In the early 1900's (exact date not known) a few devoted and eager Christians, filled with the love of God, and remembering the words of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ -"where two or three are gathered together in my name there I am in their midst", assembled in a brush harbor somewhere on this property where this church is now located. They began worshiping in the name of God Almighty. They realized that God was with them. They named their place of worship, Christian Hill Missionary Baptist Church. They called their first pastor we have been told that his name was Rev. Robert Luster. We do not know the name of the deacons, nor do we have the name of the property owner.
Since that time, many pastors that we have no record have contributed to the growth of this church. To name a few Rev. Ned Johnson and Rev. Archie Manning.
The church was elevated from brush harbor to a log building which was also shared by the Bigbee Valley School-from there to a small frame church building.
Later, Rev. J. S. Davis was called to lead the flock. Under his leadership for many many years the church grew tremendously. He was a great pastor. Many souls were saved and baptized. Deacons were ordained. During his pastorialship the church was also blessed with two associate ministers, named Rev. Warren Stewart who served and remained with us until his death, and Rev. William "Bill Mack" Davis (Rev. Davis' son), who served and in later years departed from the state.
The rightful ownership of the church property was established on June 11, 1949 when deacons Eris Robinson, Hardy Ballenger, Sandford Boatman, Howard Manning
and Walker Boatman met with Mr. Oran Poindexter and Van Jernigan to sign deeds and have them recorded in the Noxubee County Court House. At that time, Deacon Jim Jones was the church clerk.
In 1953 Rev. C. C. Conner was elected. He served for ten years. Rev. Conner was widely known and loved by many for his Christian ability, his preaching and his spiritual leadership. His accomplishments were many. Membership increased greatly, auxiliaries were organized, programs and rallies were held to raise money to motivate church building. Deacons were ordained and many souls were saved and baptized.
In 1963 Rev R. M. Shaw succeeded Rev. Conner. Rev. Shaw was a dedicated and spiritual preacher who made a real impact in many areas of church growth. Some of his accomplishments were remolding and expanding of the old sanctuary which included bricking the old church's exterior and adding the section which houses the pastor's study, kitchen, and bathroom. He also oversaw the purchasing of new pews and a piano, more organized the choir, ordained deacons, and baptized many converts. He served the church well until his death in January 1980.
During March 1980 Rev. Bobby Bowen, our present pastor, was elected to be the shepherd of the flock. His deep reverence for God Almighty, his zeal to be a good shepherd and his ability to love "in spite of” have been made manifest in many accomplishments. Some of which include: ordaining ministers, deacons and saving many souls, building a new sanctuary with baptistery, converting old church into a fellowship with a kitchen and a day care center. Additional accomplishments include: extending Morning Services from one Sunday per month to Service Every Sunday, conducting Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting and Bible Study, increasing church choir from one to two choirs, installing P. A. System and starting a tape ministry. He was also our first pastor to baptize year-round, as opposed to once a year. During his leadership a large number of members have committed to paying tithing and offerings, as opposed to salary and building fund. He leads the way by setting examples for the entire church, as well as, his associate ministers, Rev. Tyrone Jamison, Rev. Abraham Greenlaw, Rev. Bernard Bowen, Rev. Danny Collins, Rev. DeMarcus Young, Rev. Alphonso Bowen and Rev. Freddie Robinson. Other Blessings during his pastorialship include phase one of the parking lot construction, van transporting services, emphasis on youth training and activities, and departmentalizing Sunday school classes to create the opportunity for maximum learning.
|
