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memorable pastorate. None since has equalled it either in length of time or fruitfulness of results. Coming to the church in the second year of its life, when it had only three members, he nurtured it through nearly 13 years of struggle and harship, and left it virrile and growing, owning its house of worship and occupying a place of influence in the Christian life of the community. Its member : *ip was only 37, of whom eight were! :.;a!es; but the membership was made of heroic stuff confident in the promises of the Holy Spirit. J. S. I Craves was clerk and G. G. Dusen.! berry superintendent of the Sunday I school. During 'his pastorate here, Broth er Pratt organized no less than six churches and built an equal number of houses of worship, Among t\e honored and oherishfed bamjes of Baptists of those days none is ho;d in higher esteem than that of '.he first pastor, our beloved brother who I sits there, Robert Newton Pratt. J. K. Mendenhall. From January to November, 1885. the church was served by J. K. Men denhall as pastor. A giant in intel lectual stature, he was not permit ted to remain, but was soon called to larger fields. \ B. F. Whilden B. F\ Whilden served as pastor during 1886-87. On April 5th, 1886 the Presbyterian church, which &ood where this church now is, was burned. While it was still in flames, the paator and deacons of the Baptist church offered the Presbyterians ilie use of our house of worship for liree Sundays in the month until they could rebuild. A congregational meeting of the Presbyterian church was held in the Baptist meeting house a few days later, when it was decided bv that congregation it would' worship in the court house. The Belovel Brown. ^n January 1?88, J. A. Brown be pan a fruitful pastorate, which lasted jive years. It was while he was pas tor thftf our present senior deacon, m - 1 il When yo gain. O You can't in poor in mak of p / When a mer whole reputa being sent 01 employees ai C/v ?r/\i ?JU WUC11 JUI be as adverl goods adver 1 \Y. D. Barksdale, was ordained, Monday evening, April 20, 1891, The ordaining council consisted of i'ali tor B.rown, I. M. Mercer, pastor of Pendleton Street church, Greenville, and Rev, Mr Reid, a returned mis sionary from Africa. Mercer preach ed the sermon. During Doctor Brown's pastorate, the famous Pierson meeting in the Presbyterian church wafc held, out j of which grew the custom of holding I union services of all the churches j one Sunday evening in every month ?a custom which still prevails. Three Short Pastorates. Brother Brown's pastorate was fol lowed by three short pastorates of J. T. B. Anderson, April 1893, 'o December, 1894; W. E. Johnson, April, 1895, to January, 1897; and W I t? Warlp a few months in 1897 The old parsonage (now owned by Mrs Ida Wardlaw) was bought during Johnson's pastorate, October 31, 1893. The church shows a steady gTowth during this period. The Ab beville association met here in 1890. T. H. Plemmoni T. H. Plemraons became pastor, February 6. 1898. While he was pas tor the Woman's Missionary Society was organized with Mrs M. Caro line Gary as president and Miss Annie Lou Wham secretary and treasurer. G. C. Dusenberry was church clerk and W. D. Barksdale superintendent of the Sunday school The year 1899 Witnessed a stirring revival and Pastor Plemmons bap-. tized 17 persons. Preaching was held every Sunday, and the pastor's sal nrv was S7ftn npr vear. Mission con tributions reached $60- per year. Pastor Plemmons resigned in Feb luary. 1901. and the next month M. W. Gordon entered the pastorate. His first year marked a distinct ad vance in the church's work. W. H. Morse was superintendent of the Sun day school and church clerk a dea. con and an all-round active worker. Upon his initiative, the association began missionary work in the cot ton mill village, Brother Morse be u buy advert nly goods fai nagine a metchc ;e; aud will not j ublic condemna chant signs his n; tion of his busine it to all the peopl id most of his fri \ li buy advertisec tised. That is 1 / tised. Advertis >/N/>^S/S/S/V/S/S^S/S/S^S/s/S/S/S/S/S/S/S/S^S/S/S/S^S/s/N/S4 coming the pastor at a salary of $50 per year. He was a brother of our beloved fellow-townsman Amos B. Morse, and his untimely death cut off a life which had been marked by a fervent zeal in Chris tian activity. In 1903 a new church organ was bought at a cost of $154. That organ was used continuously for all ser. vices until we came to this new meet ing house, and is now in the Sunday school room of Brother H. S. Howie Pastor Gordon left in June, 1903, and H. C. Buchhols came in July and j served the remainder of that year. I He was a brilliant preacher and cap able leader, and it was a source of regret to the church that his stay was so short. Mrs. W. D. Barksdale, of precious memory, became presi. dent of the Woman's Missionary So ciety, and remained so until her death in 1911. Two Honored Women. May I pause to say it was my pri vilege to know these two women the first presidents and leaders of the women of this church in their Mis sionary activities, M>s. Gary and Mrs Bark'sdale, both of whom now rest from their labors. Alike in so many ways, their earthly careers were strikingly different. Both were gifted by Providence with a lovable disposition, a lofty character, a gift for leadership a zeal for good works and a strong faith in the Christ... Both did a lasting work in this church. Mrs Barksdale was full of the en thusiasm of youth when she was called away in May 1911. It was her cherished desire to see this edifice built and she worked heroically for it; but she witnessed only the laying of the foundation stones, over which j she wept for joy, when she went to worship where there is no need of a temple, in a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. Her (children' were but babes, and their rearing was left to others. It is a sweet privilege to record that her oldest daughter, whom I had the jov of baptizing ten years ago, is now >t of ised goods y irly priced a int advertising i . \ ?ive reasonable tion. That is w ame to a statemf jss is at stake, he e, so that anythii ends; then you r 1 goods you get why it pays yc ing protects yoi /V>^>r>s/>/s/vs^>^s/s/v>^>^^sfNfs/vvvs^srvs^/vvvsAvs#vvs one of the leaders in the missionary work laid down by her mother. I refer to Mrs Frank M. Welsh, Mrs Gary was an old woman when I first met her, while on a visit to .Abbeville early in 1910. It was my privilege to see her often. She was granted a long life, in which she saw her children honored by their State in a manner and degree that has come to few. Indeed it is cloubtfal if hers has a parallel case among American mothers. To see all her sons fill positions of honor and trust in the Sta,te is granted to some; but to see all her sons Judges in the same State r.t the same time was Mrs Gary's privilege. After a long, hon ored useful life she went' to her eternal rest in February 1918; an-1 her works do follow hei\ Dr. Wilkins Comet. In April, 1904, began the second longest pastorate in the church's history, one that will stand out m the annals of the congregation. Dr A. C. Wilkins became paster and remntnod mnro than aiv vpnva Thn church had 165 members when he came, and 202, when he left. The to tal gifts to missions the year before he began his work were $126.89; to the same objects the last yearN he was here the church gave $694. Doc tor Wilkins was a man of great in fluence not only in the association, but throughout the State. He served as moderator of the association for a number of years, and filled places of trust and responsibility in *he State Convention and the Southern Baptist Convention. During his pastorate the children's bands were organized, under the leadership of Mrs. J. E. McDavid, a granddaughter of Jacob Miller, one of the pioneers of the church. The Woman's Missionary society develop, ed into a potent faqtor in the mis sionary work of the church. Doctor Wilkins labored in Abbe ville in a period when Baptises were given scant attention by th^ local newspapers. He was a staunch op ponent of the old State dispensary the 1 ou are gettin in stand the l lot of articles 1 wear. Such g< rhy it pays to bu ;nt he is careful ; is doubly care ig in it is not true nay be sure he the best of the >u to read adv< i. Read it and system of selling intoxicating liquors and in his brusque, uncompromising attitude of opposition he incurred the displeasure of some of the leading persons En the country. Baptists as well as others. This spirit of dis-_ pleasure is reflected in a number of newspaper utterances, and in the utter absence <-of matters of Baptist news. Even so late as the spring of 1910 one of the local papers issued a special, illustrated edition of '24 pages, containing pictures of resi liences, schools, piiblic buildings, churches, etc. Though other churches are given conspicuous places in the paper, there is no line from which could be ascertained the fact of the existence of a Baptist church in Abbeville. Happily for us, that day and condition are passed; f NO! After January 1 CASH AT A SMA Please do not < anything, as it w ment for both of E. F. A1 g the best oi strain 6f a< that are poor ii sods can't stain ly advertised go what he says, ful. When that : will be known is ten times do bargain, becaus srtisements, and I get the best < and please God may they never re turn. The New Church. ? In September, 1910, the writer hereof became pastor remained un til September, 1915. During that pas torate the present house of worship and pastorium were built. The as sociation and the State Convention met here in 1912# A Great Revival. From July, 1916, until September, 1918, the Rev. G. W. Swope, D. D. was the honored pastor. His pastor ate embraced the periqd of the great world war. In the fall of 1916 and .the summer of 1917 the life of th?? church was quickened by a remark able revival and more than 100 per (Continued on Page Six.) 1 LL PROFIT ask us to charge ill save embarass us KINULU ain : the bar Jvertising. ti quality, or d the strain ods. When the statement is to all of his iiKlv ravpfi ll UWiJ V/UXVlUli e they must I to huv ittA >f bargaing.