PARKERIS GROVE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

A HISTORICAL Of SKET CH PARKERIS GROVE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH Pa r ke r ' s Grove United Methodist Church will observe It ' s Centennial celebration this year (1875-1975). The present site of the church was fixed at the Quarterly Conference of October 29, 1875. At this conference it was announced that lithe appointed trustees for a Methodist church near Little River Academy. Cumberland County, North Carolina, namely W. G. Adams, Robert J. Byrd, Gray Culbreth, H. R. Byrd, and L. B. Tew, have procured a deed to a parcel of land or site to build a church and have got subscriptions in the amount of $494. II (Quarterly Conference minutes, Cumberland Circuit, October 30, 1875). Construction of the Church was completed, or virtually so, by June 24, 1876. The Quarterly Conference of the Cumberland Circuit was conducted in the new church on this date, at which time the report showed that $650 had been raised for construction of the new church. The foregoing statement of fact was taken from the book: "Methodism in The Upper Cape Fear Valley, II by the Rev. C. Franklin Grill. Information for the following historical sketch is taken primarily from the same source. At the North Carolina Annual Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, meeting in Goldsboro in 1873 the Rev. Washington S. Cha in was appointed pastor of the Cumberland Circuit in the Fayetteville District. Saint Andrews Church was a part of this circuit, and today is located just off the campus of Methodist College, Fayetteville, N. C. Early in 1874 Cha in began making visits upstream from St. Andrews along the west side of the Cape Fear River. On January 24 preaching was initiated at a new place called "Howards, II about twenty miles north of Fayetteville near where the Little River flows into the Cape Fear. It is thought that this was the immediate forerunner of Pa r ke r ' s Grove Methodist Church. The Rev. Isaac W. Avent was appointed to succeed Cha i.n the following year on the Cumberland Circuit, and he continued preaching at Howards. Among the names recorded as the first members of the new church are W. Gaston Adams, Sabra Ao Ad arn s, Sarah C. Parker, and Elizabeth Gilmore. Other new members who came into the church during the spring of 1875 were W. R. Byrd, Anna R, Byrd, Jacob Eo Reardon, Civil Ann Parker, Flora McArthur Byrd, Elizabeth Dowdy, Mary Petty, Blake B, Adams, E a J 0 Reardon, Mary Moore, Charlotte Ao Parker, Joseph W0 Parker, L. B. Tew, James Moore, Duncan A. Blue, Bright Moore, Robert Parker, George Byrd, Winship A. Petty, Mary Byrd, Fanny Parker, and Mary Re a.rdori, Rufus P. Byrd was elected the first Sunday School Superintendent. It soon became apparent that if the church at Howards was goi.ng to continue growing it would be wise to change its location and erect a perm.anent building. Nearby was Little River Academy, a small boarding school located on the south bank of Little River about three miles west from where the river emptied into the Cape Fear. A thriving community was developing around this school, which was established by the Rev. D. Co McBryde, a Presbyterian minister. It was near this point that the new church was to be erected. Sardis Presbyterian Church was the old established church of the community, and it was Cadar Parker, a member of that church who gave the land for the Methodist Church. Gaston Adams, Je erson Byrd, Rufus Byrd and others were active in building a substantial frame and weatherboard building which is still in good physical condition and in constant use today,

The steeple was a latter addition as well as class r oorn s, At the Quarterly Conference, June 249 1876 9 when the church building was virtually complete, the church was ohicially named Parker IS Gr ove, A small group o Methodist at Lilli.ngton began holding servi.ce s about 1878, and the year 1879 was the year the Lillington Mission was made a conference appointment, with the Re v, Isaac Wo Avent serving as pastor, Parker I s Grove was one o the fi ve churches on the rn l s sl on, However the Annual Conference o 1881 held in Durham, N, C, placed Pa r ke r ' s Grove again on the Cumberland Ci r cu it, Three years later in 1884 at the Annual Conference meeting in Wilmington, the Lillington Circuit was formed consisting o Lillington, Pa r ke r ' s Gr ove, Spring Hill, Trantham! s Creek, Gardners and St, Andrews, The Rev, John H, Hall was appointed as pastor of the new circuit, Parker I s Grove continued to be an appointment on the Lillington Circuit for s ixty'-ti ve years until 1945, when it was added to the Erwin Cha r ge, Lillington was made a station, with Pleasant Plains Church attached, When the Lillington Circuit was formed, the pastor, Rev, John H, Hall and his wife lived in the Little River Academy community near Pa r ke r ' s Gr ove, Later the Linden post office and town carne into being, The f ir st trustee s o Parker! s Grove Church as it carne into the Lillington Circuit were W, Go Adarn s, H, R, Byrd, and L, B, Tew, Go T, Adams was the Sunday School Supe r irrteriderrt, This church carried most o the fl.naric ia.l responsibility o the circuit at this time, The pastor received only $3010 30 of the apportioned four hundred dollar salary for the year 18850 Most o this amount was paid by Pa r-ker ' s Grove, The Annual Conference of 1887 meeting in Fayetteville, appointed the Rev, Leonidas M, Chaff'iri to the Lillington Circuit, The twenty -Fou.r year old minister was the son of a former pastor and founder o Pa rke r ' s Grove Church, The young minister while serving his first appoi.ntrnent; married and brought his bride to live in the Little River Academy community. That same year the Sunday School under the direction o B, B, Adams, son of W0 Go Adams. was reorganized and being llparticularly sur orig!' remained open all w irrte r, This was unusual, because most Sunday Schools closed during the winter months, At the second Quarterly Conference, held at St. Andrews on May 15, 1888, John A, Gr e e n., Wo H, Holder, Wo n, King, Wo Go Adams, J.»: Colvin, J 0 F. Byrd, and B, B, Adams were elected trustees for the circuit and directed to secure a parsonage site, As a result of their e orts "t.hr e e acres o land was conveyed from Dr, J, M, Boyette to the circuit Trustees for $175 to be used as a Methodist parsonage and to belong to the Lillington Circuit, Fayetteville District, North Carolina Conference, M, Eo Church, South, (Deed: Cumberland County Courthouse, Fayetteville, No Co. Book 86, 207), The property was located on Lower Little River joining the land o Do Do McBryde near where Little River Academy stood, For some reason the project was never corrrpl.ete d., and the land was sold the following ye a r, However the pastor of the Lillington c l r cul.t continued to make his horne at Parker 1 s Grove until 1902, when the decision was made to place the parsonage at Ll l.llrigto n, It was still a number of years before the par sonage at Lillington was e stab Li sh ed, and the m.inister during the se intervening years lived in the hotel or a rented bui.ld irrg,

3 During the six year period; 1887-1893, six ministers served the charge, with a new minister being assigned each year. Then came the Rev. Wesley Frank Craven in 1894, who was the first minister to serve four years. Craven was a widower at this time. and during most of his pastorate he found board and lodgi.ng in the home of Mrs. Betty Jones. Mrs. Jones' daughter, AIda. became the wife of Dr. W, C. Melvin, the young physician in the cornrriuni.ty, It was during Craven's last year that he experienced the satisfaction of seeing the first "preacher- son" enter the ministry from Parker's Grove, The fh ir-ty= th r e e year old Gaston Troy Adams was admitted into the North Carolina Conference when it convened in Elizabeth City in 18980 Adams first appointment was Fairfield in the Washington District, and he continued in the active ministry for thirty years. He served some of the strong appoi.ntrnents of the conference, among which was Trinity s Durham, and also a four year term as pre siding elder (now district supe r int.ende nt ), After W. F 0 Craven's four year pastorat e seldom did the minister stay more than one or two years. During the next fourteen years nine ministers carrie, Among those was the Rev. W0 Co Martin, who served a two year pastorate, 1908 and 1909. He was reported to have said that Parker's Grove was the best and strongest church on the circuit. "There were some f'i ne homes in Linden," said Martin, and he experienced the support and hospitality of the people as he visited in their homes. John C. Adams, son of W. G. Adams, who was superintendent of the Sunday School, opened his home to the minister as headquarters when he came for his monthly preaching appointment. Dr. W. C. Melvin was the beloved physician of the community, and his family added rnuch to the strength of the church. The Rev. GeorgeWo Perry was the young single minister who came early in December 1912 for a four year pastorate. He brought his bride during the first year, and they were both well liked and po pul a.r, The church experienced a healthy state of activity during this pe r iod, The coming of the John H, Smith family into the Linden cornrriuni.ty in 1913 greatly strengthened the church. Smith was appointed in 1914 as lay leader for the c ir cui t, becoming the first person on this circuit to bear the title. His son. Loren, served well as Sunday Superintendent for several years, being followed in 1917 by Joseph H. Williams. Jr. This same year (1917) the elected trustees were John C. Adams, Ed Bolton, and Joseph H. Williams, Jr. 9 and J. Co Adarn s served as district steward for the circuit, Following the four year pa sto r a te of George Perry, the next ten years saw a new minister assigned each year with the exception of two; Rev. Neil M. McDonald 1918~ 1920, and Rev. Harris L, Hendricks 1923-19250 During this period Jone s Macon, sori- In-Taw of J. Co Adams, served as Sunday School superintendent for several year so The Rev. Samuel To Moyle was assigned to the circuit in the late fall of 1926, and began serving a three year pa sto r a te before his superannuation (retirement). It was during his ministry that Parker's Grove sent its second son i.nto the ministry. Ao Morris Williams, who united with the church in 19119 was superintendent of the Sunday School when he was granted a local preacher's license on October 129 19270 Soon thereafter he entered the Duke Di.vinity School for ministerial training. In 1930 he was admitted into the North

4 Carolina Conference on trial, which met in November at Henderson, N. C. His first appointment was student associate pastor of the Pittsboro Circuit. He retired after thirty-seven years in the active ministry, and now resides in Durham, N. C. The church was in a weakened condition during and following Moyle's pastorate, with a declining membership and difficulty in meeting its financial obligations. These were the depression years, which made pastoral support difficult. The next two year s found the church served by two students from the Duke Divinity School: Rev. Cardman A. Hillman 1929-30, and Rev. Cecil Ao Baker 1930-310 Stewards elected to serve in 1929 were.r. Co Adams, J. H. Willian1s, r-., r». W. C. Melvin, and J. O. Garner, with Robert S. Williams as Sunday School superintendent. Then came the Rev. Edgar M, Hall in the late fall of 1931 to serve four years as pastor. Hall and his wife were in their mature years and well equipped by training, experience, and dedicati.on for a rich rn inl s tr y, They both were greatly beloved. and are remembered with great affection and respect. This difficult financial period is mirrored in the fact that the salary was fixed at $1,000 for the circuit of three churches. Only $689 was paid on Hall's salary the first year, and only $835 the second year. Parker's Grove assumed 33 1/3 per cent of the salary. Not until Hall's fourth year did he receive his full salary of $1,0000 Under Hall's good pastoral leadership the church took on new l.ife, A Woman's Mis sionary Society was organized in October 1933 with eleven IT1eIT1bers. Mrs. J. B. Wilkins was made pr e s ldent., and served for two years followed by Mr s, Eo W. Ave nt, 1935-37. A rno vern ent was set in rn oti on to build Sunday School rooit1sabout 19310 Several years prior to this a friend had rriade a gift of $500 to the church. With this SUIT1as a beginning, a donation was secured IrOIT1the Duke Foundation, and with local contributions three Sunday School rooms were added to the rear of the chu r ch, Several years later other rooit1swere added in the ba s e rrient, wi.th a ground fl oo r entrance from the r ea r, In 1935 the Rev. Nathan M, Wright carrie for a three year pastora te, having previously served part of a conference year in 19120 The Annual Conference of 1938 assigned the Rev, R. Leon Crossno as pa sto r, His five year pastorate established a precedent, for no rrii.niste r had ever served IT10re than four years. This young rn in iste r was single, and devoted to his people, being able to spend much t.irne ait10ngthe m, This close relationship resulted in a healthy state of activity within the church, and an increase in church rne rnbe r shl.p to 157 y with all financial obligations being IT1et in Iul.I, The church had previously been given two preaching services each rnorith, second Sunday afternoon and fourth Sunday rrio r ni n g, Crossno increased this with a night a ppo in.trne rrt, The WOIT1an's Society of Christian Service continued to be an Irnpo r tarit and effective arit1 of the local church, and in 1937 Miss Helen Melvin was rnad e president. She was followed in this office by Mrs. A. B. Bethune, then Mr s, Joseph H. WiLliarn s, Jr. in 1943. The records show that Mrs. Jesse H. Byrd was president in 1957, to be succeeded by Miss Helen Melvin in 1961, who continues in this office to the present date. Among

5 the improvements made in the church during this period was the installation of new pews, and running water with rest r oorn s added. E. Eo Avent was Sunday School superintendent in 1939. and the trustees and stewards were Wayman Melvin s J', Co Garner, and J', H, Williams, Jr. with Miss Helen Melvin serving as church tr-ea su r e r, In 1943 J. Prior Crumpler was serving as Sunday School Superintendent, and the following year We Ao Witmer succeeded hi.rn, The church stewards were M'r s, Ao Be Bethune, Miss Helen Melvin, Po Do Godwin. Wayman Melvin, and Jesse H; Byrd. Parke.r's Grove was fortunate in the men who came to the community as principal of the Linden public s cho ol, The three just mentioned: Avent, Crumpler, and Witmer, were Methodist who came as principal of the school, and also served as superintendent of the Sunday Schoo l, J 0 H, Taylor, another principal, came in 1957 and he and his wife have both been faithful workers in the church. Taylor has served for a number of years as delegate to the Annual Conference. In recent years those serving as Sunday School superintendent are as follows: Jim B. WiIk i.ns s Jre, 1947-50, Wayman C. Melvin 1950-55, Ao M, Stephenson 1955-59, and Jesse H, Byrd, Jr. 1959-75. The year 1945 marked the end of the long standing makeup of the Lillington Circuit, at which time Lillington became a station appointment and Parker's Grove was attached to the Erwin Cha r ge, The Rev. Wo Norman Vaughan served the last two years of the old Lillington Circuit. and Rev. J 0 R. Regan was pastor the Iirst year unde r the new Erwin Charge. Then followed three four year pa sto r a.te s ; Rev. 00 K, Ingram 1946-50, Rev. Dwight A. Petty 1950-,54, and Rev. Walter C. Feltman 1954-5 80 After a three year pastorate under the Rev, Kenneth B. Sexton, Parker's Grove Church was removed from the Erwin Charge ani became a station appointment known as "Linden: Parker's Grove." The Annual Conference of 1961 meeting at Trinity Church in Durham, June 29 s appointed the Rev. B. Duke Critcher to Parker's Gr ove, Critcher had just retired from the ful.ltl me ministry and made his home in Dunn, N. Co Since June 1961 Critcher has served as retired supply pastor, conducting wo r shl p services on second and fourth Sunday mornings. This makes the fourteenth year of Critcher's paste-rate. From the beginning Parker's Grove's membership has been small, starting in 1875 with a membership of twenty- seven. During the Iirst fifty years the church roll gradually increased, and in 1934 reached a membership of 100. For the past fifty years the journal of the North Carolina Conference has recorded the membership of each individual church. This record shows that the membership of Parker's Grove fluctuated somewhat, but gradually increased to a high water mark of 168 in 1964. Thirty-five names were removed from the roll by Quarterly Conference a ct ion in 1967. which reduce s the roll to its present membership of 136.

6 ROLL OF MINISTERS WHO SERVED PARKER1S GROVE CHURCH 1873 Washington So Chaffin 1875 Isaac Wo Avent 1877 Washington So Chaffin 1879 Isaac Wo Avent 1880 Washington So Chaffin 1884-86 JohnH. Hall 1886-87 John Jo Grigg 1887-88 Leonidas M, Chaffin 1888-89 Duncan A. Futrell 1889-90 Isaac Ao White 1890-91 John e: Rouse 1892-94 Michael Bradshaw 1894-98 Wesley Frank Craven 1898-00 n. Alexander Bruton 1900-01 Daniel»: Watkins 1901-03 Wi.Ll.i.arn n. Humble 1903-04 Alexander Do Betts 1905-07 Lauder Bo Pattishall 1907-09 William Co Martl.n 1909-11 Elijah r., Stack 1911 ~12 Doctrine H. Reed (Resigned) 1911-- 12 Nathan M. Wri.ght (8 months) 1912-16 George W. Perry 1916-17 James A. Morris 1917-18 Hubbard B, Porter 1918-20 Neil M. McDonald 1920-21 James H. Frizzelle 1921-~23 Charles R, Ross 1923-25 Harris t.. Hendricks 1925 ~26 Cornelius F 0 Womble (9 months) 1925-26.I, H. Capps (3 months) 1926-}9 Samuel To Moyle 1929-30 Cardman Ao Hillman 1930-31 Cecil Ao Baker 1931-35 Edgar Milton Ha.II 1935 ":38 Nathan Mo Wright 1938<043 Ramsey Leon Cros sno 1943-45 vr, Norman Vaughan 1945-46 r. R. Regan 1946-50 00 Kelly Ingram 1950~ 54 Dwight A. Petty 1954-5 8 Walter Co Feltman 1958-61 Kenneth B, Sexton 1961-7' B, Duke Critcher D-r ~\}t L... CID1vI) '.)1) fljlen. e. t: qe}($ f'~<:klt~ 61 1\J,C.s-f;d~ fi'rl;y.