4A·THE McDOWELL NEWS, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 17,1979

To Hold Note Burning The Clinchfield BSa£ti?.t Church, locted on East Court Street, is planning a Note Burning Celebration Day unday, Oct. 21. Many activities are planned for the day, including visits from past pastors, dinner in the fellowship hall (members are requested to bring a covered dish) and singing by the choir and other groups.

MAY I 0 s 6 d°l I Friday, May 10; 1'996, McDowell News Chqroh Tabloid.Page 5

Clinchfield Baptist Formed Because Plant Located There

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CLIPPING SERVICE 1115 HILLSBORO

RALEIGH. NC 27603 0 TEL. (919) 833-2079

IY\(1)0Wa!. NfWS MAl!ION, N. C.

From Staff Reports -Clinchfield Bapti§t Qhurch was

organized on Dec. 19, 1915 by a presbytery composed of represen­ tatives from the First Baptist Church of Marion and Macedonia Baptist Church.

The meeting for the new church was held in the old Clinchfield School building with 12 charter members. The meeting was called to order by the Rev. D.P." Loudermilk, who stated the object of the meeting and read the Scriptures. The Rev. AP. Sorrels was elected moderator and the Rev. Sam Torlton was the first pastor. After its organization, the church joined the Green River Baptist Association.

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The need for a Baptist church was a result of the coming of the Clinchfield Manufacturing Co.

_which employed a large number of eople. Many of these people who

lived in the Clinchfield village were Baptists from other parts of the state and South Carolina.

Following its organization, the church met in various homes in the community. Services were held in the Clinchfield School building while the first church building was under construction. The dedication sermon for the new building was delivered by the Rev. Walter N. Johnson on March 2, 1919.

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In 1929, the church became a charter member of the Blue Ridge Baptist Association, organized in that year. In 1935, new classrooms were added and a two-story educa­ tional building was started in 1953. A nine-room brick parsonage on Ridge Road was built in 1959.

After three years of planning and study, the new church audito­ rium was begun in 1963 and was occupied on Nov. 8, 1964. The cur­ rent pastor is the Rev. Harold D. McNabb.

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Clinchfield Baptist

CLIPPING SERVICE 1115 HILLSBORO

RALEIGH. NC 27603 TEL. (919) 833·2079

McDOWELL NEWS MARION, N. C. M·W·f ~400

Clinch field Revival

Everyone is invited to attend special revival ser­ vices at the Clinchfield Baptist Church. March 23- 26. The Sunday morning

.. service is at 11 o'clock and the evening services will be at 7 o'clock.

The visiting preacher will be the Rev. Cleve Wilkie of the stewardship departrne­ nt of the North Carolina Baptist State Convention. There will~ choir music and other special music each evening. A nursery will be provided for pre-

~h<~lm f J

FI STORY

of the

CLinchfield Baptist Church

Marion, McDowell County, North Carolina, Blue Ridge Association

Compiled by pastor A. A. Walker

Aug. 25, 1930.

l~J\ME AND LOCATION

In 1912 began the construction of the Clinchfield .Mills, Marion

N. c., the work on which gathered the first dwellers in the

village now lcnovm. as the Clinch field Rural Station, N. C. as

for Post Office. previous to this time the :1esidents of this

section were farmers and scattered and tr.ose who were Baptist

for the most part belonged to what is now the Marion First

church, which at that time was located about mid-way between

where now the Clinchfield and the Marion Manufacturing Compa­

nies now st~nd. When the mill went into operation it became

evident that there was a need for the organizing of the

Christio.n populace into churches according to their faiths. The

large majority of the citizens were rr om the mountains which

ofcourse meant that there were many Baptists in the community.

These Baptists o rg an i ze d tr emee.i ve e into a body which took the

name of tr e vi Ll.age , and today the Clinch field Baptist church h as

a neat house of worshi!fon the spur line of the Southern Railroad

that leads to the mill just at the intersection of the highway

number 10, and only a few hundred yards from the Poet Office.

t' i story Cl inch field Church -2-

ORGJ\NI ZATION .aND CP ARTSR MBJ/IB ms

An account of the organization of t.h I s church is recorded among

the first recorda as follows:

11 De cembe z- 19, 1915. The Christian people of the Bap t i e t faith covenanted together to meet toeether in the school building on December 19, 1915 at two o'clock at the Clinch field Mill, Marion, N. C. for the purpose of organizing a ~issionary Baptist church.

11 The meeting was called to order by Rev. D. P. Lowdermilk, who stated object of meeting, read a portion of Scripture, and had prayer.

11 Next was t.he election of moderator and c.i e rk , Rev. A. p, Sorrels elected moderator, .J. v. Kendrick, ct e rk . next the cal.­ ling of tl;e presbyter to order which was composed of

Deacons for t he First Baptist church, Marion, N. C.: J. A. Routh, A. R. Buffalo, R. C. Nanney, T. 1J:. Hemph I Lj, , A. F. &nith, Arthur Nichols, J. C. A. 1..U.chael. Deacons of the 1.1:acedonia church, :Nebo, N. C. ~ w. E. Watkins, G. S. Watkins

"The members who composed the organization were R. M. Lamb, Mrs. R. M. Lamb, ~dna Lamb, George Lamb, Joseph Lamb, Thomae Lamb, J. V. Kendrick, Mrs. J, V. Kendrick, Boyce Sprinkle, Mrs. (Annie) Boyce Sprinkle, D. P. Lowder­ milk, Mrs. D. P. Lowdermilk.

" The Articles of Fa.i th and church Covenant were read and sub­ scribed to, after w:hich the presbyter moved that we be received as a Baptist church. The presbyter adjoUJ?ned with prayer by Re v , A. P • so r re .l s • "

ROSTER OF PASTORS AND C.LERKS

In the history of this church from her organisation on the 19th

day of De cembe r , 1915, to the day of the Fellowship week when it fl­

was asked that this history be read, Aug. 25, 1930, there have

been eight pastors and eight clerks. The pastors with their

dates of service were :A. P. 'sorrels 1916 - 1917, T. H. Roach 1918 -

1919, w. M. Hall ( a few months in) 1919, J.M. Brown 1919 - 1920,

E. J. Jones 1920 - 1922, C. A. Caldwell 1922 - 1923, c. L· Taylor

1923 - 1927, and A. A. Walker 1927 - 1930. The clerks were: J. v.

Hi story Cl inch field Church -3-

Kendrick, Boyce Sprinkle, E. M. Childreas, G. F. Taylor, A. w. Henson, John Willia.ms, G. w. Biggerstaf.f, and G. E. Lock.

MATT.ffiS OF INTflJREST

For two or three months at first the congregations gathered in a

dwelling house, after which the school house was used for about

two years as a place of worship. On Nov. 18, 19~6, it was voted

that the church draw up plane for the erection of a church house

and that aid be asked of the State Board for the building of. it.

After a little more than a two year's struggle, this house of wor­

ship was completed and dedicated on March 2, 1919. Dr. Wal; N.

Johnson of Raleigh preached the dedicatory sermon. The church was

happy to have present at this occasion Rev. A. P. Sorrels and Rev.

D. p. Lowdermilk who had been conspicuous leaders in the organiz­

ing of the church. This house has been in use now more than e~even

years. Th~ first contribution to this church was made by the

ladies under the leadership of Mrs. (Annie) Boyce Sprinkle in the

gift of a sixty-five dollar organ. The first death to o~cur among

this membership was sister Elizabeth Seagle whose re~ains were laid

away on Nov. 13, 1918. In the summer of 1919 the church was badly

divided on the calling of pastor w. U. Ha~l· It w~s decided to give

the Executive Committee of the Green River Association power to

arbitrate the matter which resulted in the complete re-organization

of the church and th2 appointment of a pastor, J.M. Brown, whose

name had not been con side red. In 1929 the church in keeping with

the other churches of McDowell county withdrew her letter from the

Green River Association and beca.ne a charter member of the

Blue Ridge Association.

CLINCHFIELD - 1915 n:w:B~· nf DGE 192)·-

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