1829-Liberty-Graham Baptist Church-1999

   On the second Saturday in August, 1829, nine members of the Stephenson-Merrill families met at the home of Lawson Stephenson, on Little Graham Creek, nearly two miles east of the present church, to form a church compact. With help from Brother James Alexander of Middlefork and brethern from Bethel and Freedom, they had prayers and gave each other the right hand of fellowship, and took the name of Liberty.
   Licensed to preach by Bethel in 1828, Lawson Stephenson was ordained in 1831 and become both pastor and moderator, without compensation, until his death in 1835.
   The church started meeting alternately at Vardamon Hughes; which was a mile or so west of the present church on Big Graham Creek, and the Stephenson home. In 1839, the name of the church was changed to Graham, and it was decided to build a meeting house more centrally located. After many changes of sites, it was agreed to build a 36 by 40 brick meeting house on land donated by James and Jane Hughes and John and Martha Hicklin. The members worked several years preparing the lumber and materials. The bricks were burned on the site. In May, 1848, Brother Read claimed there was enough brick to build the house by, "dispensing with the chimneys".  Construction started in July, 1848, and many of the men and boys had a part. Rev. Jacob Cox's nine year old son blistered his hands so badly, working with the brick, that he carried the scars the rest of his life. (It was built by a labor of love.)
   A major remodeling was done 1898, when the roof was raised and the building built higher and a belfry and bell added.  When this was completed the church looked much the same as it does today, one hundred plus years later!
   Graham has had good times and bad times, but the worst of all was the time it was advised by the State Baptist Officials to close the doors and merge with Dupont. This was during the great depression, and it was hard to get a pastor and even harder to pay one. But with prayers and plenty of faith, the fifteen loyal souls kept the doors open and services continued. In fact, Graham has now completed 170 years of continuous service for the Lord!
   In 1940, when the U.S. Government took land for the Jefferson Proving Ground, Bethel Baptist Church was included. Several of the Bethel members joined the fellowship at Graham. They bought with them $700.00 from Bethel and that became the start of a building fund for Sunday School rooms. The first Sunday School/dining/recreation room was built on the back of the church in 1947. Electric lights were installed and a cistern made at this time. In 1956 there was need for more rooms so a basement was dug, the rooms added, along with central heating and bathroom facilities. Through the years many changes and improvements have been made for the needs and comforts of the members. Recently new windows, new siding, new central air, and heat have been installed and the parking lot paved. When a faithful member was called home in 1996, her husband and friends donated the beautiful stained glass windows above the front doors.
   There have been forty some pastors at Graham, the longest who served was Rev. Jacob Cox, who labored twenty-two years without pay. In recent years, many have come as students at the seminary in Louisville, so do not remain long. The church thanks the Lord for each one, as each has brought their different talents and abilities, as they serve.
   Graham is proud of the little church in the valley, but does not lose sight of its reason for being. It is to welcome any and all who will come and worship, as it has called others, through the years. Graham is the only Baptist Church that has ever been established in Bigger Township, and she has a long and glorious history of serving the community for 170 years.
   


                                                                                 GRAHAM'S PASTORS

James Alexander (preached occasionally)                                       1829-31	No Pastor                                                                                            1929-32
Lawson Stephenson                                                                       1831-35	C.E. Hughes                                                                                               1921
No regular preacher                                                                       1835-40	Alfred Hankins                                                                                            1933
Wm. Taylor Stott                                                                           1840-45	Isom Ferris                                                                                                 1934
Ashael Neal                                                                                        1845	Brainard Lee                                                                                         1935-38
Jacob M. Cox                                                                               1845-67	__________                                                                                              1939
John Stott                                                                                      1867-69	G.E. Stillwagon                                                                                     1940-41
T.D. George                                                                                        1869	O.D. More                                                                                           1941-44
Nelson Johnson                                                                             1870-73	Lawrence Bradley                                                                                      1944
John Chambers                                                                                   1874	James Stertz                                                                                         1945-46
Nelson Johnson                                                                             1874-76	Denton Coker                                                                                      1947-49
John McCoy                                                                                       1877	A. Kilpatrick                                                                                              1950
Nelson Johnson                                                                             1878-80	Henry Durham                                                                                      1951-54
John McCoy                                                                                 1881-85	Thomas Steele                                                                                      1954-56
Nicholas Smith                                                                              1885-98	Alton McEachern                                                                                 1956-57
E.E. Connelly                                                                              1898-1900	Bobby Dollar                                                                                       1957-60
J.C. Nicholson (supply)                                                                        1900	Thomas Hearne                                                                                   1961-62
Frank Klotche (supply)                                                                        1900	Arthur Burcham                                                                                   1962-64
Nicholas Smith                                                                              1900-01	Wm. Mocherman                                                                                1964-67
Franck Klotche                                                                             1901-05	Larry Highland                                                                                    1967-69
R.M. Priest                                                                                   1905-07	George Sears                                                                                      1970-71
Elvin Hughes                                                                                 1908-09	Emory Hall                                                                                          1971-73
W.T. Seburn                                                                                       1910	Victor Sheilds                                                                                      1973-75
Thomas Schwab                                                                           1911-13	Otis Bentley                                                                                         1975-77
A.O. Rhodes                                                                                1913-16	David McMahon                                                                                  1978-82
F.E. Hammel                                                                                      1916	F. Carson Riley, III                                                                              1982-84
G,C, Mangum                                                                              1919-20	Larry Simpson                                                                                     1984-86
C.E. Pascal                                                                                  1920-21	Michael Day (Interim)                                                                          1986-87
J.W. Snelson                                                                                      1921	Larry Tomlin                                                                                        1987-89
Elvin Hughes                                                                                1922-24	Ray Coleman                                                                                       1990-94
H.J. Reamy                                                                                  1925-27	Arthur Myers                                                                                       1994-98
Robert Marlett                                                                             1927-29	Reed Shepherd (Interim)                                                                      1998-99

   Ordained deacons that have served Graham: Azariah Merrill, Robert Armstrong, Lankston Johnson, Barnett Johnson, Jacob Wildman, John H. Cox, F.M. Cox, Smith Williams, B.F. Wildman, Daniel Marsh, Wm. Fall, James Custer, A.S. Johnson, John Losey, George Visnon, Chas. Sawyer, Walter Beach, Logan Vinson, Herbert Holmes, Wm., Hayden, Virgil Mills, Vernon Brooks, Chester Buck, Marion Vinson, Harry Pettit, George Horstman, *Ronald Wahlman, Andrew Johnson, *Joe Lee, Raymond Perkins, *Thomas Welch, *Ralph Petit, *Sam Pettit, *Vernon Ingram, and *Robert Hoyt. 
     *Presently serving as deacons, (in 1999).

                                                                                                                                                    Jennings County, INGenWeb

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