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A fund sprang up in 1938 in the Women’s Society for decorating the interior of the church, when Eloise Parks donated $10 she earned selling magazines. The fund had grown to several hundred dollars when the women called on well-known architect Vinson Smith for suggestions on decorations, but they soon realized their project would require more than they had. To boost their coffers, the Women’s Society held bazaars, rummage sales and suppers. They also quilted and filled dime cards for their cause. But the church was continuing to grow, particularly under the pastorate of the Rev. Wallace Mangum, a former Navy chaplain |
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whose emphasis on youth doubled the church’s needs for space. Church leaders realized in 1947 that to accommodate the growing congregation they had more of a need for rooms than for redecor-ating. The ladies’ decorating fund, now having climbed to over $2,000 was turned over to a building committee. With a building committee led by Mr. L. H. Coker, the congregation decided to erect a new T-shaped building that would provide a sanctuary and a two story Sunday School of 18 classrooms. Before construction could begin, the Abarr building had to be moved to make way for the new sanctuary |
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and then the old church would be demolished to make way for the new Sunday School wing. Architect Smith’s building plan was printed on postage cards that pic-tured the proposed structure on one side and a pledge card on the other. Accommodating the new construc-tion took more than donations and postcards, however. There were legal problems with property lines, which held up moving the Mary Abarr building to the new lot behind the parsonage. Those problems were largely resolved when attorney George Smith donated his legal services, and the Rev. H. J. Moore exchanged part of his property with the church.
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along with new materials to build the new church. A Presbyterian, G. S. Watrous, supervised the wiring of the church with no fee for his labors, and Mrs. G. A. Alexander obtained art glass windows to donate in memory of individuals. When the structure was completed in February 1950, it had a value of $60,000. but the congregation had |
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The donations and giving continued as construction began in 1949. Fred Skellie donated a surplus building to be wrecked and salvaged. The effort to build a new church was ecumenical. Baptists, Catholics, Presbyterians and others in the community donated time to wreck buildings, sort lumber, pull out nails, using reclaimed materials |
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an outlay of only $30,000. The Board of Trustees had to borrow only $7,000 for the entire project and most of this debt was retired by the women of the church by sponsoring monthly dinners. Dedication was held June 21, 1953, under the Rev. Q. C. Roberts (see picture). |
Women’s Society Fund Seeds New Church |
Ecumenical Effort to Build New Church |
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the purchase of the Jordan property and a new educational unit, valued at $75,000, was dedicated to former pastor Rev. H. J. Moore on Feb. 3, 1963 (see picture).
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Still there would be other building needs in that decade. When the Rev. Rex Loftin was assigned to the church in 1958, the old parsonage was inadequate for his family, which included four children. The old wooden parsonage (see picture) was sold and relocated, and a three-bedroom brick house was completed and furnished in 1959 (see picture). More growth as the years rolled by required still more building. The church campus was enlarged by |
Old Wooden Parsonage Replaced |
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Hurricane Camille Strikes Hurricane Camille virtually destroyed the Mary Abarr building in 1969, requiring its demolition. |
100th Anniversary |
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A week long celebration of the church’s 100th anniversary was held the week of September 29, 1975 with nightly speakers from among former pastors (John Ash III, Morelle Wells, Fred W. Thompson, Q. C. Roberts and William Waugh) and a segment of our historical pageant each evening, culminating with Homecoming Sunday. Rev. Oland Beardon was the pastor at the time, and Mrs. Alice Lambright wrote the pageant. |