USA > North Carolina > A history of the development of the Presbyterian Church in North Carolina, and of the Synodical home missions, together with evangelistic addresses by James I. Vance and others > Part 7
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13
Dr. Johnston was the recipient of many honors, and the depository of many trusts from the church. He was a scholarly man, and his judgment was clear and con- clusive. He was one of the central figures in the great Synodical Movement, and gave to it his hearty support, and his successful evangelistic labors were wrought in Albemarle Presbytery. He was a profound and edifying preacher, gentle and retiring in his disposition and man-
.
REV. F. H. JOHNSTON, D. D.
ЕНЬ
95
IN NORTH CAROLINA.
ners, but brave and courageous in defense of the truth. He was as modest as a pure woman, and a most agreeable and pleasant companion with his old and tried friends. and with those who knew him best-
" None knew him but to love him ; None named him but to praise."
The Rev. Mr. Morton came to the Synod of North Carolina in 1895, and until his death, in 1902, he did gen- eral evangelistic work, especially within the bounds of Wilmington Presbytery. He was a brave soldier chaplain of the Civil War, and many incidents are related of his re- markable bravery and fearlessness. "He was a good man, full of the Holy Ghost and faith, and he lived in an atmosphere of prayer." After his death it was said of him by one who knew him well: " His character was golden, his life was simple, his zeal was abounding, his love deep, his faith unfaltering, his spiritual being high and lifted up, through the power of Divine grace."
The Rev. E. Mac. Davis, after retiring from the work in Madison county, accepted work in the Synod of Georgia, and soon afterwards his health failed and the Lord called him to his reward.
The Rev. A. K. Pool was a young man of sweet dispo- sition and lovely spirit, and for about three years of his life he was an ordained minister, an evangelist of Concord Presbytery, and the synod's assistant to the Rev. Mr. Black, the general evangelist. The churches of Forest Hill, Mckinnon and Patterson Mills, in Concord Presby- tery, are largely the fruits of his labors. He had to give up the work of preaching the Gospel on account of failing health, and for more than a year before his death he was continuously with Mr. Black in his meetings, and devoted his whole time to singing the Gospel, which he did with
மீ அல்ல வாம் ச
٣٩
5
96
THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
great power and unction. He was the assistant director of the music at the Biblical Institute held at Red Springs in 1892, and he had entire control of the music of the institute held there and at Gastonia in 1893.
" Mr. Pool had rare gifts as a singer, possessing, as he did, not only a thorough knowledge of music, but one of the sweetest voices ever heard in the State. He rendered much valuable aid to Mr. Black in the meetings which were held, and Mr. Black speaks of a number of instances in which he believes men were saved through his singing, upon whom the preaching seemed to have but little effect. Mr. Pool was engaged in one of these meetings when he was taken sick, and from which sickness he never rallied, but died as it were in the harness, August 7, 1899, in the thirty-fourth year of his age, among the peo- ple where he had been laboring last. The last piece he sang in one of these meetings was " Saved by Grace," which he did not only with rare sweetness, but with great effect upon the audience. There are at the present time four Presbyterian churches within a radius of about four miles of the place of his death-Democrat, N. C .- and at that time there were none at all. Of course all of this is not due to him, but much of it is, as perhaps nowhere else did his singing make a greater impression than among those plain but appreciative mountaineers. In the synod's obituary of him it is said: "The sweet singer of the Synod of North Carolina is heard here no more, but he still sings the praises of redeeming love, with a harp in his hands and a crown on his head, where there is no more sickness and no more death."
The Rev. E. E. Gillespie occupied the position of super- intendent from the beginning of the year 1899 to the end of the year 1904, a period of six years, and during that time the work of Synodical Missions went steadily and
000
REV. A. K. POOL.
97
IN NORTH CAROLINA.
increasingly forward, and prospered to a very high degree. The superintendent, the general evangelist and the committee went hand in hand and shoulder to shoulder to the great work to which God had so manifestly called them. A great deal was accomplished for the Master's kingdom.
In 1899 Mr. Gillespie found a debt of $4,843 resting upon the work. This debt was cancelled the first year, and there was a steady enlargement of the work each year during the time of his service. He received and collected in cash for the support of the work during his administration the sum of nearly $55,000. He visited most of the churches in the synod and held more than a thousand services. Many of these services were pro- tracted, wherein he witnessed the conversion of many precious souls, and saw a large number added to the church.
Mr. Gillespie was specially fitted for the work, a man of commanding personal appearance, attractive in his manners, full of zeal and energy, and possessing great executive ability. God greatly blessed him in the work. During his administration, the following additional min- isters were employed by the committee and placed in the field for the whole or a part of their time: Rev. Messrs. D. Munroe, J. S. Smith, J. H. Jarvis, E. Garrow, W. A. Murray, J. A. Harris, L. E. Wells, J. C. Story, R. M. Mann, J. P. Hall, A. H. Temple, P. C. Irwin, I. N. Clegg, H. Garrow, H. H. Cassady, S. C. Smith, R. L. Grier, C. W. McDonald, F. G. Hartman, R. H. Orr, L. W. Curtis, F. E. Ghigo, J. C. Hardin, and W. T. D. Moss, besides a large number of male and female teachers. It was also during his administration, October 23, 1902, that the Pres- bytery of "King's Mountain" was formed.
This Presbytery, the second daughter of Mecklenburg,
98
THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
was another result of Synodical Home Missions. The first meeting was held at Lincolnton, N. C., November " 18, 1902, and the Rev. R. A. Miller preached the opening sermon.
On the retirement of Mr. Gillespie, at the close of the year 1904, and in order to take a special course of study and to eventually become a pastor, the synod adopted the following resolution :
" Resolved, That the Synod of North Carolina would record its profound gratitude to our gracious God for the noble work that he has enabled our retiring superintend- ent, Rev. E. E. Gillespie, to do for our mission field during the past six years, and that it would express to Brother Gillespie its cordial appreciation of his zealous, faithful and efficient labors for Home Missions, and that it would invoke upon him and his efforts the same Divine blessing in any field to which he may be called, that has manifestly rested upon his endeavors within our bounds."
Mr. Gillespie, at present, is a member of the Synod of South Carolina, and the beloved pastor of the Yorkville Presbyterian Church.
It has already been stated that the synod, at Durham, N. C., November 17, 1904, elected the Rev. R. P. Smith superintendent of Synodical Home Missions as the worthy successor of Rev. Mr. Gillespie, and the time that has elapsed since has proven that the synod made no mistake in that election. Mr. Smith came to the Synod of North Carolina in 1893, as stated elsewhere in these pages, and from that date to the present time has proven himself to be a faithful pastor, an earnest and successful evangelist, and a wise and efficient superintendent.
Mr. Smith is a man of fine attainments, possessing a winning disposition and cordial manners, a big heart full of love to God and man, and manifesting a zeal, energy
B
٥
99
IN NORTH CAROLINA.
and devotion which are untiring for the cause of the Master. The conduct of the synod's great mission work is safe in his hands.
His report as superintendent of the synod's work for the year 1905 shows that 25 ministers had been preach- ing the Word in destitute places ; that 22 volunteer teach- ers had been teaching more than 1,000 children, and that 507 communicants had been added to the church. His report for the year 1906 shows that 27 ministers had served 71 small churches and 70 mission points; that 5 churches and 30 Sabbath-schools had been organized in new territory; that 708 persons had been added to the church, and that the sum of $9,558 had been raised for the work. His report for the year 1907 has not yet been made, but we may justly believe that it is even more encouraging, showing the onward march of the great work of Synodical Home Missions in North Carolina.
In all this onward march and progress of missions through the past seventeen or eighteen years there has been one agency contributing largely to the success of the movement, which ought not to be overlooked or lightly estimated, and that agency has been the wisdom, faithful- ness, self-denial and the sound judgment of the men who have composed the synod's Home Mission Committee, not including the officers of that committee.
According to the plan which was practically adopted in 1881, and which was perfected in 1889, the chairman of the Home Mission Committee of each Presbytery, during his tenure of office, and one ruling elder from each Pres- bytery, elected annually by the synod, should constitute this committee. The original committee, thus constituted at Charlotte, N. C., in 1889, was composed of the follow- ing persons : Rev. D. I. Craig, Rev. C. A. Munroe, Rev. II. G. K !!! , D. D., Rev. P. II. Iloge, D. D., Rev. W. E.
=
100
THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
McIllwaine, D. D., and Rev. W. D. Morton upon the organization of Albemarle Presbytery ; and Ruling Elders Gen. A. M. Scales, I. H. Foust, Dr. J. W. McNeill, B. F. Hall, General Rufus Barringer and Samuel Watkins."
The changes in this committee since that time have been as follows: The Rev. Mr. Craig was succeeded by the Rev. M. McG. Shields in 1894; Mr. Shields was suc- ceeded by Rev. R. W. Culbertson in 1898; Mr. Culbert- son was succeeded by Rev. E. C. Murray, D. D., in 1901 ; Dr. Murray was succeeded by Rev. D. C. Lilly in 1904; Dr. Lilly was succeeded by Rev. C. F. Rankin in 1905, and Mr. Rankin was succeeded by Rev. S. M. Rankin in 1906.
The Rev. C. A. Munroe has never ceased to be a member of the committee until the present time, except for one year, 1902, when he was, succeeded by Rev. W. I. Matthews, 1889.
The Rev. H. G. Hill, D. D., has never ceased to be a member of the committee-1889-1907.
The Rev. Dr. Hoge was succeeded by the Rev. A. D. McClure, D. D., in 1899.
The Rev. Dr. McIllwaine was succeeded by Rev. T. A. Wharton, D. D., in 1892; Dr. Wharton was succeeded by Rev. R. A. Miller in 1894; Mr. Miller was succeeded by Rev. J. R. Howerton, D. D., in 1899; Dr. Howerton was succeeded by Rev. G. T. Thompson in 1900; Mr. Thomp- son was succeeded by Rev. T. J. Allison in 1903; Mr. Allison was succeeded by Rev. P. H. Gwynn in 1904, and Mr. Gwynn was succeeded by Rev. George H. Atkinson in 1906.
Dr. W. D. Morton was succeeded by Rev. J. B. Morton in 1897, and Mr. Morton was succeeded by Rev. W. D. Morton, D. D., in 1900.
The Rev. R. F. Campbell, D. D., became a member on
T
8 -0
0 ٠٠
IOI
IN NORTH CAROLINA.
the organization of Asheville Presbytery in 1896, and has never ceased to be a member of the committee-1896.
The Rev. W. R. Minter became a member of the com- mittee in 1902, on the organization of King's Mountain Presbytery, and has continued a member until the present time-1907.
The changes among the ruling elders have been as fol- lows :
General A. M. Scales was succeeded by Mr. J. M. Rogers in 1891.
Mr. I. H. Foust was succeeded by Mr. J. G. Hall in 1890.
Dr. J. W. McNeill has never ceased to be a member of the committee-1889.
Mr. B. F. Hall has never ceased to be a member of the committee-1889.
General Barringer was succeeded by Mr. John E. Oates in 1890; Mr. Oates was succeeded by Mr. D. W. Oates in 1892; Mr. Oates was succeeded by Mr. C. E. Graham in 1894; Mr. Graham was succeeded by Mr. A. G. Breni- zer in 1896, and Mr. Brenizer was succeeded by Mr. H. M. Belk in 1905.
Mr. Watkins was succeeded by Mr. J. R. Young in 1891, and Mr. Young was succeeded by Mr. C. M. Brown in 1906.
Mr. Blair, who became a member in 1896, was suc- ceeded by Major Robert Bingham in 1901, and Major Bingham was succeeded by Mr. E. E. Quinlan in 1905.
Dr. C. E. Adams became a member in 1903, and was succeeded by Mr. A. M. Smyre in 1905.
Thus it may be seen that the present committee is com- posed of the following members: Rev, S. M. Rankin, Rev. C. A. Munroe, Rev. H. G. Hill, D. D., Rev. A. D. McClure, D. D., Rev. G. II. Atkinson, Rev. A. D. Mor-
١
A) 50
15
I02
THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
ton, D. D., Rev. R. F. Campbell, D. D., Rev. W. R. Minter, and Messrs. J. M. Rogers, J. G. Hall, Dr. J. W. McNeill, B. F. Hall, H. M. Belk, C. M. Brown, E. E. Quinlan and A. M. Smyre.
It is worthy of note that of these persons the Rev. Dr. Hill, Rev. C. A. Munroe, Dr. J. W. McNeill and Mr. B. F. Hall were members of the original committee, and that all of them except Mr. Munroe, for one year, have served continuously on the committee until the present time; and also Messrs. J. G. Hall and J. M. Rogers have served for nearly the whole time of the committee's exist- ence.
The synod owes a debt of gratitude to all the members of this committee for their faithful and efficient service, but the story of Synodical Missions as told in this book would not be complete without something more than the mere mention of the names of those who have served so long, especially of that great and good man, the Rev. H. G. Hill, D. D.
Perhaps no man has ever served the church in North Carolina who has been more abundant in labors or who has been the recipient of more important trusts from the church than Dr. Hill. He began his ministerial career during the Civil War as a chaplain in the army. Before he completed his course of study in the Union Theological Seminary in Virginia he was licensed to preach by Orange Presbytery, when he entered the army as chaplain of the Thirteenth North Carolina Regiment, commanded by Col- onel A. M. Scales. In 1862 he was with the army around Richmond and in the famous Maryland campaign. In 1863 he returned to the Seminary for a time, and in the winter of that year he was sent again to the Army of Northern Virginia as a missionary by Orange Presbytery. In the meantime, at intervals, he served the churches of
1
REV. H. G. HILL, D. D.
103
IN NORTH CAROLINA.
Hillsboro and Griers, in Caswell county, and taught in the school of the Misses Nash and Kollock in Hillsboro. On his return from the army in 1865 he became pastor of the Hillsboro Church. In 1867 he removed to Oxford, where he became pastor of the church and principal of- the Seminary there, and the supply of Grassy Creek Church, and while here he started the erection of a church at Henderson. In 1868 he removed to Fayette- ville, N. C., where he was pastor, and doing extensive pastoral and presbyterial work in the whole surrounding country for eighteen years. In 1886 he removed to Max- ton, and became pastor of the Maxton and Centre churches, which position he still holds, and in which he has been wonderfully blessed.
Dr. Hill has given to the church a wonderful example of the possibilities and powers of a missionary pastor. He has always been keenly alive to the missionary and educa- tional interests of the church around him, as well as at large, and his wisdom and influence along these lines have been very great in the Synod of North Carolina. From the very inception of the Synodical "Movement " in North Carolina, Dr. Hill has been a conspicuous figure, an ardent advocate, a wise counsellor, a powerful debater, an eloquent speaker, and a faithful laborer for the great cause; and to him, perhaps as much, if not more than to any living man, is due the honor and the praise of the origin and success of Synodical Missions in North Caro- lina. Dr. Hill has been honored by the church, and by strict attention to her calls and the faithful performance of the duties imposed, he has proven himself to be worthy of the honor. He has been made Moderator of her Pres- byteries, of the Synod of North Carolina, and of her highest court, the General Assembly ; he has made many public addresses by the appointment of the church, and
104
THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
has served on many of her important committees, and at the present time he is a director of Union Theological Seminary in Virginia and the president of the Board of Regents of the Synod's Orphan's Home. He has been chairman of the Home Mission Committee of Fayetteville Presbytery for thirty-five years, and a member of the Synodical Home Mission Committee since the inception of the work. He is a recognized able preacher of the Gospel of wide reputation, and enjoys the love and esteem of a devoted people in his pastorate, and is a "brother beloved" by all the members of the Synod of North Caro- lina.
The Rev. C. A. Munroe was licensed to preach by Fayetteville Presbytery in 1876, but was ordained in Mississippi, where he labored for six years. He returned to North Carolina and served as evangelist of Concord Presbytery for two years. He removed to West Virginia, where he labored for four years, and then returned to North Carolina and became pastor of the Hickory and Lenoir churches in 1888. In 1891 he became the chair- man of the Home Missions Committee of Concord Pres- bytery, in connection with the Lenoir Church, and at the present time he is the general evangelist of the Presbytery and chairman of the Home Mission Committee. Since 1891 he has been one of the most active, aggressive, use- ful and successful Home Mission men in the synod, and no man has been more faithful in his work or in co-opera- tion with the work of the synod's committee. The good results of Mr. Munroe's labors have been abundant, espe- cially in Concord Presbytery.
Dr. J. W. McNeill, the " beloved physician," of Cum- berland county, and Mr. B. F. Hall, the " beloved elder" and wholesale commission merchant of Wilmington, N. C., members of the original committee, and Mr. J. G. Hall,
م
REV. C. A. MUNROE
HOE EX
W& COMP 13
BUTНА МУЛНЕ
MR. B. F. HALL.
105
IN NORTH CAROLINA.
manager of the Realty and Insurance Company at Lenoir, N. C., and Mr. J. M. Rogers, wholesale hardware mer- chant at Winston, N. C., have all seen the rise and pro- gress of Synodical Missions from the beginning, and through their wise counsel and faithful efforts as mem- bers of the committee, the work has been greatly strength- ened and advanced. These men and many other members of the committee, both the church and the State have de- lighted to honor.
Dr. McNeill was appointed by the General Assembly of 1895 on the Committee to represent the Southern Pres- byterian Church in the Pan-Presbyterian Council, which met in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1886, and he has served as a senator from his county in the State Legislature, ren- dering most valuable service as a member of that body.
Mr. B. F. Hall has been in close touch with the interests of Presbyterianism for many years, and by his wise coun- sel, godly example, and generous gifts he has been a tower of strength to the church, especially in Eastern North Carolina. He was elected by the Synod of North Caro- lina a director of Union Theological Seminary in Virginia in 1884, and he still holds that honorable position.
Mr. J. G. Hall is a well-known business-man and influ- ential elder in the western part of the State. He takes a deep interest in public affairs, and as a public speaker and a leader of men he exerts a wide influence for the upbuilding and welfare of both the church and the State.
Mr. J. M. Rogers is a son of a minister, and knows the needs of a minister, and he, together with other members of the Winston church, has done a great deal for the pioneer ministers of Stokes county, and for the synodical work in that county and surrounding country. Mr. Rogers has been a faithful and punctual attendant upon the meetings of the committees, and his advice and coun- sel are always valuable.
1
106
THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
The limits of this book will not permit us to speak at length of the noble labors of other members of this com- mittee, some of whom have passed away, such men as General Scales, General Barringer, the Oates; Messrs. Graham and Young, Major Bingham, the Rev. Mr. Shields, Rev. Dr. Murray, the Rankins and the grand work and godly life and influence of the Rev. Dr. McClure. In the Rev. A. D. McClure, D. D., the synod has found a most worthy successor to Dr. Hoge, as chair- man of Home Missions for Wilmington Presbytery and ex officio a member of the Synodical Committee. He has not only kept going the large missionary enterprises which had been set on foot in his Presbytery prior to his election, but has reached out into other fields and made a most useful member of the synod's committee. Under his wise direction the synod has been enabled to assist in doing a great work in Brunswick, Columbus and Duplin counties, a most important work for every reason, and especially now that this section of the State is making such rapid progress in the wonderful success of its truck- ing interests, and many persons are moving into the coun- try, who could be and were reached by our church, and many of them have been added to its membership.
We might speak, also, if it were possible, of a great number of noble men who were never members of the committee, but who have been prominent promoters and helpers of the great cause of Home Missions-such men as B. G. Worth, George Allen, S. P. Alexander, J. M. McIver, George W. Watts, P. B. Fetzer, J. F. Love, J. D. Murphy and many others. But in closing this history of the development of the church and especially of the rise and progress of Synodical Missions in North Carolina it seems but right and proper to speak somewhat at length and in particular of the life and labors of the Rev. Wil-
-
107
IN NORTH CAROLINA.
liam Black, general evangelist, who is also a member of the Synodical Committee.
The Rev. Mr. Black has been prominently connected with Synodical Missions since January, 1893, and for the greater part of the time since then he has been the cen- tral figure in the evangelistic field, to which all eyes have been turned, and he is perhaps more widely known to-day than any other Presbyterian minister in North Carolina. It would be impossible for any biographer or historian to place upon record that which would convey an adequate conception of the vast and far-reaching influence for God and for the uplifting of humanity which this one man has exerted. If the Synodical Movement launched at Goldsboro in 1888 had accomplished nothing more than to put Mr. Black in the field, it would have proved a great success, and a wise investment for all the cost of missions until the present time. It would be hard for any one who has a proper conception of the facts to be- lieve that God did not specially raise up and set apart this brother to accomplish the special work which he has been enabled to do.
Mr. Black was born of Scotch parents near Maxton, N. C., and was educated with the view of making the study and practice of law his life work. He studied law under " Dick and Dillard," of Greensboro, N. C., and was duly licensed and began the practice of law in 1881. He rapidly arose in the profession, and at the end of ten or twelve years he became what the world calls a successful
lawyer, doing a paying business and enjoying a large and lucrative practice. But God intended him to teach men the Divine law, and in 1893 he yielded himself to the unceasing demands of his Lord and of his conscience, and on Jan. 1, 1893, he was licensed to pitach the Gospel by Fayetteville Presbytery, and during the same year he was
1
108
THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
ordained by Mecklenburg Presbytery and immediately employed by the Presbytery and the Synodical Commit- tee as a local evangelist for Union and Anson counties. He remained in this field just one year, and the Lord crowned his labors with wonderful success, giving him the joy of witnessing more than 700 conversions, and of seeing more than 100 communicants added to the Presby- terian church.
On January 16, 1894, he was elected superintendent of Synodical Home Missions, which at that time included the office and the work of general evangelist, and in Jan- uary, 1897, he began to give his whole time to evangelistic work, and except for a short interval in 1898, when he was again superintendent, he has continued until the present moment to give his whole time to the work of general evangelist for the synod. And in the mean time he has conducted several successful meetings in other States, with blessed results; and, morcover, Mr. Black was the originator of the idea of Biblical institutes, so many of which have been held in this State, he having offered the resolution that provided for the first one, held at Red Springs, N. C., over which he presided, and a simi- lar one held at Gastonia in 1893. He was also assisted by the splendid services of the Rev. E. E. Gillespie, also re- sponsible for the origin, conduct and magnificent success of the Evangelistic and Biblical Institute held at Davidson College in 1902. These institutes, besides helping the thousands who attended them to a better understanding of the Bible on every phase of Christian work, especially emphasized the missionary and evangelistic opportunities and responsibilities.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.