c,,,_,,, ;, ; l :, ~ ~ ~ ~ 1 MNUTES ( OF TlE: Forteth Annual Sesson, ; OF TlE ; ; ~ / : Vernon Freewll~~~::;::, <, _ :,:_, J Baptst Assocaton / ~;, ELD WT ~ ~ ~ ~, <, Mt Wllng Church~~~~! {, Begnnng on Saturday Before the Fourth Sunday n September,;:1,920 ~ ; OFFCERS: t, REV S F LEE :: Moderator J W CHAFFN ~ : ~~ : ~ ; Oler k The Next Sesson of Ths Asscaton Wll Convene Wth Beaverton Church on Satqrday Before the r ~ Fourth Sunday n September, 1921 THE DANNER PRESS, FA:ETTE; ALA,:;
MNUTES The Forteth Annual Sesson of the Vernon Free Wll Baptst Assocaton was held wth Mt Wllng Church, Sept 25, 26 and 27,)920 The ntroductory Sermon was preached by Rev J W Porter; text: John 5:12 After preachng one hour was taken for refreshments The Mnsters and Delegates then assembled n the church house The former Moderator and Clerk beng present proceeded to busness as follows; A song was sung and prayer was offered by Rev A L Warren Announced the Assocaton ready for busness 1 The Moderator apponted Bros A J Robert! son and J W Chaffn readng clerks 2 The letters from the varous churches were called for, handed n and read and contents noted as per statstcal table : 3 On moton t was agreed to permanently or ganze, whch was done by electng Rev S F Lee Mod erator and J W Chaffn Clerk The Moderator and ~ Clerk took ther seats and a{ter approprate remarks by the Moderator for the honor conferred upon hm, he promsed to dscharge hs dutes to the best of hs ablty 4 Called for correspondng messengers from Ss ter Assocatons Those who came forvard were Bro G W Mason from State Lne and Rev J M Hass from, Tupelo Assocaton The Moderator and Clerk extend ed to them the rght hand of welcome, 5 On moton the Moderator was empowered to
2 _appont the varous commttees and the followng were apponted: ~, On Preachng P E Maddox, W W Mansel, W J Markham wth the dea:cons of Mt Wllngs church On Document and Order of Busness J w: Por ter, A L Warren, C A Chaffn wth the Moderator and, Clerk On Temperance J T Taylor, M N Shelnut, H C Cowley On Fnance Houston Porter, W M Xennedy, G cf,, M Gann On Deceased Members S L Cowley,,M C Lock: hart, D~ B Hester On Sabbath Schools A S Gann, Wlson Hester, D W Dell On Mnsteral Credentals S L Lollar, Conway Hester, Houston Porter On Qu~res and Resolutons E F; Collns, C E Roberts, C L Gun _ On moton the commttee made ther report on de votonal servce for Sunday as fo1lows: Rev J M Hass to preach at 9 oclock; Rev S F Lee at 11 oclock and Rev J M; Hass at 7 P M; : : r On moton the Assocaton adjourned to meet Mondaymornng at8 :oclock A song was sung and_prayerwas offered by, Rev J M Hass _ Benedcton by the Moderator Sunday Servce Su!!day mornng at 9, oclock Rev J M: Hass preached to a farge and attentve congregaton; text Eph 5 :14 He was followed by Rev J A Tate At 11 oclock the congregaton was so large t was ~ deemed necessary to hold servce n the grove Rev S F Lee preached an nterestng sermon, text Matt 25:10
~ 3 : At the hour of 7 P M the people assembled back n the hou~e ard Rev J M Hass preached an nterest ng sermon usng the text found n St Luke 18:18, / Monday Sesson, The Assocaton met pursuant to adjournment A song was sung and prayer was offered by the Moderator The Assocaton was called to order by the Mod erator Dhe Clerk called the roll The delegates answered to ther names and the Moderator announced a quorum present and the Assocaton ready for busness On moton the readng of the Mnute of Saturdayss sesson was omtted~_ Called for report of va ro us commttees Report on Document and Order of Busness We, your Commttee on Document and Order of Busness, beg leave to submt the followng report: 1 vve recommend the form:::r order of busness 2 We recommend that the next sesson of ths Assocaton be held wth Beaverton Church, n the town of Beaverton, on the FrSCO R R, and the same to convene on Saturday before the fourth Sunday n September~ 1921, 3 We recommend that we have four hundred copes of mnutes prnted and that the Clerk supern tend the prntng of same 4 We recommend that the Moderator some one to preach a Memoral Sermon on mornng at 9 oclock next sesson: appont Sunday 5 We recommend the ordnaton of Bro John Tate 6 We recommend that the Moderator of ths, Assocaton vst and preach to the dfferent churches of the Assocaton as much as he can durng the year J W PORTER, Charman
~)! ~ 4 ( ~ ~,, The report receved and commttee dscharged r Report adopted by sectons,, Report on Temperance We your commttee on Temperance beg leave to submt our report After makng nqures from the dfferent parts of the Assocaton Jre fnd the temper,, ance cause on the ncrease We therefore urge the co, operaton of our mnsters and laymembers of theas socaton n stampng out the great curse of our land J T 1 TAYLOR, Charman J Report receved and Commttee dscharged Report adopted as read; < : On Deceased Members We your Commttee on Deceased Members, beg to submt our report: _ ~ We fnd thet our Heavenly Father has summoned,,,, seven of our fathful colaborers n Chrst to ther eter nal home durng ths assdcatonal year, ther names are as follows: From Pearces Chapel Church, Sster Jane Vandfer, From Mltary Grove, Rev J A sbell, Bro Joe Johnson, Ssters Alma Burks and Llle Bow ns Al the above named members ded n h9pe of eternal happness Ard as our labors are ncreased so let us strve to accatnplsh the work once assgned to these, our much beloved brothers and ssters We bow n humble submsson to the wll of Hm who doeth all thngs well We pay ths our last trbute of ~espect to, these our much beloved brothers and ssters Respectfully submtted, 1 S L; COWLEY, Charman Report receved and commttee dscharged, Report adopted as read J,,,,
,_ 5 Sabbath School We your Commttee on Sabbath Schools beg leave to submt the followng report: After a close nvestgaton of the dfferent churches of the Assocaton we fnd the Sabbath Schools almost an entre falure, and caused prncpally from neglect and rcarelessness of parents of the chldren Therefore we urge our mnsters and parents to look after the Sabbath Schools of our Assocaton Respectfully submtted, A s: GANN, Charman Report receved and commttee dscharged Report adopted as read Queres and Resolutons We your Commttee on Queres and Hesolutons beg leave to submt the followng report: We fnd no queres that we wsh dscussed,, Resolved, That we the offcers and delegates of the Vernon Free Wll Baptst Assocaton assembled at Mt Wllng Church do hereby tender our thanks to the church and surroundng communty for ther co operaton and generous hosptalty shown us durng our _ stay among them Respectfully submtted, E F COLLNS, Charman Report receved and Commttee dscharged Report adopted as read On Fnance We your Commttee on Fnance beg 1eave to sub; mt our report as follows: After callng for the mnute money we fnd we have cqllected $1885, Respectfully submtted, HOUSTON PORTER, Charman
~) ) 1 6 Report receved and commttee dscharged Re, port adopted as read On moton the mnute money was turned over to the Clerk! :! ~ : ~! l! ) On Mnsteral Credental We your Commttee on Mnsteral Credentals beg leave to submt the followng report After careful nvestgaton of our mnsters we fnd them all n good standng n ths Assocaton Respectfully submtted, S L LOLLAR, Charman Report receved and commttee dscharged Re port adopted as read On moton the Moderator apponted correspondng messengers to Sster Assocatons : To Mt Morah Assodaton Revs J W Porter, John Tate and E F Collns To Jasper Assocaton Revs C A Chaffn, A L; Warren anq, Q C Crews To Tupelo Assocaton Rev A L Warren and W N McCluskey On moton the Moderator apponted Rev C: A, Chaffn to preach the ntroductory Sermon at the next Assocaton and Rev J W Porter, alternate; MemoraL Sermon by Rev A L Warren Sunday mornng at 9 oclock, On moton the names of Revs W R Coley, J A sbell, E A Palmer and W C McCombs be dropped from the lst of mnsters, On moton Brethren, C A Chaffn,;A, L Warren and S F Lee were apponted as a presbytery for the purpose of ordanng Brother John Tate as a mnster of the Gospel After a careful examnaton of the applcant he was found to be qualfed and was ordaned f Move carred to enter hs name on the Mnute The busness of the Assocaton beng completed,
7 a moton was carred to adjourn to meet wth Beaver~ ton Church on Saturday before the fourth Sunday n,, September 1921 After a song was sung the partng hand was taken amd tears of gref and joy Prayer by Brother John Tate The benedcton was pronounced by the Moderator Rev S F LEE, Moderator J W CHAFFN, Clerk MNSTERS AND THER ADDRESSES C A Chaffn : ~Route 2, Wnfeld, Ala J; W Porter :, Route ~ Wnfeld, Ala T M Lollar Route 1, Covn, Ala W T Smth ~ Smthvlle, Mss M R Allen, Smthvlle, Mss B C Hudgns, Crews, Ala S F Lee : Route 2, Gun, Ala,, A L Warren Brllant, Ala c A J A T ate =; ~ J ~ ovn, a ARTCLES OF FATH 1 We beleve there s one true and lvng God who s the supreme ruler of heaven and earth selfexstent Creator of all thngs; revealed underthe personal dstncton of Father, Son and Holy Ghost, equal n every dvne perfecton, and exstng n dstnct but harmonous offces n the great work of redempton 2 We beleve the Holy Bble wa~ wrtten by men dvnely nspred, and s a treasure of Heavenly nstruc~ tons; that has God for ts author, Truth for ts rna~ ter and Salvaton for ts end; that t reveals prncples upon whch God wll judge us, and therefore s and shall reman to the end of the world the center of Chrs tan unon the supreme standard by whch all human conduct, creeds opnons wll be tred,
r;;r) 1/; ( ~~ ~!! ; : ;!!!!! [ : r! 1: 1 j! 1, :! 8 3 We beleve that manwas tcreated holy, under t]le law of hs Maker, but from voluntary transgresson fell fron that holy state, n consequence ofwhch all man knd are now depraved and whollyunable of ther own free wll and ablty to recover from the fallen state whch they are n by nature 4 We beleve that God has not fxed the future state of manknd by an absolute and uncondtonal decree but salvaton s offered n the Gospel free to all, and f snners are lost forever t wn be ther own fault 5 We beleve that Chrst, by Hs death and sufferj;gs, made an atonement for the sns of_ manknd n general, and every ndvdual n partcular, however, that none but those who beleve n Hm can partake of the dvne benefts 6 We beleve that true fath cannot proceed from the exer!cse of our natural facultes and powers, or from the force and operaton of free wll, snce man, n consequence of hs natural corrupton, s ncapable, of thnkng or dong anythng sprtually good 7 We beleve n the general applcaton of the grace of God to fallen m~m suffcenty to enable hm, morally and actually, to obey the requrements of the law of lberty,,jas 1:5, ths s the act of savng fath, John 1:9, how~ver, none but those who beleve, or acquesce, n Chrst wll be saved thereby Acts 17:32; Romans 2:19; Joln 3:9 8 We beleve n the moral agency of man, by the grace of God; before and after converson, that he s, ~ ~, lad under no nvncble necessty, by hs Creator to act n any gven way; that f he lves after the flesh he shall de, but f he through the Sprt do mortfy the deeds of the body he shall lve, and therefore man s always a proper subject of admonton and exhortaton Heb 11:12, 13; Romans 13:14; Mark 13:12; Ezek 18 :24; Rev 2nd and 8th chapters; Ezek 33:1328; 1st Tmothy 4:1; Heb 3:5:; Cor 1:1224; 1st Peter 1 :10~
9 9 We beleve that the vsble church of Chrst s a ( congregaton of belevers, assocated by covenant nthe fath of the fellowshp of Oospel, observng the ord ) t, nances of Chrst, governed by Hs law and exercsng gfts, rghts and prvleges nvested n them by Hs word; that ts only proper offcers are bshops or pastors and deacons, whose qualfcatons and dutes are defned, J n the Epstles to Tmothy and Ttus, 1 10 We beleve that Chrstan baptsm s mmerson ( u water; n the nameof Father, Son and Holy Ghost, and that belevers are the proper subjects 11 We beleve the Lords Supper s of perpetual oblgatpn, by whch the members of the church, n the form of bread and wne, are to commemorate together ~ the dyng love of Chrst, preceded always by solemn ~ selfexamnaton 12 We beleve n open and free communon, and the, chu11:!:hes of our body are authorzed through ther pas : tors to nvte all Chrstans of orthodox chuches, who are n good standng n ther re:;:;_)ectve churches; to co:mmune wth us at the Lords table 13 We beleve n the resurr ecton of the dead, and the genen l judgment; that the joys of the rghteous and the punshment of the wcked S hall be eternal, Upon the prncples of grace and justce RULES OF DECORUM 1 The Assocaton shall be called to order by the 1 Moderafor who presded at the last sesson Former,,,, Clerk shall also offcate ur tl the body s fully orgart: _, zed, 2 The Assocaton shall be opened and closed wth sngng and prayer,, ~ 3 The Moderator and e~k shall be chosenby hal~ lot at each sesson of the Assocaton A majorty of the votes of the delegates present elects,,,,,, / / ~
~~~ / ~ l ; :,, _ 10 4 The names of delegates from the dfferent churches shall be enrolled and called as often as reces,sary durng the sesson, 5 A majorty of delegates shall rule n all cases, ex cept n the recepton of chunches and then t shall be unammous, 6 The Moderator shall not be enttled to vote except n case of te, and then he shall gve the decdng vote He shall be enttled to speak on any queston after oth! ers have spoken, provded he appont some one to the char whle he s speakng ~ 7 Only one person shall speakat the same tme, and he shall rse to hs feet and address the Moderator, and after recognton by the Moderator, proceed 8 No brother shall be nterrupted whle speakng unless he depart from the subject under dscusson, or use words of personal reflecton ~ 9 No person shall be allowed to speak more than twce on the same subject wthout leave of the Assodaton, nor more than ffteen mnutes at a tme 10: No metnber:s shall laugh or talkdurng the tne the debates are gong on 11 No member shall absent hmself from the As, 1 q :,! > : socaton wthout leave of the Moderator CONSTTUTON 1 Ths Assocaton shall be known as thevernon Ereewll Baptst Assocaton of Alabama, and beng composed of mnsters and delegatesfrom the dfferent,, churches formng the same, each church beng enttled / to three delegates ~ 2 Ths body shall be consdered an advsory councl, (! but havng no authorty over the nternal affars of 1churches, unless they depart from the artcles of fath of ths assocaton but ths assocaton shall have authorty over all mnsters n the matter of doctrne, /,
11 character, etc n case any mnster n ths assocaton depart from and teach doctrne not n keepng wth the ~,, artcles of fath of ths assocaton, the same shall be dealt wth by ths assocaton as t may seeproper, ac, cordng to the teachngs of the Bble 3 Each church of ths assocaton shall be consd ered an advsory body and shall control ts own nter + _nal affars n matters of dscplne, etc, though any brothers Vho feel mpressed to preach the _Gospel of Chrst, the church shall or may recommend such brothers to the assocaton, and on exa~naton of the broth ers qualfcatqn, f n the judgment of ths body the brother would be useful they shall confer ordnaton; Ths beng done at the assocaton by a 1egal presby tery 4 All questons of doctrne and matters of general _nterest shall be settled by a twothrd vote of the assocaton, and the decson shall be fnal 5 The offcers of the assocaton shall be a mod era, tor, clerk and treasurer who shall be chosen at each sesson by a majorty vote 6 The assocaton shall meet annually at such tme and place as may be agreed upon by prevous annual sesson, and shall not adjourn fnally, untl the busness s transacted / 7 Churches wshng to become members of ths as socaton must adopt our artcles of fath and conform to ts usages 8 We agree as churches of ths assocaton to use our best nfluence to promote the nte~ests on all moral and benevolent nsttutons, such as the Temperance cause, Sabbath Schools, mssonary work, etc 9 No member of ths assocaton shall be elgble to the offce of moderator more than two successve sessons unless no other member be competent to act n that capacty 10 Any mnster of ths assocaton who shall he
12 /gulty of crculatng reports of any nature or adng n the crculatng of any report that s untrue, on a brother mnster that s calculated to njure hs moral character and relgous nfluence, the same shall be dealt wth by ths assocaton, or any mnster of ths assocaton, who s known to be gulty of usng ntoxcatng :sprts by drnkng as a beverage whch s calculated to destroy hs Jftuence and usefulness, the same shall be dealt wth by ths assocaton as t may see proper accordng to the teachngs of the Bble 11 Accordng to the teachng of the Bble we the the Vernon Freewll Baptst Assocaton wll not fellowshp_ or held n our fellowshp any churchor churches who allow or nvte any woman clamng to be a mnster of the Gospel to preach n ther church or church es, and any mnster of ths assocaton who teaches or advocates the Scrptural rght for a: woman to preach the Gospel of Chrst, the same shall be dealt wth by ths Assocaton 12 The assocaton shall n all cases and n the transacton of all busness brought before t, be governed by a majorty of the members, or delegates present, and any church, or delegate, falng or refusng to do so s and shall be consdered by the assocaton as be ng out of order 1,
) t CURCH, COU:STY ant STATE Unon Chatel, Lamar Co, Ala ;~<J : Collns, P H ladd,ox, S L ~ollar 1, CLERK ant POST OFFCE ~ t: :::: ~ t:l (C C ro ro, ~ ~ 6 8 0 :0 ;l :0 ro rt> ln ~ 0 ~~ (t) ~ : t:g,_ ljpc~ oo:::,,10,,_rn ~~t:j,::t:js 1 ~ c A Cha~n A J Hol,lerts?n :: 2 4 5!) $27 lt Vllng, Jayette Co, Ala J T Taylor, louston Porter, C L Gum A L Varren J W Chalfn, Gum, Ala 1 3 102 4GO Farvew, Lamar Co, Ala D V DlLS F Lee:~ J H Dll, Cre:ws, Ala ~ 1 1 52 200 Pney Grove, Lamar Co,, Ala :,:o,v J llarkham, l1 Shellnut, E C Roberts S < Lee W M Crews, Gu1: Aa: :_~ G 1 2 77 270 l>earces Chapel, llonroe Co, :!ss::: S L Cowley, C Cowley, V :! KennedyJ,V, Porter J; n Pearce, Smthvhl;:~uss 3 3 201 200 Beaverton, Lamar Co, Ala : A L Gann, :U C Lockhart ~; : ls F Lee_: A S Gann, neavertou, Aa~~:2: 1 4 G1 100 C~r~utb, Lamar Co, Ala Wlson He~ter, ~on way Hester, D n Hester;C A Chalfn J~ R McClung, Covn, Ala ;: 4~~ 1 ~ 2 2!l 100 Jhhtary Grove, Lamar Co, Ala G l Ganu, W,,; Mousell S F Lee D :11 G,mn, neavertou, Ala~~ 7 :, 3 44 200 Sloam, llnron_ Co~ Ala~ Not represented~:~ ~~:or: ; ::~ f, Ne< Hope~ Lamar Co, Ala_; :, Not representee)~:~~ :;_,,~;~~ _: :~! z ~,/, _ ~ _, ~, ~,,~_, r; : _} ~ _,,,~ :, : :, t: _ f ~ ; ;,,,, : _ ; ~,_ : ; 1;;:,, ~{ _:; _: ~ ~ ;: > ~ : :;~ ~ : ~~,;;:,, : ~:, :,,, _,, J:, ~~ _/; <~~ ;,_ :; ; :;:, ~~ rf<~_; _,:;,_ )!,