and Governor oft he Unverse revealed to us n ::, the Scrptures as thefather,son and Holy Ghost, xst, ch, Tm 7th v; lsah 4 ch: 22 :, v; St John 7 ch 3rd v; St John St, 2nd and 3rd " " 2nd THE HoLY ScnxPTURES:We beleve the Scrptures of the Old and New Testa, : ment were gven by nspraton ot God and are bndng on all as our nfallble rule of fath, and practce 2nd Tm 3rd ch x6th v :, Romans S ch 4th v, ~th ch 23, 2~ vrs; Peter tsl,2sv,,,,, " ;, Ch ",, : 3rd OF CHRST:We beleve He s God manfest n the flesh, beng n Hs dvn~, n :~ture true God n humar nature; true man, untng the p~rso~ of the Messah 3nd Med: ~ ~tor fof the redempton of the world" Luke 2nd ch~athto ~:th vs, ~clusve~ Matt lst _ch~, l s, tg, zo and 2 vs : 4 OF THE HoLY SPtRtT:We beleve that He s the thrd person n the Holy Trnty, :nd possesses all personal dvne attrbutes j beng the Reprover, Comforter and Sanctfer St John 4th ch 25th v, 3th ch; o6thv,x6th ch 7th xsth ver~ nclusve, sth OF SALVATGoN:That the blessngs of salvaton are made free to all by the gos pel, that t s the mmedate duty of al to receve t by cordal and obedent fath and that ro thng prevents the salvaton of any so l~ng as the Sprt contnues to strve wth them,, but ther own voluntary refusal to submt to the Lord Jesus, Chrst Rom rst ch t6th vs Phl 2nd ch; 2th v He b 2 ch 3rd vs,,, 6th THE FALL OF MAN:We beleve that man was created snless but by dsobed ence fell nto a state of sn and condemnaton, all hs posterty nherted ths fallen nature, md all that come to years of accountablty wll sn and come short of the glory of God, except that they receve salvaton through the Lord Jesusl;hrst Gen 3rd ch 6th vs S! ch 26th vs sth ch St, vs gthch 6th vs; Cor nth ch7th vs; Roman 3rd ch 28th vs; Mark x6th ch x6th vs; Acts xotk ch 43 vs, 7th THE ATONEMENT:,We beleve th~l Chrst n hs great compasson offered hm self as sacrfce n our stead, therefore Goo desres the salvaton of all and the Gospel nvtes all and whosoever wll may come: and partake of the Word of lfe freely tst Cor, tst ch 7th vs; Eph s th ch 2nd vs; Heb 2nd ch gth vs, 26th vs; Rom sth ch 5th vs Rev 22nd ch 7th :vs 8th OF ELECTON :We beleve that God had not fxed the future state of man by any unconsttutonal degree, delvered, {rom ~he begnnng to s~ve all who would comply wth _ the terms of salvaton John 8th ch 3st vs :Luke nth ch 28th vs; Acts xo ch 35th vs; Deut uth ch 26th, 27th and 28th vs " gth ON PERSEVERENCE:"e beleve that none wll be fnally saved but those who through grace, persevere n holness to the end Joh;, 8th ch: 3st vs Tm tst ch, xgth : vs; 2nd Pete~ 2nd ch 2 and 22nd verses, xoth GosPEL RDNANC!S : We beleve that baptsm or the bural of belevers n water and the Lords Supper and the washng df the Sants feet are ordnances to be per :,petuated under the Gospel of unversal salvaton and to be observed by all true belevers Reference for Baptsm John 3rd ch sth vs ; Rom 6th ch ~th vs Reference for the tords, Supper: Matt 26~h ch 26th, 27th and 28th vs Reference for washng the Sants feet ~, Johns 3th ch sth to 7 vs u TnE LoRns SUPPER:We beleve thatthe Lords Supper was nsttuted by our _ Savor as a commemoratve ordnance, that the bread ard wte repr~sent Hs body and!, blood, that t w~s nsttuted for Chrstans andtha~all Chr!st~~n~ should unte n performng, the sacred servtce, regardless of name, denom~natn or dtstmctton Gal 6th ch 4th vs; Matt 7th ch xoth vs; Rom 4th ch 3rd and 4th vs, f 2 OF T~E,REsURECTtoN:e beleve n, the resurectonof the dead and a general, judgement, and when the resurecton takes place, the soul and bogy wll reunlte ~nd form an mmortal betlg that the rghteous wll be: receved nto everlastng happness, and the wcked wll be drven to everlastng dakness, where there ~ll be weepng and gnashng of teeth John sth ch 2Sth and >gth vs; Acts 24th ch x;th v; saah 28th ch 7th ys Heb ~ gth ch; 27th ve~~e, : l d,o ;, " ;,,,

19 Pttman ~;~eek, ~?l~~s~ C~, ~~~ :: ~au~f ~~~ ~:; : > ~ ~, STATSTCS OF THE STATE LNE FREEWLL BAPTST ASSOOATON897; " < Churches and Countes " ~ of Delegates,,_ Names,,~ "" PASTORS ~ ;( ~ _ ::, ~ :: ~ J:St~phens Hckory Grove, Jackson Co Fla phens, R G J Hatcher, WRodgers,JeffD~te, ", " ~ 4 f) T Tndalt: Sam Ely Jeff D Stephens, Bascom, Fla 3 :, J G ller, J Bowen J~ MJer ~ n awen c:;_ ; :~r ~: ~: ~ : _: : ": : :_;, _ ; J Yh~<~e_, r Toer, ~B,o;en;, V Jor: "" ~ ~~ " ~ Howard Grove, Henry Co, Ala dan,~,f Radney,ER W tl ms, LRodes Calvm Dykes Wtlle Jordan, Harper, Ala 5 3 : J WConner>Wf Cla:,J WHall!;)l,: ",,,,,, : : ; Prospect, Henry Co, Ala G Howell REJfays; F M Lampp : D L Chandler W V (lark, D?th~n, Ala : 3 ~ LVG!J~f l),:a:c;:,~j_er~er, ~:~ _Cul :_ "!:7_,: "t,_:, ;~ >~""_ ~ SprngPl_l, He~rfC_? ~ J}!_a : bretb;,~~~~~ ~ ~ P,~c_ J A Rg_b~?~on, fl;z_~_l!lbretf,g~rd?,p,~l~ O ~ _ ~,: "::, ~,; ~ :; : ~, New ope, Dle, Co, Ala M Matthews J Krkland: : ; J C Thomas :; J W Skeoe Echo, Ala ~ _ ~~ >, ~,:, _:" ~: ~ ~ _:>::~ r: :~ ~;_, _;: ;,;~~ Unon Sprng, Henry, Co; Ala A U lustc~ : : : ; ;; j!!urdock: :: A tj Jlstce"Pansey; Ala; : 7 H 2 3 ; :, ~"" ~" _ : J GBaxter ~VmRodgers V C:Thgpen ;; :~ ~:;; <: ~; ~ ~~ ~~ _,):_:; :; :~ ~ ~ _ Rocky Grove,Tack~on, Co, Fla, mchll~bley,;thoffa~ Evers"::~: ROOert Hatcher : r C Thgpen, GreenWood, fla~: 6 4, 2 9 ; 4 " ~, RConner,BBlalock J JusttceG, ;;, ;::,<:~ : : ~ ~ ",;,: ;_~~, _;,,_,, " 8 8[ :~: ~s ~ ~ : : ; ~~ ~ :~~ ~ ~ J,_~r?a~:f~c~~~ ~~~?~~ ~l~~ ; _ ~ Slver Run, Henry, co:~ Ab : ~ Leanddr Rley:: ~ : : ~~~~ CafVr l)yl{es ; ~ v T Rley, Pansey,~~Aa~:: ;, _ " ;, :~ :,_;,! : [_ ~ ~~~ev ;: ; ~: ~ _," : _;_ ~,;~ : ~~:: _,,,, Oak Law~, J;;k,;~n, (:o, Fa:; L C ~~~sser: H G Green;, : ; j, Hatche~ : H G Gr~~n, D~ll~ood, Fl:> ;, ~ ~ ~~~ ", : " ~! :: " : : : ~ : ; :, Frendshp, Geneva, Co, A,a, J M Cha~c~, Yllar:, Shelds, ; : J b Sowell; John Hatcher, Hghfalls,"_Al~, v ~" ~ :;,, ~ _, ~ ~ ~ ::::! ~: :,_,,, ; : :; :: ~r_, New ll armony, Henry Co, Ala J A Jam~s, J G Grnger: J!t ~urdock: m H~ks; Cot!onwo?d, a; "",,, ~ ~: ;:: f >, _,, " " ;,: ;, ~ ~:" ~ :," ~ ; :,;_ r :: New Plgrm, Henry Co, Ala : T }<Thomas, Ve~tley Golden :,";; G! Love ": :: J F Thomas, Oats, Ala:; : : ~~ ~ _ ~, l ; t:,,,,, : ~ ; Sprngfeld, Henry Co, Ala ERa~~ f A G~~ns:, : b L <ha~dler: M}lall, Nal, Ashford; Ala : ~ <>,;<,, # " _, _,, c ", Y >: ;,, r, ~ " ~ 3 o " ~ " 3 2nd 2 jd 7 2nd S! 2nd " ~ o;; :, ~,, r; : : 72 ~ s~~~x sol: 49 2 so 2 2," ] ~! ::~ 3 ;:s 75 6t 5 2 so ; 5 t 2 so 6s ~ "