USA > North Carolina > Mecklenburg County > Charlotte > The history of Steele Creek Presbyterian Church : Mecklenburg County, Charlotte, North Carolina > Part 8
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The church began to reach out in the home mission field and in 1905 sent $50.00 to Canton in Haywood County, North Carolina, to help in church work. New emphasis was given to the church library; added were books intended to uplift spiritual well-being. A librarian was appointed.
The year 1905 also saw redecoration of the sanctuary including window blinds, pulpit carpeting, reupholstering of the pulpit furniture, and whitewashing the walls.
During the Reverend Gwynn's pastorate "Singing Schools" were held to teach note reading with the view of continuing the long standing reputation for music in the church. Envelopes for the offerings were also adopted. To boost giving, a "Church Cause" was designated for each month. Some designations were Educa- tion for the Ministry, Foreign Missions, Synodical Missions, Invalid Fund, Colored Evangelism, and Christian Education.
Along about 1905, a committee was appointed to provide pews for the new families in the church. Old records of pew assignments could not be located. The Session recommended the question not be further agitated; thus, another custom at Steele Creek became history after more than one hundred and forty years.
Annual reports were made by the churches to the Presbytery to include pertinent statistics and a resume concerning the spiritual well-being of the congregation. The report for the year ending March 31, 1903, follows:
The Narrative Report: "Church attendance is very good. Some of our families maintain family worship - but few neglect it. The Sabbath is for the most part well observed. Children receive instruction in the Catechism and the Bible in the Sabbath Schools and most of the
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homes. Speaking comparatively, the majority of our people are faithful and regular in worshiping the Lord with their substance. The pastor is fully and promptly paid. Most of our people, we think, have grown in Grace, and there have been twenty-six additions to the church by communion, fourteen on profession of faith and twelve by letter. With a few exceptions, wordly conformity does not prevail among church members. Our church conducts a mission chapel with good re- sults."
The Statistical Report for 1903 follows:
Participants
Elders - 14
Deacons - 14
Communicants on examination - 14
Communicants on certification - 12
Total communicants - 636
Adult Baptism - 1
Infant Baptism - 24
Baptized non-communicants - 234
Officers in Sunday School and in Bible Classes - 49 Scholars in Sunday School and Bible Classes - 624
Funds Collected
Foreign Missions
$285.35
Assembly's Home Missions 51.25
Presbytery's Home Missions
143.20
Synod's Home Missions 48.60
Church and Manse Erection
18.40
Invalid Fund
10.75
Ministerial Education
18.90
Church and Christian Education
1 2.90
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Assembly's Home and School
5.30
Publication
16.45
Bible Society
6.50
Orphans' Home
71.85
Presbyterial
25.00
Pastor's Salary -- Actually paid
1,000.00
Congregational
825.52
Miscellaneous
1.50
Total
$2,485.87
Sessional Report of Young People's Societies to Promote Missions
Name of Society
President
Membership
Foreign
Home
Earnest
Miss M.
Workers
Whiteside 50
$22.30
Women's
Mrs. R. C.
Foreign Mission
Freeman
34.65
Ladies'
Mrs. F. A.
Aid Societies
Pegram
$84.05
Men's
H. L.
Missions
Cathey
30.00
Total
$171.00
(These Societies are composed of young and old, male and female. As the names of these Societies indicate, the males and females are in separate societies except in the case of children. Our church controls all these things.)
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Report of Sabbath School
Officers &
Teachers
Scholars
Total
Home
50
625
674
Chapels
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53
63
Average Attendance
Officers &
Teachers
Scholars
Total
Home
40
249
289
Chapels
9
39
48
Scholars Admitted
Current
Other
to Communion
Expenses
Objectives
Total
Chapel - 13
$ 5.17
$ 5.17
Home - 13
60.00
$158.09
218.09
Total - 26
65.17
158.09
223.26
The Reverend Gwynn resigned at Steele Creek on September 16, 1906, to accept a call to Orange Presbytery. The Session expressed its appreciation for "very efficient and successful labors of our esteemed pastor during his stay with us."
Sixteenth Pastor - Reverend George F. Robertson (1907-1908)
The Reverend Robertson's pastorate at Steele Creek was of short duration. He came in April, 1907, and departed "for a field of larger usefulness" in December, 1908. In spite of a short stay he was credited with much good work. He and his family - wife and five children - made many friends, so much so that he was invited back often in later years to renew old ties and preach from his former pulpit. He came to Steele Creek from the Synod of
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Texas. A call was issued in December, 1906, but it was April, 1907, before the Robertsons moved to the Steele Creek community.
By 1907 Steele Creek was recognized throughout the General Assembly as a large and influential rural church. Its membership had climbed to 689. It was during the pastorate of the Reverend Robertson that the congregation voted to support a missionary serving in a foreign field. A committee chaired by E. B. Byrum recommended support for the Reverend George P. Stephens who was serving in China. The Reverend Stephens began receiving his full support from Steele Creek Church September 20, 1908. This was the beginning of foreign missionary support that has remained a tradition with the church.
The Reverend Robertson sought and enlisted the help of the entire congregation in the church's work. A women's society was organized and the officers of the church were very active.
Special mention is made in the church records of the coming of Dr. R. Z. Query. He transferred from the Sugar Creek Presbyterian church in August, 1907. He became the beloved family physician of the community for many years. Rufus A. Grier was recognized for his leadership role in church affairs, serving in numerous offices of the church and Presbytery over the next fifty years.
In the annual report to Mecklenburg Presbytery of 1908 are the following statements concerning the moral and spiritual condition of the Steele Creek congregation: "Sanctuary attendance is very good. The observance of family worship is sadly and generally neglected. The Lord's day is fairly well observed by members. The training of our children in the Scriptures and Catechisms of the church is good, both in the home and Sabbath school. As a church we are not liberal givers, but many who give have improved in the grace of giving. The pastor's salary has been paid. We have received eighty-nine members on examination. Wordly confor- mity does not prevail among church members."
The Reverend Robertson was not only an able preacher and
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pastor, but also a writer. A novel from his pen came soon after he left Steele Creek, entitled Only Nancy. Excerpts from the sessional records at the time of his departure show that he was "a beloved and faithful pastor, one we will ever cherish with pleasure and profit for his words of cheer and guidance. He is a preacher of great force and eloquence in expounding the Gospel of Christ and is possessed with a burning desire for the salvation of souls."
Seventeenth Pastor - Reverend Wilburn A. Cleveland (1909-1912)
At a congregational meeting on April 11, 1909, it was voted to extend a call for service to the Reverend Cleveland then serving in Costernville, Georgia. He accepted the call and began his pasto- rate in August of that year.
Although his pastorate was not lengthy, it was successful. New members were received at almost every meeting of the Session. Interest in "Home Missions" rose. The orphanage at Barium Springs was presented as a challenge to the congregation. The members responded with support as a church effort that has continued through the years. Some families assumed responsibility for clothing and other essentials for the orphans.
In 1910 Steele Creek church celebrated its one hundred and fiftieth anniversary. A committee consisting of John McDowell, B. T. Price, and C. A. Spratt made plans for the affair. As a feature of the celebration, all living former pastors and members were invited to attend and participate. The event was held from August 14-21. Special days were observed. Wednesday was "Adult Day", Thursday "Youth Day", Friday "Anniversary Day" and Saturday "Sunday School Day". It was a week long remembered and appreciated by Steele Creek families.
Steele Creek was strictly a rural community in 1910. The church was the center of the community life. There were few, if any, automobiles in the community. Those attending services still travelled by buggies, carriages and wagons. On Sundays these
covered the church grounds. Each family had its special tree to which they hitched their horses. Dinner (mid-day meal) was held picnic style on the church grounds. This even added to commu- nity and spiritual fellowship. These were the years of peace and tranquility that preceded World War I. The changes that were to come so rapidly a few years later had not yet begun.
In March, 1912, the Reverend Cleveland resigned his pastorate at Steele Creek to accept a call to Franklin, Texas. Excerpts from the minutes of the Session show that he was "an esteemed pastor. We shall always cherish pleasant recollections of our association with him."
Eighteenth Pastor-Reverend John W. Orr (1912-1920)
The years 1912-1920 were important and crucial in the life of Steele Creek church. It was the time of change and tragedy. It was the decade of World War I, the influenza epidemic of 1918, a flood in 1916, and the exodus of many families from the farms to the cities. Steele Creek came through this period a strong and thriving church with a growing and lasting influence upon every phase of community life.
As one responsible for the spiritual leadership of the congrega- tion, the Reverend John Orr won a place of honor and affection. He, his wife, and two sons, Fridell and Robert, came to Steele Creek in June, 1912, from Corinth, Mississippi, where he had been a pastor for several years. The congregation in Corinth was reluctant to let him go. In a letter to our session, they made known their esteem, stating: "Our loss is Steele Creek's gain". He served as an energetic and forceful pastor until 1920 when he accepted another call.
In the teen years of the 1900's, the families of Steele Creek were still largely farmers. Cotton growing was the number one agricul- tural enterprise. Even though Charlotte had become a sizeable city that provided a market for food crops, milk, and other items, the
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local farmers continued to cling to tradition. The average church family of the decade between 1910 and 1920 consisted of six, farming from about fifty to several hundred acres using principally blacks for labor. The automobile was just beginning to come into the community life, but the roads remained unpaved. The tele- phone with its party line had been installed, but radio had not yet appeared. For Steele Creek and numerous other communities in
this region, it was the end of an era and the beginning of another. Nevertheless, the church continued to play a very vital role in community life. The Dixie and Shopton Schools continued to prepare the youth of the community for college. There was a Steele Creek Band made up mainly of church members, many of them officers in the church. This Band had become famous since it gave its first concert on Independence Square in Charlotte in 1884. It had maintained an unbroken organization for forty-two years. (In 1976, thirteen members of the church choir were either children or grandchildren of the Band members.) The Reverend Orr showed high interest in church-community projects.
During the Reverend Orr's pastorate the General Assembly continued to place high emphasis on evangelism. In 1909 the Assembly had launched an evangelistic program that continued for fifteen years. The 1915 Assembly became known as the "Evangelistic Assembly". Great revivals were held, and there was marked growth in church membership. One such revival was held in Charlotte with the Reverend J. Wilbur Chapman preaching. The Reverend Orr invited this renowned evangelist to preach at Steele Creek. On the occasion of his visit the church was unable to seat the crowd. Many stood outside.
In 1916, forty-two people came into the church by profession of faith. During the first part of the century many young people came before the Session with the expressed desire to become full-time servants of the church as ministers and missionaries. Rufus A. Grier in his Historical Sketch of 1935 gave a complete list of
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ministers and missionaries:
Steele Creek has given these sons and daughters to the Building of the Kingdom: Reverends E. D. Brown, J. E. Berry- hill, H. L. Cathey, E. B. Robinson, R. M. Pegram, O. C. Wil- liamson, T. A. Freeman, W. C. Neel, D. L. Williamson, D. R. Freeman, W. A. Brown and B. F. Brown. Several sons of Steele Creek Manse were also in the ministry: Reverends C. T. Whar- ton, Lawrence Wharton, P. H. Gwynn, Jr., W. F. Orr, and John Mack Walker, Jr.
The church is both foreign and home missionary minded. Much of this is due to the work of the Band of Earnest Workers, a children's missionary organization, sponsored by Misses Mag- gie Whiteside and Rena Brown. From this group have gone O. C. Williamson, D. L. Williamson and Mrs. Lois F. William- son to serve in foreign fields. Steele Creek pledged to the Foreign Mission Committee for the full support of two mis- sionaries, Reverend George P. Stevens of Yen Cheng, Ku, China, who was our representative beginning in 1908. Mrs. O. C. Williamson represented us in Mexico, 1921-1927. More recently Mr. and Mrs. Z. V. Myers served us in Mexico. Steele Creek assumed the half-time support of each. Our missionary ties have been strengthened through being linked up with the work in Korea by the children of Dr. and Mrs. R. M. Wilson of Korea, casting their lot with us while in the United States. Mrs. Wilson was a sister to Mrs. B. B. Wilson of Steele Creek.
Daughters of Steele Creek who have labored in home mis- sions, principally as teachers in schools, include Misses Bertha Abernathy, Evelyn S. Brown, Rose Coffey, Laura Grier, Janice Neel and Mary Robertson."
The Reverend Orr organized the Covenanters, a group of young people who became very active and helpful in the church and community. Records show the Christian Endeavor was in existence, and that representatives appeared before the Session
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seeking support for their work, including opening a library for youth. About this time the Louisa A. Watt Fund was begun and continued on a permanent basis. W. W. Watt and J. B. Watt established this fund with the approval of the Session as a memorial for their mother, Louisa A. Watt. The interest from the fund was to be used for benevolent causes of the church.
Although a large number of young people found it necessary to move away from Steele Creek, this was not without its blessings. Wherever these young people went, they became active in the churches. Many became officers and spiritual leaders. The Christ- ian training they received from the mother church helped the religious programs of many congregations in Charlotte and other cities. The frequency of departures from the community caused membership to remain nearly stable for more than a decade, 703 in 1908 and 730 in 1920.
The destructive flood of the Catawba River in 1916 affected many families living in the lowland areas. The great influenza epidemic during the winter of 1918 took the lives of eight church members, but many more were sick. Others would have likely succumbed had not neighbors and friends come to their assis- tance. A "soup delivery service" was set up, and household chores were done on a volunteer neighborhood basis. Church services were suspended for a period of four weeks. All services were held out-of-doors with people remaining in their automobiles. The Reverend Orr used the front steps of the church as his pulpit or stood inside before an open window. He kept his hat and overcoat on while preaching. During the height of the epidemic hundreds of soldiers died at nearby Camp Greene. Almost all trains leaving Charlotte for a long while had caskets aboard. Doctors and nurses were assembled from all over North Carolina to help with the sick at Camp Greene. There were many prayers of thanksgiving when the epidemic passed.
World War I (1917-1919) saw many young men of Steele Creek
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in the armed forces, sixty in all. Under the blessing of God not a single one was lost. One veteran, Louis Marshall, was killed in an accident shortly after he returned home. Another, John Wearn Berryhill, received the Medal of Honor. His heroism was acclaimed throughout the whole state. Robert Bigham was on the Atlantic Ocean when the war ended. He was heard to say: "They heard I was coming so they ended the war". When the Armistice was signed (November 11, 1918), Miss Ona Cathey was on the tele- phone switchboard at the neighborhood party line. She rang "four long rings" to announce the happy event to a grateful community. The Veterans of Steele Creek were officially welcomed home by the congregation on July 19, 1919. R. E. McDowell, Sr. gave the welcome, with response by W. Cook Neel.
On September 16, 1919, the church had the honor of being host to the Semi-Centennial of Mecklenburg Presbytery. The historical address by Dr. William E. McIlwaine has been preserved in booklet form with foreword by Dr. Walter W. Moore.
One reading the church records, 1910-1920, will come upon numerous personal items of interest to descendants of former leaders. Some examples are:
Elder B. T. Price and his wife invited the Session members and their wives to meet at their home for a dinner meeting. The invitation was accepted with their thanks for their generous hospitality.
I. B. Faires was elected Superintendent of the Sab- bath School.
S. A. Wilson was elected Superintendent of the Beat- ty's Chapel Sunday School.
C. P. Brown was elected to represent the Steele Creek Session on the Board of Trustees for the Presbyterian Hospital.
These and many items provide interesting reading for the period of the Reverend Orr's pastorate.
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The Session at Steele Creek has been a steadying influence in the life of the church since its earliest days. It has stood ready to counsel, advise, and, at times, admonish the members as required by the Book of Church Order. Sessional records carry items which indicate the members did not always live up to the highest standards of Christian living, but, even when admonition was needed, it was given in a spirit of kindness and Christian love. All indications are that the Reverend Orr had strong support of this body during his pastorate.
The Reverend Orr resigned in 1920 to assume another pasto- rate. It was with regret that the congregation accepted his resigna- tion. One expressed what all must have felt when he paid this simple but eloquent tribute: "He was a helpful minister during a period of great distress."
Nineteenth Pastor-Dr. John Mack Walker (1920-1948)
At a congregational meeting moderated by the Reverend J. G. Garth, a supply minister, October 24, 1920, it was voted to extend a pastoral call to the Reverend John Mack Walker then of Larinton, Virginia. He accepted the call and began a long pasto- rate. During his tenure, the church expanded tremendously, both internally and externally. Internal expansion was in the form of programs and externally, there was an expansion of the physical plant.
On September 3, 1922, the congregation approved a proposal to improve the interior of the church at a cost of one thousand dollars. This consisted of lowering the ceiling from following the contour of the roof to a uniform ceiling. Just about one year later construction was completed on a Sunday school building adjacent to the church at a cost of fifteen thousand dollars. Repairs authorized included those at Freeland's Chapel and the garage at the manse in 1941.
In 1924 the front lawn of the church property was graded and
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reseeded. The driveways and parking space were also improved at this time. The changes were followed by the building of a Community House in 1926. J. B. Watt was chairman of the committee that canvassed for funds and supervised construction. Those serving with him were Earl Faires, John W. Berryhill, J. M. Boyles, E. M. Neel, and W. L. Byrum. The committee's instruc- tions were to take steps to erect the Community House on the church property under the direction of the officers of the church.
At a congregational meeting on October 2, 1927, approval was given to a resolution by the Cemetery Committee. The resolution was concerned with size of plots and eligibility for plots. All members of Steele Creek and Central Steele Creek churches were declared eligible for obtaining plots in accordance with the specifi- cations set forth in the resolution as to size and location of plots. The resolution also provided for a building suitable for storage of tools and implements. Subsequently the Session assigned respon- sibilities on regulation of plots and recordkeeping to Mrs. R. E. McDowell and Mr. Reece Brown. In 1939 the cemetery was expanded through the purchase of sixteen and one-half acres of adjoining land at a cost of twelve hundred dollars.
The Session further expanded the monetary concerns of the church beyond its local bounds by endorsing an endowment campaign for Queens College on April 24, 1929. In January, 1931, the congregation approved the church's participation in the Minis- ter's Annuity Fund of the Presbyterian Church, U.S., resolving that the church would pay into the Fund each year seven and one-half percent of the minister's total salary.
A great event in Steele Creek's history was the celebration of its 175th anniversary, August 11-18, 1935. A number of former pastors took part in this celebration-the Reverends W. O. Cochrane, D. D., T. A. Wharton, D. D., A. A. Little, D. D., P. H. Gwynn, G. F. Robertson, D. D., J. W. Orr, D. D. and W. O. Cleveland, D. D. Four of these seven living former pastors and the
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sixteen sons of the church in the ministry at that time took the leading roles in the celebration. The Reverend Little brought the observance to a close with his message, "The Important Challenge to This Generation". He closed with these remarks:
God's Word cannot pass away. Praise Him for the faith, love and consecration of those who have gone before, and exhort the present generation to be worthy of their forebearers and to see that they are on the list of heroes of faith.
On April 12, 1936, the congregation approved the purchase of a Hammond electric organ at a cost not to exceed fifteen hundred dollars.
In 1939, the first student assistant for the summer, Mr. Clyde Carter, a Seminary student, began to help in church work with particular attention to youth activities. Mr. L. M. Kennedy, a junior at Union Theological Seminary, served in this position during the summer of 1940. Over the next several summers, W. D. Loy, Principal of Berryhill High School, served in this post.
On December 15, 1941, the Session approved plans for an organization, "Men of the Church", which became a very useful asset to the life of the congregation.
As in previous conflicts Steele Creek church saw its sons and daughters off to serve in World War II, but they were not forgotten. The minister and church members endeavored to add comfort to those away by writing. Many who served well know the handwriting of Rufus A. Grier and many others who spent much time bringing a "bit of Steele Creek" to many places. A day of fasting and prayer was observed on September 28, 1941, and in June, 1942, a special offering was taken for work among service men and their families. The church sponsored a Sunday school at Stonewall Jackson Homes, the Defense Housing Unit at Morris
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Field, and entertainment was provided for service personnel at the Community House. A special service of thanksgiving and praise was held at the church the evening the surrender of Japan was announced.
Homecoming for 150 veterans was observed with a welcome by J. W. Berryhill, Sr., holder of the Distinguished Service Cross from World War I. Responses were made by R. E. McDowell, Jr., J. B. Neel, and C. G. Bigham, Jr. Miss Faye Choate responded on "G.I. Joe as seen through the eyes of the Red Cross Nurse". The church community was not so lucky as in World War I. Several men fell in foreign lands. A memorial service honoring Calvin Dickey Brown, Franklin Cecil Hovis, John Marvin Lawhon, William Wallace Neel, Jack Melton Smith and James Calvin Wilson was led by the Reverend Walker. Communion meditation was given by Navy Chaplain Ben Brown.
The church was honored with hosting the seventy-fifth an- niversary of Mecklenburg Presbytery on October 17, 1944. Wil- liam H. Clark, an elder and great-grandson of our representative in 1870, was our deputy. Dr. Walter L. Lingle spoke on "Presbyte- rians and Human Freedom". The "man of that day" was Dr. George Summey, 91 years young.
Freelands' Chapel, having been an outpost of Steele Creek for more than forty years, became a full fledged church on October 31, 1948, to be known henceforth as "Clanton Memorial Church". The Reverends Walker, J. G. Garth and R. H. Stone, Mr. R. P. Brown, Dr. J. R. Roseboro and Dr. C. M. Boyd formed the committee to coordinate the transition. Twenty members of Steele Creek shifted their affiliation to the new church.
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