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> «► t ) k i ri L 24—THE CHRONICLE, Clinton, S. C„ Nov. 12, 1970 Calvary Baptist Was Founded As 2nd Baptist At the turn of the 20th century the First Baptist Church of Clinton, organized a mission in the Clinton Mill community. In 1904 this mission was organized into what was known as Second Baptist Church of Clinton This church held her worship ser vices in a chapel located on Sloan Street, between Francis and Academy Streets. This chapel was used by all denominations. Rev. J T Taylor was the first pastor and he received $50.00 for his year of service. Later this chapel burned and a lot was secured on the comer of Sloan and Jefferson Streets for the purpose of building a House of Worship for the Second Baptist Church The First Baptist Chu. ch remodeled their building in 1909 and gave the used lumber to help build the Second Baptist Church. Thus building was built between 1909 and 1912, and from the in formation we could gather, it was ' unpleted in 1911, and the name was changed to Calvary Baptist Church. In the year 1905 this church was accepted into the Laurens Baptist Association. Her membership consisted of thirty' members. The first wooden structure stood from 1911 to 1939 when it was torn down and replaced by the present auditorium. For the lack of funds, this building was three years in construction It was completed in 1942 at the cost of $27,000.00 including equipment. Rev. R D. Hughes was pastor while this auditorium was under con struction The people worshiped in the Academy Street School Building while the present auditorium was being built. The school building has since been torn down. The lumber from the first building was bought by Mr. D. V. Wright, a member of the church, and he used the lumber to build a house on the Green wood Highway. The house at this tune, March 1960, is owned by Mr. R. C. Oxner. The Clinton Mills deeded to the deacons of the First Baptist Church, Clinton, the lot where the auditorium now stands on August 4, 1911. The deacons of the First Baptist Church deeded the property to the deacons of Calvary Baptist Church, Sep tember 1942. The Clinton Cotton Mills deeded or gave to Calvary Baptist Church all the land on which the church, parsonage and parking lot is located The first educational building was completed June 5, 1952 at the cost of $4 1,091.25 plus $5,000.00 for the equipment This building was built by Oeland and Sons, of Greenville. The building comnuttee con sisted of L. H. Bagwell Glenn Downs, Tom Brown, R. B. Amick, R T. Trammell the pastor, J. W. Spillers. and Deacons. Because of the rapid growth of the church it was necessary to build the second addition to the educational building, which was completed in April 1954 and was built by David Snipes of I^aurens, S. C., at a cost of $17,000.00 plus $2,000.00 for the equipment. The building committee consisted of R. B. Amick, R. T. Trammell the Pastor and the Deacons of the church. The parsonage was com pleted in December 1955 and was built by David Snipes of Laurens, S. C., at a cost of $16,200.00. This building com mittee consisted of Vernon Trammell, Tom Brown, the Pastor and the Deacons of the church. The parking lot at the back of the church was built by Sloan Construction Company of Greenville, S. C., at a cost of $3,500.00. This was completed in October 1957. On February 21,1957, Calvary Baptist Church bought land or Davidson Street to build a mission church. This land cost $2,700.00. Then on October 17, 1959, Calvary Baptist Church completed a mission church budding and a week of preparation was held October 18-24, then on Sunday, October 25,1959, the mission church was organized with 143 members. Rev. Clyde Peterson was called as pastor. The mission church was given her independence or December 6, 1959; also on the same date the mission church was given a clear deed to the • • 7 St. John’s Lutheran Church Started In 1912 Calvary Baptist Church property. This new church was named Davidson Street Baptist Church. This mission church cost Calvary Church about $15,000.00 including land, building and equipment About ninety members went from Calvary Church to form the Davidson Street Church. Since Calvary Church was one time a mission, we, the members of Calvary Church, are happy to have the honor of being the mother of a new church. The members of Calvary Baptist Church are proud of and they give God the glory for all of Lheir accomplishments. For the past eight years there have been over $100,000.00 added to the church property and the church is now in the process of air conditioning When this air conditioning program is con leted, Calvary Church will be 1’sted among the larger, modern and more progressive churches of Laurens County. So faraswe know there are no living charter members of Calvary Baptist Church, but we have living in this community a Mrs. Minnie Campbell, who is now a Methodist, but in the fall of 1904 she became a member of what was known then as the Second Baptist Church of Clinton. Calvary’ Baptist Church, first known as the Second Baptist Church, has a wonderful and glorious history. Twenty-one pastors have served her and thousands have sat ui her pews and were blessed by the gospel messages proclaimed from her pulpit Thousands have come to know Christ and to trust Him as their Savior. These were baptized into the membership of this church and many of them 1901 OLDSMOBILE HAPPY TO BE A PART OF SOUTH CAROLINA'S TRICENTENNIAL Serving Clinton For Over Fowteen Years... LYNN COOPER, Inc Your Oldsmobile-Dodge Dealer East Main Street 833-1741 went out to serve Christ in various ways. Eight of her sons have received calls to preach the gospel and one of her former pastors is serving as a missionary in South Amer.ca. Our present pastor, Rev. J. W. Spillers, has been with us for more than twelve years, which is a longer tenure than any other pastor has served this church. Under Brother Spillers' leadership a period of progress and promotion has been enjoyed and 747 members have united with the church. 294 funerals, have been conducted and 186 weddings performed in the church. Since the First Homecoming of 1960, eight revival meetings have been conducted, and 282 persons professing Jesus Christ as Savior have been added to the membership of the Church Our One Thousandth Member, Mrs. Rachel hueble, was honored during the spring of this year. In the same four-year period, the church budget has grown from $29,000 to $42,000. The people of Calvary Baptist Church are seeking constantly the improvement of their church property by making it attractive, comfortable, ap propriate, and conductive to reverent worship and study of God’s Word. Certain significant improvements enhanang the beauty, convenience, and value of the church property have been made in the past four years. During 1960 an air- conditioning system was in stalled throughout the church edifice. In August, 1962, a building contract for an educational additioa the third addition of the past ten years, was assigned to Mr. George Reed, Contractor This ad dition, adjoining the auditorium and basement of the original structure, consists of seven classrooms, four rest rooms, library, ladies’ lounge, and corridors. Construction was completed at a cost of $29,000, and the addition was occupied in January, 1963. A new carpet was also installed in the auditorium in 1962. In 1963, the auditorium and space un derneath the auditorium were painted; tiling throughout the basement was installed the same year In May, 1963, real estate property, adjoining the church site and consisting of a house and lot on Jackson Street, was purchased for $5,200 , then, in December of that year, ad joining property consisting of another house and lot was purchased fo r $3,690. These pieces of property have been used this year, 1964, for enlarging the existing parking lot at the rear of the church building. To meet more adequately the needs of spiritual education of an expanding membership, additions within the church organization have been made Since 1960, an extra adult department of the Sunday School and three new circles of the Woman's Missionary Society of the Woman’s Missionary Union have been organized and are now func tioning properly in the church's adopted program. A kindergarten for pre-school aged children, ages 4 and 5 years, operating five week days for nine months a year, was begun and sponsored by Calvary Baptist Church in 1961. A new addition was erected in 1970 which consists of a music department, three nursenes, and two Sunday School departments. This addition was erected at a cost of $110,000 Today the membership of Calvary BapUst Church stands at 880, and budget is $55,000. St John's Lutheran Church had its beginning in 1912 when the Rev James D. Kinard, D D., pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church, Greenwood, visited and arranged for Lutheran services in Clinton The first service was held in the Broad Street Metho dist Church on July 21, 1912, and was conducted by Dr. Ki nard. His ministry to the Clin ton Lutherans continued until May 19/ 1918 when he relin quished the Immanuel pas torate. In the early years the services, for the most part, were held in the home of Mr. and Mrs. O. I Shealy On May 1, 1920 the Rev. A J Bowers, D D , assumed the ministry to the Lutheran group in Clinton and on July 11, 1920, under his leadership the St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church was organized with 21 charter members-Messrs. J. D Boland and R W. Boland are still active members of the congregation The congregati n was received into the S C. Sy nod in the fall of the same year. Soon thereafter the Greenwood congregation and that of Clinton were united in a parish In April of 1922, St John's purchased a lot at 205 Hampton Avenue from Miss Emma Adams, at a cost of $1,- 030. Clinton Hospital Dist. Was Created In 1959 Legislation was passed in 1959 which created the Clinton Hospital District, established the Clinton Hospital Board of Directors, defined the duties and responsibilities of the Clinton Hospital Board of Directors and provided authorization to issue bonds of the Clinton Hospital District to help finance the construction of a hospital for the Clinton Hospital District The Board organized themselves, employed ar chitects and consultants and proceeded with plans for the construction of a hospital on a site that had been carefully selected. Mr. FredN. Crawford, Jr., was employed as ad ministrator. Financing for the original hospital project was obtained from Federal Hill- Burton Funds, sale of bonds of Clinton Hospital District, and substantial contributions from the Bailey Foundation and the Duke Endowment A portion of the 15 acre site was donated by Mrs. Elizabeth Young Dick. On October 1, 1962, a 52 bed general hospital for the Clinton Hospital District opened. The Board of Directors named the hospital “Bailey Memorial Hospital” in memory of Putsy Silas Balky, local industrialist who was instrumental in its development In 1966, the first addition to the hospital was opened. This expanded the hospital to 110 beds and increased some of the auxiliary service areas such as laboratory, x-ray, pharmacy and medical records. This addition was constructed and equipped at no cost to local taxpayers. Funds weri ob tained from the Federal Hill- Burton Program and sub stantial donations from the Bailey Foundation, the Duke Endowment the Marquette 1670 / \ XM 1970 SOUTH CAROLINA TRICENTENNIAL The Rev Muller R. Wingard assumed the pastoral duties of the joint parish n January 1, 1924. About a year later St. John’s initiated plans to build. The ground was officially bro ken on November 10, 1925 and the cornerstone laid on Decem ber 27, 1925. The first ser vice was held in the new and attractive church on Palm Sun day 1926. For a number of years prior to the completion < f the church building, the services were held in various buildings, m >stly in the Masonic Hall on South Broad Street, and except on the second Sunday of each month, on Sunday afternoon On July 15, 1964, the Rev. E Bryan Keisley S.T D. presi dent emeritus of Central Lu theran Theological Seminary, Fremont, Nebraska, began his service as interim pastor. Co incidental with his coming to Clinton was an upsurge of in terest in a building program. A site of alm"St four acres in Baldwin Heights was purchased at the cost of$10,000 which was later given by Mr and Mrs Shelton J Rimer and Mrs. Ka- thie R Harmon, in memory of Shelton ! Rimer Jr The service f the Blessing of the site and groundbreak ing was held on November 26, 1967. The first service in the new sanctuary was in October 13, 1968. The total cost of the site building and furnishings was about $180 000. On May 31 1969 Pastor Keisler resign ed as interim pastor of the congregation to move to his newly constructed home in Gil bert, S C. The Rev John L Setzler became pastor of the congregation on June 1. 1969 The present confirmed mem bership of the congregation numbers 146. Charitable Organization and the Torrington Company Clinton Bearings Plant A long term care facility (nursing home) is presently under construction on the south side of the hospital for the Clinton Hospital District This facility will provide 40 beds with appropriate facilities and is expected to be completed within the near future. Funds for this project were provided by the Federal Hill-Burton Program, sale of Clinton Hospital District bonds, and substantial donations from the Bailey Foundation, the Duke En dowment, the Torrington Company Clinton Bearings Plant, the Self Foundation, the C. W. Anderson Foundation and the Marquette Charitable Organization. The Bailey Memorial Hospital and Long Term Care Facility are modem in every respect and adequately equipped. The hospital employs approximately 117. The annual operating cost for the hospital is approximately $850,000. Nine physicians comprise the active Medical Staff. In ad dition, three dentists are on the Courtesy Staff, and fourteen doctors comprise the Consulting Medical Staff. £7 St. John’s Lutheran Church Happy 300th Birthday South Carolina WE ARE PROUD TO BE A PART OF CLINTON AND SOUTH CAROLINA! THANK YOU PEOPLE OF CLINTON FOR YOUR PATRONAGE DURING THE LAST 15 YEARS. PLEASE DONT GO AWAY — WE NEED YOU FOR THE NEXT 15 YEARS. Dillard Boland Jewelers MEMBER OF THE NATIONAL BRIDAL SERVICE 103 EAST PITTS STREET 833-1028