Clarksville Baptist Church History

This is a compilation of historical facts concerning the Clarksville Baptist Church gathered from the following sources:

I am deeply indebted to our church secretary, Miss Lilla Herndon, who spent many laborious hours in typing the manuscript and copying Associational statistics.

Warren Turner 1976

BAPTIST BEGINNINGS

The first Baptist Church was organized in London, England about 1611 or 1612. They were known as General Baptists because of their view of general or unlimited Atonement. The Particular Baptist Church came into being in London in 1638. They were so called because of their belief that the Atonement was limited to those who had been particularly elected to salvation.

In 1683 Roger Williams and Dr. John Clarke established the first Baptist Churches in America, both in the Colony of Rhode Island. Although the Baptist Church at Providence, established by Roger Williams, is regarded as the oldest Baptist Church in America, the claim has been rightly contested by the Newport Church which was organized by Dr. Clarke.

According to Robert Semple's "History of the Rise and Progress of Baptists in Virginia, published in 1810 the endeavor to found Baptist Churches in Virginia is unique and unparalled elsewhere in the History of Christianity on the American Continent. The causes of this may be traced in the origin and history of the colony of Virginia, the successful undertaking of which found its most zealous and effective advocate in the Established Church of England. The most zealous care of the Colonial Assembly for more than a century after the settlement was to cement the union between the government and the Church, and to make the claims and offices of the latter as binding as possible upon the people.

It therefore should not excite great surprise that when the Baptists arose in Virginia with principles so antagonistic to the union of Church and State that they should have met with determined opposition, and that all the machinery of the law and the courts should have been employed to restrain and silence them.

In the contest which ensued, no other parties in Virginia religious or political, saw so clearly as the Separate Baptists the stand which it was necessary to take, and the sacrifice which it was necessary to make, in order to secure perfect religious equality and freedom. Their record shows how ready they were to take the stand and to suffer the penalty. Many a rude arbor and shaded grove and private dwelling, unlicensed by the general court as places for preaching, yet used as such by the Baptist preachers, became witnesses of the stand which they took; while the jails in Alexandria, Warrenton, Culpeper, Fredericksburg, Tappahannock and Urbanna, as well as those in King and Queen, Caroline and Chesterfield, became witnesses of the penalty which they endured.

The Baptists of Virginia originated from three sources. The first were emigrants from England who, about the year 1714, settled in the southwestern parts of the state. About 1743 another party came from Maryland and formed a settlement in the northwest, A third party , from New England.

By the preaching of Mr. George Whitefield through New England a great work of God broke out in that country, distinguished by the name of the New Light Stir. All who joined it were called New Lights. The hearts of the people, being touched by a heavenly flame, could no longer relish the dry parish service.

The New Light Stir being extensive, a great number parish congregation, a few excepted, were far from the purity of the Gospel, determined to form a society to themselves. Accordingly, they embodied many churches. Into these none were admitted who did not profess vital religion. Having thus separated themselves from the established churches, they were called Separates.

The Separates first took their name about the year 1744. They increased very fast for several years. About 1745 they organized into a distinct society at which time they were joined by Shubal Stearns. Shubal Stearns was born in Boston, Massachusetts, January 28, 1706. He was for six years a minister among the New Lights. He became a Baptist in 1751 at Tolland, Connecticut.

Mr. Stearns and most of the Separates had strong faith in the immediate teaching of the Spirit. They believed that to those who sought him earnestly God gave evident token of His will. Mr. Stearns, listening to some of these instructions of Heaven, conceived himself called upon by the Almighty to move far to the westward to execute a great and extensive work. Incited by his impressions, in the year 1754, he and few of his members took their leave of New England. They halted first near Winchester, Virginia where he found a Baptist Church. Here, also he met his brother-in-law, the Rev. Daniel Marshall, who after his arrival at this place had become a Baptist. Here, not meeting with his expected success, he felt restless. Some of his friends had moved to North Carolina; he received letters from these informing him that preaching was greatly desired by the people of that country; that in some instances they had ridden forty miles to hear one sermon. He and his party once more got under way and, traveling about two hundred miles, came to Sandy Creek in Guilford County, North Carolina. Here he took up his permanent residence. Soon after his arrival, about November 22, 1755, he and his companions, the number of which was sixteen, constituted a church called Sandy Creek and to which Mr. Stearns was appointed pastor.

Thus organized they began their work, kindling a fire which soon began to burn brightly indeed, spreading in a few years over Virginia, North and South Carolina and Georgia. From sixteen, Sandy Creek Church soon swelled to six hundred and six members, so mighty grew the work of God.

C. Harris, J. Read, Jeremiah Walker, had proclaimed the tiding of peace in Halifax, Mecklenburg, Charlotte, Lunenburg, Amelia and almost all the counties above Richmond on the south side of the river.

In many places, alarmed by the rapid increase of the Baptists, the men in power strained every penal law in the Virginia Code to obtain ways and means to put down these disturbers of the peace as they were now called.

At court they were arraigned as disturbers of the peace; on their trial, they were vehemently accused by a certain lawyer who said to the court, "May it please your worships, these men are great disturbers of the peace; they cannot meet a man on the road, but they must ram a text of Scripture down his throat."

Patrick Henry represented these imprisoned preachers before the court and pleaded for their release.

The Baptists found in Patrick Henry an unwavering friend. After some difficulty they obtained their object and certain places were licensed accordingly.

The great success and rapid increase of the Baptists in Virginia must be ascribed primarily to the power of God working with them. The Baptist preachers were, in almost every respect, the reverse of the Established clergy. The Baptist preachers were without learning, without patronage, generally very poor, very plain in their dress, unrefined in their manner, an awkward in address. On the other hand, most of the ministers of the Establishment were men of classical and scientific education, patronized by men in power connected with great families, supported by competent salaries, and put into office by the strong arm of the civil power.

The force which sought to stifle them seemed to add new vigor to their life. Its growth after the Revolution became phenomenal. A letter written from Baltimore, February 4, 1790, and published in London, said:

"The Gospel of Christ has obtained a glorious conquest over thousands in the United States of America. Virginia in particular is wonderfully blessed with large effusions of the Holy Spirit." Another, in a letter dated Boston, November 4, 1789, said of it: "By accounts from these parts it has seemed something like the day of Pentecost." Through a series of large ingatherings such as are here reported, the Baptist Churches of Virginia were enabled during the lifetime of many of their founders to report a membership nearly, if not quite, as large as that of all the other colonies combined."

The work was remarkable not only in the manner of its increase, but in that of its depletion as well, by which its ministers by the score and its members by the thousands, were withdrawn from Virginia on the tide of southern and western emigration to find new settlements, and to rear new meetinghouses on the lains and among the valley of Kentucky, Tennessee, and other States. Thus the work in Virginia became an important factor in extending Baptist principles to the Mississippi river and beyond, and from the Ohio to the Gulf, and thereby helping to create within the territory of the Southern Baptist Convention the most numerous Baptist constituency in the world.

Most of the Baptist Churches in Virginia and all of the Baptist Churches in this area of the state were established either directly or indirectly as a result of the Separate Baptists from Sandy Creek Church in North Carolina. Shubal Stearns traveled extensively in Virginia and North Carolina after he settled at Sandy Creek.

Grassy Creek Baptist Church located in the northern part of Granville County, North Carolina and some two miles from the line of Mecklenburg County, Virginia was organized about 1757 by Shubal Stearns and Daniel Marshall. The church became a strong and flourishing body with a large membership extending in a radius of forty miles in every direction in both North Carolina and Virginia. It established branch congregations which were a company of members that held meeting elsewhere, but were not regularly organized churches.

In 1760 Marshall and Philip Mulkey established a church at Dan River in Halifax County now in Pittsylvania County. Philip Mulkey and William Murphey gathered a group on Big Bluestone Creek about 1756. This was the beginning of Bethel Baptist Church. On November 28 1772 the Grassy Creek Church received a petition from the brethren worshipping at Bluestone to consider the propriety of constituting them into a church. This branch was found to be sufficiently mature to justify its organization as a church on December 6, 1772. A recent history of Bethel Baptist Church (1972) lists a number of churches that wholly or in part came out of Bethel Church. Among them is Clarksville Baptist Church in 1833.

LIST OF MINISTERS [to date of article (1972)]

Giles R. Smith, 1834
Elder John G. Mills, 1835
Giles R. Smith, 1836-1837
C.F. Burnley, 1838-1842
William H. Jordan, 1843
Louis Dupre, 1845 - 1846
A.B. Cabiness, 1849
W.H. Jordan, 1850-1851
Andrew F. Davidson, 1852-1853
Aaron Jones, 1855-1856
John W. McGown, 1857
Thomas W. Greer, 1859
John Bray, 1860
Thomas Greer, after 1865
A.F. Davidson, 1871-1877
J.S. Hardaway, D. D., 1878-1880
St. George Abrahams, 1881-1883
No record, 1884-July 1886

T.L. West, a theological student 1886
J.O. Kirk, Dec 1887-Jan 1891
Randsdell W. Cridlin, Mar 1891-Jun1894
J.S. Wharton, Aug 1894-Dec 1895
George T. Watkins, Jun 1896-Jan 1901
H.H. Jordan, Apr 1907-Jul 1908
A.D. Davidson, 1909-1912
Robert Evans Peele, Nov 1913-Dec 1926
H.H. Street, 1927 (died 1927)
H.G. Bryant, 1928-1928
D.M. Simmons, 1929-1931
R. Cole Lee, 1931-1934
W. J. Crain, 1934-1944
Ray L. Cumbee, Jun 1944-1951
Paul Lee Blevins, 1952-1962
H. Shelton Patterson, 1962-1966
Rev. Joel L. Morgan, 1966-1971
Warren Turner, 1972

According to a History of the Clarksville Baptist Church compiled by W.W. Wootton and published in the Concord Association Minutes of 1922, the Clarksville Baptist Church was organized in 1818 in a log cabin. It seems that the log cabin was not the property of the church. There is no record of the church having a place to worship of its own until the year 1832 when the first structure was erected on the present site. Ryland in his "History of Virginia Baptists" relates that in July 1832 representatives from mission minded churches met and issued a call to form a new Association called the "Concord." At its first meeting in July, 1833 at James Square there delegates from Sandy Creek in Charlotte county, Bethel, a new church at Clarksville, Concord, and Malone's. At his meeting letters from churches petitioning for admission into the Association were called for by the Moderator. George Taylor from the Clarksville Church read a letter of petition as follows: "We have just come into existence as a church, and we desire to become a member of your body, and to cooperate with you in every good word and work. We have a comfortable house of worship nearly finished, and hope and pray that the little one may become a thousand."

No doubt there were a group of Baptists worshiping in Clarksville in 1818 as a branch of Bethel. By the time they had constructed their first building and petitioned for admission into the Concord association, they had become fully organized.

We have record of pastors before 1834. Clarksville Church is not mentioned in the Minutes of the Meherrin Association which preceded the Concord. The first pastor mentioned is Giles R. Smith in 1834. The total membership of the church at that time was twenty-three. The ministers were referred to as Elders, Pastor and later Bishops. In the Church Letter to the Association each church was asked to give a statement as to the spiritual condition of the church. In 1835 Elder John G. Mills stated that the Clarksville Church has of late experienced a cold and trying time in religion.

In 1836 and 1837 Giles Smith was once again pastor. The membership had increased to thirty-six at that time. From 1838 to 1842 Elder C.F. Burnley served as pastor. During this time he was Moderator of the Concord Association. Although the membership had increased to sixty-eight he described the spiritual condition of the church as follows: "Were we not conscious that it is our day to correspond with the churches composing the Concord Association, we should be almost induced to remain silent. Irreligion has increased so rapidly for some time past, that Christians seem to have been disarmed of that boldness and courage which should ever signalize the disciples of Jesus forgetting the high responsibilities that rest upon them. They seem to be imbibling more and more of the spirit of the world. Indeed it may be said, that they were almost entirely absorbed in secular concerns." The above was from the Minutes of 1838. A more encouraging report of revival in connection with the establishment of a Sunday School is reported in the Church Letter of 1841.

"Clarksville - They say that since the last Association they have organized a Sabbath School commencing under discouraging circumstances, so as to forbid the hope of success; but by persevering effort it has prospered. Four of the scholars, since their connection with the school, have been hopefully converted, ascribing their first serious impressions to the instructions of the school. It numbers 70 - 3 officers, 9 teachers. They had a revival of religion, commencing with prayer meetings. These meetings, from having been thinly attended. Increased in interest - Christians were deeply engaged in prayer - backsliders turned their feet to the ways of holiness and sinners began to cry for mercy. They have in the town a temperance society numbering 105." Clarksville was among the first to organize a Sunday School in the Association in 1840. It is the oldest continuous Sunday School in the Concord Association.

"So far as we have been able to learn, there are but three schools connected with our churches. But from them we learn that much good has been done, and we are sorry that such little effort has been made in so good a cause. We trust that for the future every church connected with this body will use its utmost endeavors to organize a Sabbath School. At one of our schools 5 should have been converted; at another, 2 teachers are mourners and some scholars serious. The churches which have schools are: Mount Lebanon in Nottoway, Cedar Grove a branch of James, and Clarksville."

It has been very difficult to obtain information concerning the pastors. A search of the records at the Virginia Historical Society at Richmond has yielded some information. A brief biographical sketch is furnished where information is possible.

In 1843 William H. Jordan was pastor. He was born in Bertie County, North Carolina in 1803 and educated at Chapel Hill. He professed a hope in Christ on the 9th of December 1823, preached his first sermon on the 25th of December of the same year, and was baptized January 25, 1824. Mr. Jordan was induced by the pressure of his brethren to preach before he was baptized. This was always a source of sorrow to him, but it may be doubted whether it should have been, since it is said a great revival began from his preaching, spreading over several counties and resulting in the conversion of 2000 souls. He pastored churches in Raleigh, Wilmington, Lilesville and Wadesborough in North Carolina, Clarksville and Petersburg, Virginia, Norristown, Pennsylvania and Sumter, South Carolina. The church membership at this time was sixty-one.

The church was without a pastor in 1844. Louis Dupre became pastor in 1845 to 1846. In 1845 the membership was sixty-seven of which twenty-one were colored. Prior to the Civil War, it was quite common for churches of all denominations to have colored members. A.B. Cabiness was pastor in 1849.

In 1850 the church was remodeled. W.H. Jordan once again became pastor in 1850 to 1851. By this time the membership had increased to 115 members.

From 1852 - 1853 Andrew F. Davidson was pastor. We do not know anything of his early life. We know that Rev. Davidson passed to his heavenly rest July 21, 1900, at the age of 73. Almost half a century of his useful life was devoted to the work of the ministry in the Concord Association. For thirty-seven consecutive years he was pastor of the Liberty Baptist Church Mecklenburg County.

In 1854 the church was without a pastor. The membership had increased to 121 of which 55 were whites and 66 colored. The church continued without a pastor until Aaron Jones accepted a call in 1855 and served to 1856. The rapid turn over of pastors was due to the system of calling a pastor for only one year and the inability of the pastor to exert much leadership in such a brief period of time. Most of the churches were having services twice a month.

John W. McGown served the church as pastor in 1857. He was born in Putnam County, West Virginia and received his D.D. Degree at Richmond Collage. He began his ministry at Clarksville. Mr. McGown served twelve other churches in Virginia. He also pastored churches in North Carolina and Kentucky. He died January 1910.

1858 found the church again without a pastor until the coming of Thomas W. Greer in 1859. Rev. Greer was born in Ohio, November 2, 1817 and died January, 1900 in Mecklenburg County where he lived and labored for many years. He was at one time missionary under the State Mission Board of the General Association of Virginia. During his entire ministry, extending over a period of more than fifty years, hundreds and perhaps thousands made professions of religion under his ministry and about one hundred churches were organized.

In 1860 the church membership stood at 184, John Bray was pastor.

From 1861 - 1870 we have no accurate record. Sometime after 1865, Thomas Greer came again as pastor and served with distinction. He was a Northern man and, of course a Republican. The majority of the members were negroes and had it not been for the wise leadership of pastor Greer they would have taken possession of the church property. On his wise counsel and leadership they withdrew and organized a church of their own sometime after the war. By 1870 the church membership had dropped to 33.

From 1871 to 1877 A.F. Davidson was again the beloved pastor. A memorial Window in the Sanctuary preceding the present sanctuary was dedicated to his faithful service. This window is now in our Prayer Room.

J.S. Hardaway, D. D., served as pastor from 1878 to 1880. He was born in Amelia County in 1852. He attended Richmond College where he studied law until he felt called to preach. He accepted the call of Clarksville and Boydton Baptist Churches in January, 1878. After serving two and half years, he went back to the Seminary. He became pastor of Oxford Baptist Church in 1883 where he served for 21 years. He died in 1925.

St. George Abrahams served the church as pastor from 1881 to 1883. Rev Abrahams lived to be ninety years old. He was one of the oldest Baptist ministers in Virginia. He is buried in Skinquarter Baptist Church Cemetery, Chesterfield County, Virginia.

There is no record of a pastor from 1884 to July 1, 1886 at which time T.L. West, a theological student, was sent to the church by the State Mission Board of Virginia. He served only two months, but during that time he held a great meeting and the church and the church took on new life.

1887 found the church without a pastor until the coming of J.O. Kirk who served from December, 1887 to January 1891. He was born in Lancaster County, Virginia in 1839. His father was a minister. Reverend Kirk attended Columbian College, Washington, D.C. He pastored churches in Richmond, King George and Meckenburg Counties. He died in 1916 and was buried in Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond.

From March 1891 to June 1894 Randsdell W. Cridlin was pastor. He was born in Westmoreland County, Virginia in 1840. He served as Chaplain during the Civil War. He pastored churches in Portsmouth, Norfolk, Hanover and Mecklenburg Counties. He died in 1913.

In August 1894 J.S. Wharton became pastor and served until December 1895. George T. Watkins came to the church in June 1896 and continued until January 1901. He did a great work. The church prospered in every way. The church was beginning to recover from its loss after the Civil War. The membership and increased to 97. John P. Lewis was pastor from 1902 to 1903. This period was followed by no pastor in 1904. In 1905-1906 H.H. Jordan was the pastor.

From April 1907 to July 1908 Herbert T. Williams was the efficient pastor of the Clarksville Baptist Church. Mr. Williams was born in Gates County, North Carolina, graduated from Wake Forest. He was the Associational Representative to the Virginia Baptist General Board. He died in 1939. Mr. Williams was pastor of the First Baptist Church in Chase City for 43 years.

From 1909 to 1912, A.D. Davidson was pastor and secured the plans for a new building, which were adopted with some modification.

In November 1913, Robert Evans Peele became pastor. He has the distinction of serving longer than any other pastor, 13 years or until 1926. During his ministry the frame structure of the church was moved back, brick veneered, and a new brick church auditorium added. The new church was dedicated on November 27, 1921. A book could be written about Brother Peele who was on of God's choice and noble servants. With the help and cooperation of the church family, the building was made debt free during his ministry. Under the leadership of W.D. Blanks, many gave sacrificially to pay off the indebtedness. Mr. Peele's salary in 1916 was $335.00. He served the church until his retirement in December 1926 after which he made his home in Clarksville. He died in September 1930 and is buried in Oakhurst Cemetery. The membership reached 181 in 1925.

In 1926, H.H. Street was called to be pastor. His ministry at the Clarksville Church was very brief because of his death in 1927. He was born in Lunenburg County in 1866, educated at Richmond College and Crozer Seminary. He pastored churches in Arkansas and Texas. At the time of his death he was pastor of Clarksville, Boydton, and Buffalo Baptist Churches.

H.G. Bryant came as pastor in 1928 but due to adverse circumstances that pertained to the church covenant, he resigned the same year.

The church in business session January 29, 1929 voted to rescind the old custom of calling a pastor annually, however the custom must have been reinstated since D.M. Simmons was voted on an annual basis for the year 1931. Mr. Simmons served the church from 1929 to 1931. R. Cole Lee was called to serve the last part of 1931 and the year 1932. After considerable discussion, as shown in the minutes, a new constitution adopted by the church in August 1933. Mr. Lee resigned in 1934 and W. J. Crain was called as pastor. The year 1935 was a red letter year, the church adopted an organized budget making a sounder financial system and a B.Y.P.U. for church training. In 1942 the church purchased an electric organ. Mr. Crain closed his ministry with the church in the year of 1944.

Ray L. Cumbee was called as pastor February 1944 and he came in June of the same year. Mr. Cumbee is a graduate of Louisiana Baptist Collarge and Southern Seminary. He married Miss Mary Churchill in May 1943. They have four children, Becky, Lamar, Kendall and Mark. Following his pastorate at Clarksville, Mr. Cumbee was of Longhurst Baptist Church, Longurst, N.C., Biltmore Baptist Church, Glen Allen, Va., and is presently pastor or the Homestead Heights Baptist Church, Durham, N.C. During his ministry with the Clarksville Church a mid-week prayer meeting was begun. Under his leadership the church purchased a new organ, provided Sunday School rooms under the old building and plans were drawn up for a new educational building. The building program began with two young ladies of the church who started a Building Fund. They were Miss Harriet Pittard (now Mrs. Walter Beales, Jr.) and Miss Grace Allen Pittard (now Mrs. Kendall Syndor). Mr. Uley Blanks was elected Building Fund Treasurer. The fund continued to grow from year to year. A Building Committee was elected by the church to study plans and make recommendations for the Educational Plant but the church was not in a forward moving mood and Mr. Cumbee felt that new leadership was needed for progress. He resigned in 1951.

In 1952 Paul Lee Blevins was called as pastor. Mr. Blevins is graduate of Emory and Henry College and Southern Seminary. He is married to Miss Calais Gooch. They have two children, Brenda Lee, a graduate of the University of Richmond, and Sandra, a graduate of Lynchburg College. Mrs. Blevins is a graduate of Madison College. Prior to coming to Clarksville Church, Mr. Blevins pastored Bybee's Road, Beaverdam, Mechanicsville Baptist Churches near Charlottesville and Memorial Baptist Church, Bluefield, Virginia. He is presently pastor of Crestnut Hill Baptist Church in Lynchburg. During his ministry the church adopted the unified budget and operated on it for the first time during the year 1954 with the amount of $18,585.00. In 1955 the budget was stepped up to $22,513.00. For 1956 the budget was $22,568.00 with over $4,500 going to mission. The church membership had increased through the years to more than 500. The new educational plant was erected at the cost of $77,000.00 and was formally opened in July 1954. About this time Clarksville Baptist Church became full-time. It had been on a field with Union Chapel. A Church Library was started in memory of Hill Sales. This continues to be a vital part of the church's ministry. In anticipation of building a new sanctuary, the Winn property next door to the old sanctuary was purchased. Plans were drawn up for the new sanctuary and a building Fund was begun. In 1953 Mrs. Catherine Sizemore came into the church and revolutionized the musical program with a graded choir system. Mr. Blevins recalls, "It is interesting to note that I was the first pastor to ever serve under the annual call system." This of course, was brought about by splendid ground work by my predecessor, Mr. Ray Cumbee. In 1958 the church voted to use the rotation system deacons and the number was increased from 10 to 15. In 1960 Mr. Floyd Thomasson was elected Church Treasurer. In the same year the church hired an Education Director. A Planning Committee was elected to study plans for a new sanctuary. Harvest Day offering and a percentage of the budget was earmarked for the new building. Mr. C.M. Nunn was named Finance Chairman. By this time the church budget had grown to $37,000. In 1961 an architect from the Baptist Board in Tennessee came to look over our building and offer services of Mr. Herbert L. Cain of Richmond to draw plans for the sanctuary. By 1962 the church had again slowed in progress toward a new building. Mr. Blevins decided that his ministry had reached a climax and he resigned.

H. Shelton Patterson was called as pastor in 1962. Mr. Patterson is a graduate of the public schools of Belton, S.C. His higher education consisted of graduation from Wake Forest Collage, Southeastern Seminary and the School of Pastoral Care at Winston-Salem, N.C. His wife, Peggy, is a graduate of Meredith College in Raleigh. They have three children, Shelton, Jr., Mark, and John. Mr. Patterson was pastor of Mt. Groghan Baptist Church, Mt. Groghan, S.C. and Dudley Baptist Church, Dudley, S.C. prior to coming to Clarksville.

The church again showed signs of renewed interest in a new sanctuary. By 1964 the Building Fund had grown to $67,000 and the Building Committee felt the time had arrived for action. Mr. Joe Cary was elected Building Committee Chairman. Total cost of building and furnishings was $225,000. Two morning services were held in the Educational Building during construction, 9:00 and 11:00 a.m. The first service was held Sunday, April 18, 1965, in the new sanctuary (Easter).

During Mr. Patterson's ministry the Sunday School became fully graded and reached its highest enrollment of 582 with an average attendance of 295. A Wednesday evening prayer service was reactivated under his leadership.

During this period of time the church was blessed to have one of its own to be appointed a missionary to Indonesia. George Richard Trotter was born in Clarksville February 24, 1931. He is the son of Mrs. William A. Trotter and the late Mr. Trotter. He is a graduate of Clarksville High School, University of Richmond, New Orleans Seminary, and the School of Pastoral Care, North Carolina Baptist Hospital. He was pastor of Winfree Memorial Baptist Church, Midothian, Virginia from 1959 to 1965. He is married to the former Miss Martha Wilson of Richmond. They have three children, Rosella, Richmond, and Joel. The Trotters were appointed missionaries to Indonesia December 10, 1964. Mr. Trotter has been a contributor of articles to the Guidepost, The Deacon, Royal Service, The Religious Herald, The Western Recorder, The Baptist Courier, The Richmond New Leader, The Clarksville Times, and The Mecklenburg News. With the exception of two years furlough, George and Martha Trotter have served in evangelistic work in Indonesia for eight years. At the writing of this history, Mr. Trotter is completing his work for the Doctorate of Ministry Degree at Southeastern Seminary, Wake Forest, North Carolina.

In 1966 Mr. Patterson resigned and the same year Rev. Joel L. Morgan came as pastor. During his ministry the church reached its highest membership enrollment of 741 members. In 1968 the sanctuary was air conditioned at a cost of $9,000. In 1970 the parking lot was black topped at a cost of $10,000.

Mr. Morgan was born at Emporia, Virginia. He is a graduate of Greenville County High School, Hampden-Sydney College, University of Richmond, Southeastern Seminary, Clinical Pastoral Course, Virginia Baptist Hospital, Lynchburg. He is married to the former Miss Georgia Bazacos of Richmond. Mr. Morgan pastored Zion and Fountain Creek Baptist Churches, Emporia; Airlee Court Baptist Church, Roanoke, and is presently pastor of Norview Baptist Church in Norfolk.

Mr. Morgan resigned as pastor in 1971. In June 1972 Warren Turner accepted the call of the church and is presently serving as pastor.

The Educational Building was air conditioned in January of 1974 at a cost of $14,968. The building indebtedness of $150,000.00 was paid off on December 31, 1974 commemorating the retiring of the debt.

The church has had thirty-four pastors. The average length of stay has been just a little over four years. As an article on the History of the Church said, "It is deplorable that in the keeping of our records we did not take note of the stewards of God; pastors, godly laymen and laywomen who gave so willingly of their time and talent. Surely, there are great men and women of the past who held our church together in time of distress and trial. Even though their names are not recorded, to them belongs the credit for the growth of the Baptist work in Clarksville. To them this history is lovingly dedicated.

By Warren Turner – 1976, Clarksville, VA

History 1818-1976

By Rev. Warren Turner

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

BAPTIST BEGINNINGS

LIST OF MINISTERS [to date of article (1972)]