A Brief History••• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •

SMI1"HFIELD, N. C.

A Brief History

of

Centenary Methodist Church

1839-1956

THE MINISTRY OF THE CHURCH-1956-1957

Paul N. Garber, Richmond, Vao- Resident Bishop

Howard M. McLamb, Goldsboro, N. C. District Supt.Lester A. Tilley Minister

Miss Betty Anne Williford Educational AssistantR. Cleve McGowan Minister of Music

Norman B. Grantham Church Treasurer

W. H. Britt Financial Secretary

Harvey Hodges (phone 3673) Church Sexton

Mrs. W. M. Stancil Director Junior Choir

H. C. Woodall Business Manager

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THE CHURCH AT WORKTHE OFFICIAL BOARD

L. Delma Brown, Chairman; W. R. (Billy) Britt, Vice-Chairman; Mrs. W. H. Sanders, Secretary.STEWARDS: W. H. Britt, Mrs. J. J. Broadhurst. AlbertH. Coble, W. T. Emmart, Norman B. Grantham, GlennGrier, Jr., Mrs. H. C. Hood, W. A. Hooks, Gordon Howell,D. Herman Jones, Mrs. T. J. Lassiter. Sr., Frank Mont-gomery, John A. Narron, C. Albert Stallings, Mrs. MildredStallings, Vance Sawrey, G. A. Stewart, Mrs. Laura Tur-ner, Dixon Wallace and H. C. Woodall. Ira. C. Whitley,honorary.TRUSTEES: Hubie Talton, Dr. W. J. Massey, T. A.Farmer, Ralph Ellis.COMMISSION CHAIRMEN: Membership and Evange-lism, Ben F. Grimes; Education, Geo. H. Broadrick; Fin-ance, J. P. Rogers; Missions, Mrs. W. A. Hooks.OTHER EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS: Mrs. B. H. Houston,Staton E. Boyette, Ann Stallings. James L. Creech.

CHURCH SCHOOLSuperintendent Staton E. BoyetteAssistant Superintendent Gordon Howell •Secretary Edgar BaughamChildren's Division Mrs. Wade TaltonYouth Division Mrs. C. S. CurleyAdult Division Ben A. Baker

COMMITTEE CHAIRMENPastoral Relations James L. CreechNomina tions The PastorAudit Wade T. TaltonGood Literature Mrs. J. T. JolliffMemorials E. L. WoodallChurch Lay Leader James L. CreechCommunion Steward A. M. NobleChairman of Ushers Tilden HoneycuttParsonage Mrs. W. H. LyonPresident Methodist Youth Fellowship Ann StallingsPresident of Methodist Men W. R. (Billy) BrittPresident W. S. C. S. Mrs. B. H.HoustonPresident Wesleyan Service Guild Miss Agnes Gunter

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BRIEF HISTORYof

CENTENARY METHODIST CHURCH1839-1956

By MRS. T. J. LASSITER, Sr.

Pope, the English poet, said:

"Who builds a church to God, and not to fame,Will never mark the marble with his name."

This is only a half truth as regards Centenary Methodistchurch of Smithfield which this year rounded out 117years; for while the names of many who formed the firstMethodist church here and who erected the first house ofworship are buried in oblivion, the names of a few of thefaithful souls are written, perhaps not in marble, but cer-tainly in the yellowed church journals that are intact fromthe very beginning. I have been told that few churcheswhose history dates back as far as the Smithfield churchhave such complete records.

No list of charter members comes down to us. The nameof the moving spirit back in 1839 is not even known. Butthree or four yellowed sheets covered with quaint pen-manship of that day, preserved through the years, revealchurch building tactics that modern times have not im-proved upon. These sheets are merely subscription sheetsheaded with a statement something like this

"Smithfield, N. C., April, A. D., 1839"We the undersigned promise to pay the sum as affiixed toour respective names." And so forth.Then follows a list of 100 subscribers to the building fund,ranging in amounts from 25 cents subscribed by PatsyCrocker, to $300 subscribed by D. Bryan. Only three otherspromised as much as $100, these being Larkin Smith,

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whose subscription was $280, and A. Smith and A. Sand-ers, who promised $100 each.

DEED FOR LOT

The building impetus of the spring of 1839 resulted inthe purchase of a lot the following fall when on October15, Wiiliam H. Watson deeded Lot No. 27 in the plan ofSmithfield to nine trustees of the church, namely: BythanBryan, Alvin L. Smith, Edwin Boykin, Ashley Sanders,Samuel G. Smith, Robert McKinnie, Alexander Thornton,Harry Durham, and Baldy Sanders. The consideration was$50, and the purpose was stated as follows:

"To build thereon a house or place of worship forthe use of the members of the Methodist Episco-pal Church in the United States of America, ac-cording to the rules and discipline which fromtime to time may be agreed upon and adopted bythe ministers of the said church as shall fromtime to time be duly authorized by the said Gen-eral Conference to preach and expound God's HolyWord therein."

This deed was presented in open court on March 26,1840, and ordered registered under the signature of JudgeFrederick Nash, presiding. The notation was made thatthe deed was registered in the book on July 3, 1840.

It is interesting to note the corporate title of the de-nomination in this deed. The deed of 1939 was written be-fore the division into the Northern and Southern Methodistchurches. The year 1939 witnessed the reunion of thesetwo bodies.

With a lot bought and a building fund subscribed, nofurther mention is made of the building program until1845 when the church minutes record that a debt of $125

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L.

on the church was still running, due Ashley Sanders andEdwin Boykin. The church that year did what any churchtoday would do--took new subscriptions for paying offthe debt.

OLDEST REGISTRY

The oldest registry begins with the first quarterly con-ference of the Smithfield and Waynesboro circuit held onMay 9, 1840. This circuit at that time comprised sixchurches: Smithfield, Waynesboro (now Goldsboro), Eliz-abeth (which was the circuit camp meeting ground), Sal-em, Rose's, and Providence.

Those attending that first quarterly conference wereJames E. Joyner, the preacher in charge who held theconference in the absence of the presiding elder; HezekiahG. Leigh; Alvin L. Smith; Ashley Sanders, and NathanWilliams, stewards; Robert W. Snead and Alexander H.Thornton, class leaders. At this meeting the only businessrecorded was the appointment of two new stewards-Nathan Williams and Ashley Sanders .and the election ofNathan Williams as recording steward for the circuit.

CIRCUIT IS DIVIDED

It was at the fourth quarterly meeting of the year 1850that a resolution was introduced recommending the divi-sion of the Smithfield and Waynesboro circuit. This reso-lution was voted down, but one requesting the bishop tosend two efficient preachers to the circuit was offered andcarried. This was done and two preachers served the cir-cuit until 1!54 when a division was ecected.

That the church prospered and grew in membership isevidenced in the record of the fourth quarterly conferenceof 1856. Two persons, David W. Adams and Lucy AnneHastings, were received in full connection, and the follow-

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ing were received on trial-James D. Talton, July AnneHastings, Sarah E. Hastings, Emily McAlston, Christo-pher G. Holt, Henry Thain, William Durham, MarthaMainer, Susan Mainer, Florence Telphair, Elizabeth B.Smith, Aurelia Turner, Ellen C. Northam, Lucien H. San-ders, Louisa Boykin, Calvin Perry, and one colored, Smith'sDaniel.

The names here mentioned will perhaps be recognizedas older members of some of our Johnston county fami-lies of today. It is also interesting to note the method usedin receiving members into the church. A person taken in-to full connection was one who presented the strongestevidence of a clean, upright life before God and his fellow-men, while those taken on trial were given an opportunityto prove that a change had been wrought in their heartsand lives.

In the minutes of the first quarterly conference of 1861is recorded the first mention of a missionary collectionwhich the pastor in charge, Carson Parker, was requestedto take where he deemed it proper. It was specified thatthe donor should designate whether the money be appliedto home or foreign missions.

CIVIL WAR TIMES

The church at Smithfield was maintained during theWar Between the States though a notation states that"owing to the peculiar and exciting times upon us our re-ligious interests have greatly suffered." The record fur-ther states, "Three Sabbath schools were in successfuloperation at the beginning of 1865, with promise of good.The schools have been suspended because of the passageof hostile troops through the country. Most of the church-es have been closed for a time and the church at Benton-

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ville burned."The above quotation was a statement made by Joseph

H. Wheeler, preacher in charge in 1865. An interestingrecord of a quarterly meeting held in 1864 shows how thepreacher and the presiding elder were paid during the wartimes. The presiding elder received for that year, "4 poundsof butter, 5 bushels of potatoes, and 1 barrel of corn. Thepastor received, 853 pounds of pork, 77 pounds of bacon,79 pounds of lard, 17Yz barrels of corn, 102 pounds ofbeef, 2 bushels of wheat, 25 pounds of soap, 2 ducks, 10bushels of potatoes, 4 bushels of peas, 5 dozen eggs, 20pounds of rice, 100 pounds of flour, 37 pounds of butter,2 pounds of candles, 4Yz yards of cloth, 3 chickens, 4 tur-keys, 3,930 pounds of fodder, and all his wood."

A notation of that year stated also that the Smithfieldchurch property needed repairing. The church needed re-covering, needed underpinning, needed to have the pulpitreplaced by a new one, and the windows and fence neededrepairing. The repairs were not made, which together withthe inclemency of the weather, caused the Sunday schoolto be suspended during the winter of 1866-67. Soon after-wards a legacy, the details of which are not given, made

it possible to repair the church.After this unusual good luck-the receiving of the leg-

acy-was a year of strife and discord. Members had to bereproved for violating the church rules. The following isa report read before the quarterly conference by the pas-tor, Rev. A. R. Craven:

"The spiritual condition of the churches on this circuitat most of the appointments is improving. At others thecause of religion has been seriously injured by many ofour members engaging in dancing who not only manifestno signs of penitence but contend that it is not wrongand that it is no violation of the rules of our church be-

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cause not specified in so many words. Six members havebeen expelled from our church during the past quarter,three for dancing and three for drunkenness."

Dr. R. Hooker, a local preacher, was brought to accountfor drunkenness. He was permitted to make an extendedstatement as to his conduct before the conference, andafter making an honest confession and showing a penitentspirit he was not put on trial. He was, however, suspend-ed from preaching for a while.

AFTER THE CIVIL WAR

Church attendance seems to have been always a matterof concern, certainly to the pastor. William H. Moore,preacher in charge in 1870, deplored the falling off inatendance after the Civil War and urged the membersto be more faithful.

Whether to increase interest or for some other reason,the Smithfield Methodists that year bought a melodeon,but the innovation proved so unpopular that the secondquarerly conference ordered it to be sold and orderedthat every contributor to its purchase price be refundedhis pro-rata part; and the congregation went back to itshymn-lining and tune-hoisting with the aid only of atuning fork.

If the melodeon purchased was ever laid at the doorof the women, no record was ever made of it, for wo-men's work in the church, except in the very beginningwhen listed as contributors to the church building, wasnot mentioned in the records until 1873. That year theRev. J. E. Thompson and Dr. J. B. Beckwith were author-ized to appoint a parsonage commitee of ladies who wereasked to look after re-furnishing the parsonage - andthey have been doing it ever since. The ladies the follow-ing year got a vote of thanks from the preacher in

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charge, J. S. Smoot. The inference is that from this timeon the Ladies Aid was a part of the church organization.It was not until 1903 that the Woman's Missionary So-ciety was organized here, largely through the efforts ofMrs. Sadie Puckett Spiers and the Society was namedfor her. When it became the Woman's Society of Chris-tian Service, her name was given to a circle.

AT THE END OF 40 YEARS

Forty years after the organization of the church foundthe church in a healthy condition. A few statistics of1879 indicate the growth that had taken place: Numberof churches on the circuit-8, valued at $5,000; member-ship-510 whites and 3 Negroes; seven Sunday schoolswith 312 members; a library of 300 volumes, valued at$80; pastor's salary-$70'0; paid bishop - $12; churchbuilding and rep,airing-$1,214; missions and all othercontributions-$232.33.In 1881, eleven years later, at the request of Dr. L.

E. Kirkman, the Smithfield circuit was again divided,setting off Elizabeth and Clayton to the Hannah's Creekdivision. In 1892 the Smithfield charge was transferredfrom the Raleigh district to the Wilson district. butthree years later it was put back into the Raleigh dis-trict. In 1954 a new district, the Goldsboro district, wasformed and the Smithfield church was placed in this dis-trict.In 1892, T. R. Hood was made superintendent of the

Sunday School to succeed Dr. J. B. Beckwith who for 38years had held that position. One of the art glass win-dows in the sanctuary is a memorial to Dr. Beckwith.By 1894, the idea of organizing the young people was

getting hold of the people and that year Smithfield hadits first Epworth League. The League movement had its

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ups and downs, and mostly downs until 1904 when astrong organization was effected which for 10 years there-after was a live factor in the church. In fact there wasa League off and on until 1940.

CHURCH BUILDINGS

Centenary Methodists until 1895 had been content toworship in the tall one-room wooden structure on NorthSecond Street that before the war had had galleries forthe slaves. But in 1895 they built a new edifice on thesame site which was valued at $2,000. The new churchhad two Sunday school rooms with sliding doors, stainedglass windows, and a big colored glass window behindthe pulpit. It was carpeted all over, and was seated withchairs, some of which may be found today in some ofthe Sunday school departments. The building committeewas composed of E. J. Holt. S. R. Morgan, W. M. Sand-ers, J. A. Morgan, W. G. Yelvington, T. R. Hood, andJ. A. Wellons, all of whom are now dead.

The years passed uneventfully for a decade until 1904when the church was made a station. The Rev. N. EoColtrane, who had been on the circuit for two years,served as pastor the first year after it became a sta-tion. He was succeeded by the Rev. J. H. Shore who serv-ed this station for three years. Then came a group ofyoung preachers who served the church for a year or afew months each: J. Marvin Culbreth, J. M. Ormond,and Costen J. Harrell. Rev. Mr. Harrell afterwards be-came a bishop and has only recently retired from thisposition, In 1911 the conference sent to Smithfield theRev. A. S. Barnes who has the distinction of being thefirst pastor to serve the Smithfield church continuouslyfor the four years allowed by the conference.

It was during the pastorate of the Rev. Mr. Barnes that

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the present church building was erected. The town wasmoving southward and the location was moved from thesite on North Second Street to the present site on thecorner of Market and Second Streets, purchased fromW. W. Cole. The church lot adjoins one which had beenwilled to the church by Miss Madelina McKinne.

The first step toward the erection of the new churchwas taken at a call session of the quarterly conferenceof November 8, 1912. The building committee which guid-ed to completion the structure was composed of W. M.Sanders, T. R. Hood, J. D. Spiers, Dr. N. T. Holland,and J. A. Wellons. Local contractors J. H. Woodall andJunius Peterson, built the church. The first service inthe new church was held on July 4, 1914. In 1919 a $3,000pipe organ was installed, and on March 21, 1920, sixyears after the church was built, the building was for-mally dedicated. The pastor of the church who saw thedebt on the church wiped out was the Rev. S. A. Cotton.Bishop U. V. W. Darlington preached the dedicatorysermon.

Quoting from the newspaper account of the dedication,"After the sermon and following the song the officialmembers of the church: J. D. Spiers, W. W. Cole, W. M.Sanders, J. H. Abell, N. B. Grantham, T. R. Hood, H.C. Woodall, C. A. Creech, G. E. Thornton, and H. C. Hood,gathered around the altar, and W. W. Cole, chairman ofthe board of trustees, presented the church for dediction.Then followed the prayer of dedication with most ofthe congregation on their knees." H. C. Woodall and H.C. Hood are the only surviving members of that offi-cial board listed above.

FRUITFUL YEARS

The years following the building of the new churchwere fruitful. The Rev. A. S. Barnes had set a precedentby remaining in Smithfield for four years. Two otherpastors met this record in the next decade-Rev. S. A.Cotton and Rev. D. H. Tuttle. By 1927 when Rev. D. E.Earnhardt became the pastor the church had reached anall-time high in its Sunday School work and in the workof the Woman's Missionary Society. During the two-yearpastorate of Mr. Earnhardt, the educational annex wasbuilt. Under the superintendency of T. C. Young, theSunday School had reached an enrollment of 441, fortyof whom were enrolled in an auxiliary school at the cot-ton mill. The annex, erected at a cost of approximately$9,000, provided 22 new class rooms and a recreation roomin the basement. The new rooms were urgently neededto take care of the Sunday School which was at thattime thoroughly departmentalized with graded literatureof the denomination used throughout. Training schoolswith conference personnel and men from Duke Universitywere held annually to promote the effectiveness of theteaching force.The Woman's Missionary Society had become a dom-

inant organization of the church and nearly every preach-er in charge from that time on praised, in their reportsto the Quarterly Conferences, the consecrated women whocontinuously furthered the missionary enterprise. In1928 there were 65 members who raised that year $1,-339.06. That was the year, too, when the church institutedthe every member canvass and the envelope system.However, depression years followed, and there was a

downward trend, at least in the church's finances. Thepreacher's salary went down from $3,000 to as low as

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$2,000 before there was an upward swing. And the othercauses of the church were lowered accordingly.

THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY

But by 1939 when Centenary celebrated its 100th anni-versary, things were looking up again. The church mem-bership had grown to 530, the pastor was paid $2,500and the church property was valued at $60,000. TheRev. J. J. Boone was the pastor who arranged the anni-versary celebration and it was a memorable occasion.Sunday, October 22, 1939 was the day. At the morningservice, Bishop W. W. Peele preached the sermon. Ahistory of the church was read. At the evening hour, for-mer pastors of the church brought greetings. Invitationsbad been extended to ten ex-pastors as follows: E. C.Glenn, J. H. Shore, J. Marvin Culbreth, J. M. Ormond,Costen J. Harrell, A. S. Barnes, D. E. Earnhardt, J. D.Bundy, B. T. Hurley and J. H. Lanning.

DESTRUCTIVE FIRES

Churches have their ups and downs just like individ-uals, and Centenary has been no exception. The fire de-mon is no respecter of churches and Centenary has hadthree fires, the main part of the church hving been dam-aged once, and the parsonage twice. The first fire oc-curred on Sunday, January 1, 1933. During the SundaySchool hour, fire was discovered in the furnace roomwhich spread to the sanctuary and did damage estimat-ed at $10,000. The Sunday School students were in theirclass rooms, most of them in the annex, and an orderlyexit was made from the building without accident. Thepulpit, chancel furniture, the organ and the art glasswindows were saved and only slight damage was doneto the pews. The insurance was sufficient to put the en-

tire ehureh in first class condition, Even the annex hadbeen damaged by smoke. Church services were held inthe courthouse while the repairs were being made.The next fire occurred in September 1943 when the

parsonage was damaged so badly that the pastor, theRev. B. H. Houston, and his family had to live elsewhereuntil repairs could be made. The loss was covered by in-surance. Then, on May 30, 1952, while Dr. Sam Maxwellwas the pastor, the parsonage was badly damaged by fireagain. This damage was estimated at $12,000 and oncemore insurance paid the repair bill.

BEQUESTS FOR THE CHURCH

In 1950, for the second time Centenry received a be-quest from a deceased member. Mrs. Ida Watson Setzerdied and left her property to the church,In the early years of the church, Miss Madelina Me-

Kinne, a faithful member, died and bequeathed the churcha large lot fronting Second Street next to the presentchurch building. When the new church was erected onthe corner of Market and Second Streets in 1914, a par-sonage was built on the lot next to it which had beenleft by Miss MeKinne. Prior to that in 1900, Congress-man E. W. Pou asked permission to erect at his own ex-pense a law offiee for his own use on a part of thislot. He was permitted to do so and he used the officerent free for a stated number of years. Since the expira-tion of that contract the church has received revenuefrom this building. A stained glass window in the sanc-tuary now honors the memory of Miss Madelina McKinne.Mrs. Setzer's estate proved to be worth $7,236. Rev-

.enue from this source was used to rebuild the church pipeorgan. Installed in 1919, the organ had survived over 30years of usage but by 1950 it was beyond repairing. The

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MUSIC IN THE CHURCH

organ was rebuilt at a cost of around $5,000 and onSeptember 19, 1954, it was dedicated at a memorial ser-vice that honored Mrs. Setzer. On the console is a plaquewith this inscription, "Ida Watson Setzer Memorial Or-gan." At the memorial service a brief biography and trib-ute was read by A. M. Noble, and a program of organmusic was rendered by Frederick Stanley Smith, an ac-complished musician from Raleigh,

Music in Centenary church has progressed a long wayfrom the time the members turned down the proposalfor a melodeon back in 1870. And much of the creditfor the progress made is due to the faithful services ofthe late Mrs. C. V. Johnson. For forty years Mrs. John-son was the organist. She played the first reed organ,then a piano, and then the pipe organ when it was in-stalled. She rendered this faithful service-playing forall church services, for weddings, and for funerals-with-out pay, for it was in the days before the church wasprosperous enough to include in its budget an organist'sfee. In fact it was not until 1944 that the church officialsauthorized pay for the organist. And it was that yearthat 18 vestments were purchased for the choir. It wasthree years later before a director of music was employ-ed. The year 1944 was notable for another advancementin music. That was the year when the church chimes gottheir start. No one thought of chimes at that time, how-ever. It was a church bell that the women of the churchwanted. The Dora Kirkman circle of the Woman's So-ciety of Christian Service started a fund to install achurch bell. It was to be a memorial to Mrs. Kirkmanand other deceased members of the church. But as timepassed, a sentiment for chimes developed and the bell

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fund was eventually applied on the purchase of chimes,which were installed in 1947.

THE ROLL OF HONOR

The history of any church could well be the life storiesof the men and women who have given of their time, tal-ents and money in the service of the Master. In everychurch there are shining examples of Christian fortitude,ability and faithfulness. Space would not permit namingall such faithful persons. Suffice it here to mention onlya very few that have left their stamp upon Centenarychurch and this community. One such has already beenmentioned in the person of Mrs. C. V. Johnson. She wentto her reward in the year 1952 at the age of 79.

Another one of the faithfuls was Thomas Ruffin Hood,Smithfield's grand old man, who died in 1940 at the ageof 82. He served as superintendent of the Sunday Schoolfor 32 years, resigning in 1924. For many years he waschairman of the board of stewards and for 49 years hewas the recording steward. His records have been thesource of much of the information contained in this briefhistory of the church. When the church was renovatedrecently his children placed a memorial window in it forhim and one for his consecrated wife.

Another member, who stood shoulder to shoulder withMr. Hood in the furtherance of the work of the SundaySchool, was J. D. Spiers. For many years he was theassistant superintendent in charge of the Sunday Schoolliterature. For 40 years he was a member of the boardof stewards. He served also as district steward, and wasan honorary member of both boards at the time of hisdeath in 1948. He was long the church treasurer. Whenthe church was recently renovated, a memorial windowfor him and his wife was placed in the chapel. He lacked

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THE YEAR OF UNION

only a few days of being 79 years old when he died.Another saintly soul who died in 1939 was the Rev.

D. H. Tuttle. Mr. Tuttle served Centenary church as pas-tor from 1921 to 1924 inclusive, and when he retiredfrom the active ministry several years later, he came toSmithfield to spend his last days. He was a blessing tothis community. The electric cross in the chapel of thechurch is a memorial given by his children.

The roll of honor would be incomplete without thenames of five young men, members of this church, whogave their lives in World War II. These were-No GlennBoyette, L. Edgar Watson, W. Claudius (Pete) Bowen,Ralph S. Stevens, Jr., and N. B. Lee, Jr. In March 1946at a service honoring the returning service men andwomen, a candle was lighted for each of these who hadnot come back.

An unforgettable year for all Methodists was the year1939. That was the year when the Methodist EpiscopalChurch, the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and theMethodist Protestant Church became one Methodist or-ganization. The union brought changes to the local con-gregation. A new name was given to the Woman's Mis-sionary Socity. It is now the Woman's Society of Chris-tian Service. The Wesleyan Service Guild became the or-ganization for the working women of the church. TheMethodist Youth Fellowship took the place of the Ep-worth League.

CHURCH RENOVATED

____The past decade stands out as an era of building newchurches everywhere. Centenary put behind it the temp-tation to abandon its 30-year old building and erect a

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new and bigger building and chose instead to make thepresent structure as comfortable and attractive as possi-ble. It was Rev. H. K. King who became pastor in 1945who was the moving spirit in the renovation program.And he remained here for five years to complete thework. Incidentally he is the only pastor ever to servethe church as long as five years.

The prayer meeting room was converted into what isHOW the chapel with 12 memorial stained glass windows.The choir loft in the sanctuary was enlarged and a di-vided chancel was arranged. New carpeting was put downin the sanctuary and in the chapel. A modern oil heat •.ing plant was installed. The recreation room was redeco-rated and furnished. The pastor's study was given newfurnishings. The entire church. building was repaired andrepainted. As the work progressed, numerous memorialgifts including 16 art glass windows, pulpit and chancelassessories, excellent visual aid equipment and manyother items, were made by interested persons. In fact somany such gifts were contributed that a handsome "Bookof Memorials" was purchased for the recording of theseand future gifts. The book is kept on a special stand inthe chapel and may be seen there at any time.

LOCAL CHURCH EXTENSION

This renovation of the present church building insteadof building a new one was doubtless a factor in the re-cent church extension program which sponsored the or-ganization of two other Methodist churches to serveSmithfield. Dr. J. V. Early spearheaded the organizationof these churches. One, Asbury Church, is located inSouth Smithfield, and already a brick building with Sun-day School rooms and an adequate auditorium has beenerected through the Conference Ten Dollar Club and do-

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nations of local people. The other, West Smithfield, isacross the river on the Wilson's Mills road. It also ishoused in a small building with Sunday School and as-sembly rooms. Mrs. Ira C. Whitley, who lives in that vi-cinity, gave the lot on which the building has been placed.The 1954 North Carolina Conference assigned a ministerto these two churches.

This church extension, however, was not the first ef-fort made by Centenary church. In the early 1940's whenRev. B. H. Houston served as pastor here, the churchstarted a movement for a chapel at the cotton mill. TheKiwanis Club cooperated with the undertaking, and acommunity center and chapel combined was erected on alot thought at that time to be the property of Centenarychurch. A thriving Sunday School was soon going and aDuke divinity student gave his full time one summer tothis project. Lack of leadership, in time, caused thework to be discontinued and the property reverted to theowners of the cotton mill and was subsequently given overto The Church of God.

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NEW CHURCH PARLANCE

Evangelism has ever been the watchword of CentenaryMethodist church from circuit days when the old campmeeting ground was where Elizabeth church now stands,In those early days that was the sole business of thechurch. Little was heard of missions either home or for-eign as we know them today. But the pattern began tochange. The church showed some interest outside the lo-cal community. The women organized missionary socie-ties. The young people formed Epworth Leagues. Andtoday the church parlance is full of terms that denotemany new activities, all aimed at evangelism, The churchhas a paid director of religious education. "Methodist

Men" has come into existence. There is the Woman's So-ciety of Christian Service, The Wesleyan Service Guild.We hear meaningful terms like World Service, Benevo-lences, Golden Cross, College Advance, Daily VacationBible Schools, Spiritual Life Conferences, Race-RelationsSunday, Laymen's Day, Commitment Day, the BishopsCrusade, Youth Fellowship, Camp Don Lee.

And instead of paying the preacher with butter andeggs and fodder as in the old days, the church todaypays the new pastor, the Rev. L. A. Tilley a salary of$6,000 with a travel allowance of $350 which is includedin a $30,000 budget. And the present membership is 765.

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MINISTERS WHO HAVE SERVED HERE

Name of Pastor

James E. JoynerWilliam H. BarnesAmos W. JonesJohn W. TillettAmos W. JonesSamuel PiercePhilomen W. ArcherIra T. WycheJohn Wilson, Jr.Charles P. JonesL. W. MartinJohn TillettL. W. MartinJohn TillettPaul C. CarrawayClarendom M. PepperWilliam E. PellLemon ShellJohn R. BrooksCarson ParkerJohn BuieL. S. BurkheadJoseph WheelerT. Page RickardAlex R. RavenWilliam H. MooreJ. E. ThompsonJ. T. SmootJ. W. WheelerR. M. BrownP. L. HermanJ. T. FinlaysonM. C. ThomasJ. C. HartsellB. B. CulbrethG. B. Perry

Date ofAppointment

184018411842184318441845184718491850185118521853185318541855185718581859186018611861186318651867186818701871187418761877187918801881188318841885

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TermServed

1 year1 year1 year1 year1 year2 years2 years2 years1 year1 year1 year1 year1 year1 year2 years1 year1 year1 year1 year2 years1 year2 years2 years1 year2 years1 year3 years2 years1 year2 years2 years1 year2 years1 year1 year1 year

Solomon PoolP. L. HermanW. H. PuckettE. C. GlennSolomon PooLW. J. TwilleyW. J. CrowsonA. L. OrmondJ. W. JenkinsK. D. HolmesN. E. ColtraneJ. H. ShoreJ. M. CulbrethJ. M. OrmondA. S. BarnesR. B. JohnS. A. CottonD. H. TuttleA. J. ParkerD. E. EarnhardtJ. D. BundyB. T. HurleyJ. H. LanningJ. J. BooneB. H. HoustonH. K. KingS. A. MaxwellJ. V. EarlyLester A. Tilley

18861889189118941895189618971898189919001903190619091910191119151917192119251927192919311934193719411945195019521956

3 years2 years3 years1 year1 year1 year1 year1 year1 year3 years3 years3 years1 year1 year4 years2 years4 years4 years2 years2 years2 years3 years3 years4 years4 years5 years2 years4 years

Medlin Printing Company

Smithfield, N. C.