United In Full Communion and Fellowship:
The History of Sparta Presbyterian Church
1906-2006
A brief history prepared by Sherry Joines Wyatt in Celebration of the Church Centennial
2006
United In Full Communion and Fellowship:
The History of Sparta Presbyterian Church
1906-2006
A brief history prepared by Sherry Joines Wyatt
in Celebration of the Church Centennial
2006
copyright 2006, Sparta Presbyterian Church
1
chapter 1
---How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said,
You, who unto Jesus for refuge have fled?1
----
Alleghany County, originally part of Ashe County, was settled in the 1780s and 1790s.
Many of the earliest settlers in the area were associated with the Presbyterian and Episcopalian
churches. Other early denominations included Lutherans, Quakers, Baptists and Methodists.
One of the earliest churches in northwestern North Carolina was the Grassy Creek Presbyterian
Church. It is thought that Reverend John Black of Abingdon, Virginia preached the first sermon
in Ashe County there in 1773; he preached at Beaver Creek the following Sunday. The Grassy
Creek church was short lived, however, and was defunct before the end of the Revolutionary
War. Lacking a Presbyterian minister in the area, many people of the Presbyterian faith
converted to the Baptist denomination. Other Presbyterians were among the early settlers who
moved further west into Kentucky during the early nineteenth century.2
By the 1850s, Ashe County was well-settled and a movement began to divide the very
large county into two separate entities. This was prompted both by the growing agrarian wealth
in the eastern section of the county (future Alleghany County) and the difficulty in reaching the
county seat in Jefferson, which lay twenty-five miles to the west. Legislation creating Alleghany
County was enacted in 1859.3 The new county seat was established near Gap Civil, which had
been settled before 1825 in the central section of Alleghany County. The new town was
christened “Sparta” by James H. Parks, an early merchant who sold part of the land for the
town and is thought to have played a role in the movement to create Alleghany County.4
The earliest church in Gap Civil was Little River Primitive Baptist Church, which was
established before 1809 (possibly as early as 1793). The original site of the church was on the
bank of the Little River about three miles east of Sparta; a new church was built in town about
1874. The Baptist faith was dominant among the early residents of northwestern North Carolina.
As the Baptist denomination grew it split into three primary groups. The division between
Primitive Baptists and Missionary Baptists came during the 1840s and the Union Baptists
branched off at the beginning of the Civil War.5
Methodists soon followed the Baptists into the region and Shiloh Methodist Church, one
of the earliest Methodist churches in Alleghany County, was established west of Sparta in 1838.
After Sparta's incorporation in 1879, Baptists and Methodists both founded new churches in the
town. Sparta First Baptist Church was established in 1884 and Sparta United Methodist Church
was founded in 1889.6
Although many early settlers in northwestern North Carolina had been Presbyterian, the
church lost its foothold to the Baptists and Methodists through much of the nineteenth century.
1 “How Firm a Foundation.” Hymn words from A Selection of Hymns from the Best Authors by John Rippon,
1787; music by Joseph Funk, 1832.
2 The Northwestern Herald, 28 February 1924, microfilm available at Ashe County Public Library.
3 History of Alleghany County, 1859 – 1976 and Alleghany County Heritage, 1983.
4 Ibid.
5 Ibid.
6 Ibid.
2
During his tour of the region in 1827 and 1828, Dr. Elisha Mitchell, himself an ordained
Presbyterian minister, wrote after dining at the home of Colonel and Mrs. Finley in Ashe
County, that they “are the only two Presbyterians from Ashe.”7 As late as 1884, Branson's
North Carolina Business Directory showed that there were just twenty-four Presbyterian
churches in the whole of western North Carolina. At this time, the Synod of North Carolina
sponsored only two evangelists in the region.8 Branson's 1890 North Carolina Business
Directory for Alleghany County found no Presbyterian presence although the town of Sparta
had by this time grown to a population of 148.
By 1900, however, Presbyterians were again in Alleghany and Ashe counties. Dr. Aras
B. Cox, a Methodist minister living in the Nathans Creek area of Ashe County, wrote in his
memoir in 1900: “Rev. Allen Jones, a Presbyterian minister stationed at Jefferson, is a popular
literary teacher and an active laborer in the ministry,” and “Rev. Wm. A. Murry is a
Presbyterian evangelist.” Further, Cox reported that “These gentlemen are well qualified
ministers of the gospel, whose faithful labors are accomplishing much toward building up the
Redeemer's kingdom on earth.”9
It was Reverend William A. Murray who began in earnest to promote the Presbyterian
faith in Alleghany County around 1900. Murray (1874-1950) was born in Greensboro and
earned degrees from Davidson College and Union Theological Seminary. Murray had recently
graduated from Union Seminary (in 1900) when he was sent to northwestern North Carolina by
the Orange Presbytery. The Presbytery had been established in the eastern part of the state in
1770. In 1901, Murray founded a church at Rocky Ridge in the community of Peden near the
New River in western Alleghany County.10 He then began to organize a church at Sparta.
Members of the Carson family in Alleghany County put Murray in contact with James H.
Carson (b. 1830) of Charlotte. Carson had been adopted at the age of eight by his uncle, William
Carson, a wealthy Charlotte merchant. James' parents were members of Little River Primitive
Baptist Church, but his education at Davidson College may have influenced his own
membership at Charlotte First Presbyterian Church. James H. Carson was a merchant who had
been known as one of the wealthiest young men west of Raleigh prior to the Civil War. He
agreed to build a church building provided Orange Presbytery would erect a manse to
accompany it.11
After raising about $600 towards this goal, Reverend Murray was called to Lincolnton in
the spring of 1903. Later that summer, Reverend A. H. Temple (1853-1933), who was a native
of Sparta, Illinois, arrived to continue Murray's work. He secured a four-acre lot for $260 and
began to acquire lumber for the church building. Reverend Temple was succeeded in November
of 1903 by Reverend James Cameron Story (1868-1939) who was born in McLeansville, N.C.
and had recently graduated from Davidson College in 1902. Reverend Story served the fledgling
church until 1906. Plans for a seven-room manse were obtained from architect H.C. Linthicum
(other sources record the name as Linkricune) and it was begun in the winter of 1903-1904 and
completed by 1906 at a cost of $1,300.12
7 Diary of a Geological Tour by Dr. Elisha Mitchell in 1827 and 1828
8 Western North Carolina Since the Civil War, Ina and John Van Noppen, 1973.
9 Footprints on the Sands of Time, Dr. Aras B. Cox, 1900.
10 Rocky Ridge Presbyterian Church closed about 1954 after a failed attempt by Sparta Presbyterian to revive it.
11 Alleghany County Heritage, 1983, church minute book, “History of the Carson Memorial Church,” Mrs. R.L.
(Dovie) Berry, and “Sparta Presbyterian Church,” commemorative pamphlet prepared for re-dedication of
church in 1984.
12 Ibid.
3
Work on the first church building was started in the fall of 1904 with Carson
contributing $1,000 towards the total cost of over $1,200. Another significant donor to the
church building fund was Hilary F. Jones.13 Jones was a Sparta merchant who made his
contributions for the new church as a gift to his wife, Nancy Jane (Nannie), who had grown up
in Iredell County and was a graduate of Mitchell College in Statesville. Her ancestors were
members of the venerable Fourth Creek Congregation, founded in 1764 and now First
Presbyterian Church of Statesville.14
Carson Memorial Presbyterian Church,
photograph from about 1910.
13 Ibid.
14 Unpublished manuscript by Ewing Cheek Gray, granddaughter of Nancy Jane Jones and First Presbyterian
Church of Statesville website, www.fpcstatesville.org
4
chapter 2
---Psalms 137: 5-6
If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning.
If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not
Jerusalem above my chief joy.15
---The frame church building was dedicated as Carson Memorial Presbyterian Church on
August 26, 1906 by Reverend E.L. Siler and Reverend J.C. Story. Those signing a petition to
organized the church after this service were George Cheek, J.P. Isom, G.H. Harris, Mrs. Nannie
J. Jones, Mrs. Mervyn Cheek, Mrs. Zahida R. Story, Mrs. Jane Creed, Mrs. Phebe Harris, Mrs.
Phebe Thompson, and Miss Emma Carson.16
From these charter members, George Cheek was elected ruling elder and served as
session clerk until 1940. Cheek, a native of Alleghany County, opened his law practice in Sparta
in 1900 and continued to serve there until his retirement in 1940. He also served as
Commissioner of Alleghany County for thirty-five years. His wife, Mervyn Jones Cheek, was
the daughter of Hilary and Nannie Jones, who are discussed above. Like her mother, Mervyn
had attended Mitchell College and later served as the Sparta postmistress from 1902 until
1914.17
Of the other charter members, we know that G.H. Harris was General Henderson Harris,
the son of Joel Gilmore Harris of Glade Valley. Joel Harris would be instrumental in the
establishment of the Presbyterian School at Glade Valley in 1909. G.H. Harris and his wife
Pheobe Smith Harris transferred their membership to Glade Valley Presbyterian Church in
1908. Jane Creed was Mrs. Columbus Creed and the sister of Joel Gilmore Creed. She too,
transferred to Glade Valley Presbyterian in 1908. Emma Carson is likely Emma Carson Spaugh,
the daughter of Andrew J. and Emmaline Carson. She was the niece of building fund donor
James H. Carson. Phebe Thompson was Phebe Bryan Thompson (d. 25 November 1906), the
wife of George Thompson of Glade Valley. Zahida R. Story was the wife of Reverend J.C.
Story. Nothing is currently known about J.P. Isom.18
A “History of the Carson Memorial Church,” written by Dovie Berry (wife of Reverend
R.L. Berry) also lists Andrew J. Carson and H.J. Jones as signers of the original petition.
Andrew J. Carson was the brother of James H. Carson and father of Emma Carson. However,
H.J. Jones died in 1905 prior to the 1906 dedication, bringing doubt to this information.
The connections of several of the early members with Glade Valley manifest in the 1908
establishment of Glade Valley Presbyterian Church. This was followed in 1909 with the
construction by Orange Presbytery of Glade Valley School.19 Located near the church, the
school filled the need for an accredited high school in northwestern North Carolina. It is thought
that the Presbytery provided the design for both the Glade Valley church as well as a
Presbyterian church built about the same time at Cherry Lane (now Mt. Carmel Baptist
15
16
17
18
19
Text of dedicatory sermon, 26 August 1906, Reverends E.L. Siler and J.C. Story.
Church minute book.
Ibid and Alleghany County Heritage, 1983
Ibid. Note: www. rootsweb.com information records Mrs. Story's name as Zippora H.
The school closed in 1985.
5
Church).20
Records from the early years of Carson Memorial Presbyterian Church are sparse, but by
1907 Reverend Story had left the area. He went on to work in Oklahoma and later founded a
church in Marion, N.C., where he served for twenty-five years.21 Without a regular pastor,
Reverend D.K. Lilly, D.D. of Winston-Salem First Presbyterian moderated the Carson
Memorial Session meeting on August 27, 1907 where three members of the McCann family
were “commended to the Christian love and fellowship of our church.” Nearly a year later,
session met at the new Cherry Lane church with Reverend E.C. Murray, D.D. and Elder A.T.
Walker of Tenth Avenue Presbyterian Church in Charlotte. Walker served an important role in
the establishment of the church at Glade Valley.22
Carson Memorial's Session met consistently through July, August and September of
1908, with the help of various representatives from the Charlotte church and Orange Presbytery.
The meeting of September 27, 1908 was held in “the New Church at Glade Valley.” Then,
inexplicably, the minutes skip to 1914. Further obscuring this early period, the church roster
does not include the earliest members. The roster begins with the name of Myrtle B. Choate,
who joined by transfer of certificate as Miss Myrtle Beeker in October of 1914. Information
about pastors serving the church during this period is limited as well. Reverend W.F.
Hollingsworth (b.1867) served from 1911 until 1915 and is listed as “pastor evangelist” at the
1914 Session meeting. Hollingsworth, who was born in Georgia, had received his degree from
Davidson College in 1890 and earned a degree from Columbia Seminary in 1893.23
Reverend Emmette Wayne Thompson (1875-1956), served both Carson Memorial and
Glade Valley churches between 1916 and 1917. He was the son of George Washington
Thompson and Phebe Bryan Thompson, a charter member of the Carson Memorial Church. He
was married to Olivia Jane Duncan in 1898. Receiving his call to preach late in life after joining
Glade Valley Presbyterian Church, Reverend Thompson was licensed by Orange Presbytery in
1914 and went on to serve churches in Maryland and Charlotte, N.C.24
No Session minutes survive from the 1915-1937 period, but the church roster shows that
four new members joined: one in 1915 and in 1920 and two in 1932. The roster is incomplete as
we know that other members, such as Glenn Nichols, also joined during this period. Some of the
activity of the church during this era is preserved in the recollections of Hoke Cox McMillan.
Moving to Sparta in 1916, his parents, Ed and Leila McMillan rented an apartment in the manse
until the family moved to their own home in 1918. The manse had a central hall and was divided
into two apartments. Families that resided here in the late 1910s and 1920s included Don and
Verdie Shores, the Foster Hackler family, and the Whitner family. As a boy, Mr. McMillan
recalls attending “evening events” at the Presbyterian church (the family were actually members
of the Methodist church). “Sister Ima,” he writes, “always recalled going to an altar call at an
evening worship and being in awe at the light reflected through a stained glass window across
the altar.”25
Of the congregation during this era, we know that Myrtle Beeker Choate (1897-1985)
20 Alleghany Architecture: A Pictorial Survey, 1983.
21 www. rootsweb.com . Note: Story Memorial Presbyterian Church in Marion is thought to have been named for
him.
22 “History of the Carson Memorial Church,” “Sparta Presbyterian Church History, 1900-1984,” church minute
book, church roster and “Sparta Presbyterian Church” pamphlet.
23 Ibid.
24 Alleghany County Heritage and Interview with Shirley Thompson Laws, 2006.
25 Hoke Cox McMillan, written recollections provided to Centennial Committee, 2006.
6
played an important role. Mrs. Choate, held a degree in music from Mitchell College and had
been a member of Thyatira Presbyterian Church in Statesville while in school. She married Dr.
P.L. Choate in 1917. The couple established a home on Main Street where Mrs. Choate taught
piano for many years. She served as pianist for Carson Memorial Presbyterian for most of her
adult life. Her biography prepared by the Women of the Church states that “every Sunday
morning she was at her church, gently smiling, giving inspiration to all. Then, with a casserole
in one hand, a Bible or music in the other, she was there for the programs of the church.”
Reverend A.R. Woodson, who was born in St. Louis in 1867 and
had graduated from Columbia Seminary in 1906, served as pastor
during 1918. He was succeeded in 1919 by Reverend C.W. Ervin. A
native of South Carolina and a graduate of Davidson College,
Reverend Ervin came to Alleghany County in 1918 and served Carson
Memorial church as well as the churches at Rocky Ridge and Glade
Valley. Hoke McMillan tells us that Reverend Ervin and his family
“lived out at Glade Valley during this era.” Ervin gave up full-time
ministry in 1925 and taught at Glade Valley School until 1947. He
served in the state legislature from 1946-1947 and chaired the
committee to build the county hospital in 1948. In honor of his service
to the Glade Valley Presbyterian Church, the C.W. Ervin Memorial
Woman, thought to
Fund was established in 1972 to restore that church building.26
be Mrs. Choate,
Reverend S.L. Hunter (b.1894) was a native of California and
playing church
graduated from Davidson College in 1917 and from Union Seminary in
organ in 1960s.
1923. He served Carson Memorial between 1926 and 1928. Reverend
J.J. Douglas was born in Cumnock, N.C. in 1875 and graduated from Wake Forest College in
1898. After serving eight years as a Baptist minister, he switched to the Presbyterian church. He
was Poet Laureate of North Carolina and authored two volumes of poetry. Reverend Douglas
served in Sparta from 1930 until 1932. Reverend O.W. Marshall pastored the church during this
period as well, but nothing is known about him or his tenure. Reverend Ervin served again in
1933-1934. Although the pastorate was held by several men during this period, the church
appears to have become increasingly stable. This is evidenced in 1931, by the organization of
the Woman's Auxiliary (later known as the Women of the Church) with Mrs. Cooper Duncan,
Mrs. George Cheek, and Mrs. Ella Gentry as officers. Meetings were held twice monthly; once
as an Auxiliary and once as a Circle.27
26 “Sparta Presbyterian Church” pamphlet and Alleghany County Heritage.
27 “History of the Carson Memorial Church.”
7
chapter 3
---Question 1: Who made You?
Answer: God.
Question 2: What else did God make?
Answer: God made all things.
Question 145: What is heaven?
Answer: A glorious and happy place, where the righteous shall be forever with the Lord.28
---The arrival of Reverend R.L. Berry in 1935 further strengthened the church, which
entered a period of significant growth. Reverend Berry and his wife Dovie moved into the
newly repaired manse and were the first pastor's family to live there in over twenty years.
Reverend Berry (1895-1964) attended Davidson and King colleges and graduated from Union
Theological Seminary in 1920. He was one of the sixteen charter members of the WinstonSalem (Concord) Presbytery, which was formed in 1923.29
Under Reverend Berry's leadership, ten new members joined Carson Memorial church in
1938 with two additional members in 1941 and 1944. The original frame church building was
found to be unsafe and ground was broken in May 1936 for a new church building. Construction
of the brick-veneered building was overseen by Reverend Berry and according to The Alleghany
Times was “expected to be a very presentable addition to the town's buildings.”The bricks for
the new building were donated by Henry Belk of Charlotte. Glenn Nichols was chairman of the
building fund and Younce L. Cooper was in charge of the construction. While the new church
was being built, the congregation met twice monthly at the nearby First Baptist Church.30
After a gap of more than fifteen years,
the church minutes resume in 1937. George
Cheek and Glenn Nichols were serving as
Elders at this time. Dr. C.A. Thompson was
elected as an additional Elder in 1940 and Alton
Thompson was elected Deacon. The election of
representatives (one of the Elders) to attend the
periodic Presbytery meetings was a primary
source of business for the Session.31
G. Glenn Nichols (1884-1971) was born
near Sparta and attended Appalachian State
Teachers College and the University of North
Carolina. He taught school in Alleghany County
for twenty-one years and an additional year in
Wilkes County. He served as Mayor of Sparta The second Carson Memorial Presbyterian
for fourteen years and as Justice of the Peace Church building was completed in 1937.
28 From A Catechism for Young Children, an Introduction to the Shorter Catechism, A.W. Mitchell, 1840. This
was the Catechism booklet used by Shirley Thompson Laws.
29 “The Reverend Mr. James Robert Lowery Berry,” memorial from Winston- Salem Presbytery Minutes, 22
September 1964.
30 Alleghany Times, 28 May 1936 and “History of the Carson Memorial Church.”
31 Church minute book.
8
for thirty-nine years. Nichols joined Carson Memorial Presbyterian on May 22, 1923 with his
wife Alice Irwin Nichols and became a Deacon the following year. Nichols was ordained as an
Elder in 1932 and took over the role of clerk of Session in 1940. He also served as
Superintendent of the Sunday School for about thirty years before retiring in 1969. “He attended
his church regularly,” wrote his daughter Opal Nichols Atwood in 1983, “and his warm
greeting at the door of the church came to be almost a part of the worship service itself.”32
Dr. C.A. Thompson (1899-1980) was the son of
Reverend E. Wayne and Olivia Thompson and married Edna
Halsey in 1930. After graduating from Glade Valley School, he
went on to Davidson College and graduated from Wake Forest
College in 1922. He completed his medical training at the
Medical College of Virginia in 1924 and established his practice
in Sparta in 1925 in B&T Drugstore, which he owned with Roy
“Doc” Burgess. He is thought to have joined Carson Memorial
in the late 1920s or early 1930s. He served as Elder from 1940
through at least 1972 and continued to be active in the church
until his death.
Alton Thompson, Dr. Thompson's brother, joined Carson
Memorial in 1938 with his wife Mary Ennice Osborne
Thompson. A long-time employee of Northwestern Bank, he
retired as manager in 1980. After being elected Deacon in 1940,
Thompson served in this capacity through at least the early
Dr. C.A. and Edna
1960s. He also served as church treasurer for many years.
Thompson.
In April of 1941, Sunday School officers and teachers
were elected by the session: G. Glenn Nichols, superintendent; Alton Thompson, secretarytreasurer; Rev. C.W. Ervin, teacher of Bible class; Harold Higgins, teacher of boys class; Lilly
Ervin teacher of larger girls class; and Mrs. R.L. Berry and Mrs. C.A. Thompson, beginners
class. That same month, Session met again to discuss plans for completing Sunday School
rooms in the church. Members who
attended Sunday School during the 1940s
and early 1950s recall that the completed
rooms were in the church basement and
surrounded a large open room that was
used as the recreation room.33
Shirley Thompson Laws, daughter of
Dr. and Mrs. C.A. Thompson, recalls that
before the new rooms were completed,
Mrs. Berry's small Sunday School class
was held in the kitchen of the manse.
Attendance at Sunday School was
rewarded with a small lamb that children
pasted on a paper printed with a pastoral
scene. In addition to Sunday School,
Sunday School or Bible School class in front of
there was Bible School in the summer.
original manse during the 1940s.
32 Alleghany County Heritage.
33 Interviews with Charles R. Joines and Ronny Hash, 2006.
9
The morning sessions were held on the front porch of the manse and later in the completed
church basement. Bible School was well attended with as many as twenty-five children from
many different churches. The school drew primarily children who lived in town as there were
many families living on Main Street and its side streets during this period.34
The culmination of a Presbyterian child's church education was learning the 145
questions and answers in A Catechism for Young Children, an Introduction to the Shorter
Catechism. Most children were examined before the church by answering select questions, but a
prize was given for those who could recite the Catechism in its entirety. Charles Joines “worked
on it all summer,” but received his prize and made his mother, Grace Edwards Joines, proud.35
The youth activities of the church were promoted by Reverend Berry who is remembered
as being an active mentor for the young boys of the community. He coached them in football
and was particularly fond of tennis. He and his charges played on courts at the home of Edwin
Duncan. Reverend Berry loved the outdoors, especially fishing. He went fishing regularly with
R.L. Joines, a church member, and Hicks Hash, whose wife and family were also members.
Ronny Hash well remembers Reverend Berry walking down Main Street past the Hash house
towards Little River, fishing pole in hand.36
Group photograph of Carson Memorial Church Sunday School or
Bible School during the 1940s. Reverend Berry is on the far right.
By 1943, the church had twenty-five members and a budget of $528.90. By the mid1940s, however, the church was struggling. Long-time members George and Mervyn Cheek had
retired to Colorado in 1940 and Reverend Berry resigned his post in 1944. There was no
permanent minister from 1944 until 1951 although Reverend E.W. Thompson and Reverend
C.W. Ervin provided leadership. Two dedicated Elders are thought to have carried the church
through this difficult period: Glenn Nichols and Dr. C.A. Thompson. Additional leadership
came from Alton Thompson and R.L. Joines, who was elected Elder in 1945 after joining the
34 Interviews with Charles R. Joines and Shirley Thompson Laws.
35 Ibid.
36 Interview with Shirley Thompson Laws, Charles R. Joines, and Ronny Hash.
10
church in 1941. The gap in the church minutes between 1948 and 1951 may reflect the most
difficult period.37
In March of 1952 there were only fifteen communicants but the church was
reinvigorated through the efforts of an energetic young minister, Reverend Richard Hildebrandt.
Despite the church's low membership, a congregational meeting was called in September of
1951 to discuss building a new manse for the Hildebrandts. The plans for the manse were put
out to bid in May of 1952. Reverend Hildebrandt began serving the church while still attending
Union Theological Seminary. “I used to drive from Richmond to Sparta every weekend,” he
told the Winston-Salem Journal in 1956, “I'd try to make as many calls as possible, preach my
sermon and then catch up on my sleep before driving back to Richmond.” He joined his family
in Sparta in 1955 after completing his degree and jointly served Sparta and Glade Valley
Presbyterian churches. He resigned in 1956, moving on to churches in Elkin and later
Hillsborough, where he is now retired.38
Like Reverend Berry, Reverend Hildebrandt was active with the church youth. Charles
(Charlie) Willis, the son of Dr. and Mrs. T.V. Willis, recalls Reverend Hildebrandt taking young
people to Camp Greer, a church summer camp near Asheville. Reverend Hildebrandt was also
an avid tennis player. Session minutes from April 5, 1953 record that permission was granted
for the Sparta Tennis Club, of which Reverend Hildebrandt was certainly a member, “to prepare
a Tennis Court on the Church property with a restriction that no tennis shall be played at any
time during any Church service in Town.” This court was located behind the church where the
parking lot is now.39
Seven new members were accepted into the church in 1951 and 1953 and an additional
six members were added in 1955 and 1956. Among those joining in 1951 were Dr. T.V. Willis
and Ouida Willis and Wade and Louise Choate. The year they joined, Dr. Willis was added as
Elder and Mr. Choate was elected Deacon. The total communicants reported at the end of 1955
had grown to forty and the church carried a budget for 1956 of over $3,200. This period of
growth and change is epitomized by the congregational meeting of March 23, 1952 where
Carson Memorial Presbyterian Church became Sparta Presbyterian Church. Also at this
meeting, the congregation requested title to all church property be transferred from WinstonSalem Presbytery to a local Board of Trustees.40
The activities of the Women of the Church, Sunday School, and Bible School during the
1950s were supplemented by occasional guest ministers and revivals. At a Session meeting on
April 26, 1953, for example, motions carried to have Bible School the first two weeks of June
and to prepare for a “series of meetings to be held in June by some Evangelist.” This event was
actually held the first week of September by evangelist Reverend Sidney McCarty. The church
choir was also active during this period with R.L. Joines, Dr. and Mrs. T.V. Willis and several
others as members. In July of 1953, Mrs. Edna Thompson, Mrs. Myrtle Choate, and Mrs. R.E.
Hildebrandt met with session and obtained permission for the church to purchase fabric to make
choir robes.41
Among the active members of the church at this time Dr. T.V. and Ouida Willis are
notable. The couple moved to Alleghany County from Georgia in December 1950. Dr. Willis
(1901-1973) was a 1926 graduate of Emory University and Mrs. Willis (1905-1991) graduated
37
38
39
40
41
Church minute book.
Winston-Salem Journal, 11 June 1956.
Interviews with Charles R. Joines, Shirley Thompson Laws, and Charles Willis and church minute book.
Church minute book.
Interview with Charles R. Joines and church minute book.
11
from Georgia State College for Women in 1929. She taught school in Georgia until her marriage
in 1935 and resumed teaching in 1952 after moving to Sparta. She retired in 1970. Dr. Willis
was the first surgeon to serve in the new Alleghany Memorial Hospital where he worked until
his retirement in 1971. Both Dr. and Mrs. Willis gave many years of service to the church. He as
Elder beginning in 1951 and she as President of the Women of the Church. Both served in the
choir and taught Sunday School. Mrs. Willis also taught Bible School and is remembered by her
pupils as an excellent teacher making their Christian education interesting and accessible.42
The activity of the Women of the Church is found in a “Report of
Women's Work” included in the minute book. Nineteen women were
members of the Women of the Church at the end of 1955. In that year,
they had contributed $18.32 towards “world missions,” over $40 to
“church extension,” and $64.72 to “building expense.”43
The 1950s was a period of policy setting within the church. The
June 1955 Session meeting set a series of committees (planning, pulpit,
and music) charged with organizing various aspects of the church. At the
same time, Session issued guidelines for conducting weddings and
funerals in the church and established their view for the pastor's role in
these events. These minutes give us a glimpse into the beliefs of church
Mrs. Ouida Willis leaders during this period. “We heartly [sic] endorse a funeral sermon
in school
that is positive in content and helpful in creating a climate that will
photograph from
enable the surviving members of the family to work out their grief” they
the 1950s.
wrote, “We do not feel that the funeral service is the time nor the place to
carry on an evangelistic crusade . . .”44
42 Alleghany County Heritage and Interview with Ronny Hash.
43 Church minute book.
44 Ibid.
12
chapter 4
---Peter I, 5: 1 – 3
The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings
of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:
Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but
willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;
Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. 45
---After Reverend Hildebrandt's resignation in 1956, a call was issued to Reverend R.L.
Berry who was then serving in Oxford, N.C. Reverend Berry accepted the call and was again at
Sparta Presbyterian Church by November of 1956; he was formally installed on February 10,
1957. The church grew to reach fifty-six communicants at the end of 1956 with a Sunday
School enrollment of sixty-three.46
The activities of the church in the late 1950s continued to include Bible School. In 1957
the teachers were Reverend R.L. Berry, Mrs. R.L. Berry, Mrs. T.V. Willis, and Mrs. Ruth
Triplett. Sunday School teachers in 1958 were R.L. Joines and Dr. T.V. Willis for teenage boys,
Pauline Crouse and Mrs. A.V. Choate for teenage girls, Mrs. Ruth Triplett and Maybelline
Choate were probably the teachers for younger children, and Mrs. T.V. Willis and Rev. C.W.
Ervin taught the adult class. The focus on the youth of the church was institutionalized
beginning with the budget for 1958, which included a line item of $40 for “young people work.”
The 1958 Bible School was held from 9 until 11 on the mornings of June 16th through
June 20th with an enrollment of
fifty children. Mrs. R.L.
Berry, Mrs. Floyd Triplett,
Mrs. C.A. Thompson, Mrs.
Wade Choate, Rev. Berry, and
Mrs. Glenn Busic were
teachers.
Myrtle
Choate
provided the music. The
Women of the Church
provided refreshments and
Commencement
occurred
during the Sunday School
hour with the presentation of
certificates of attendance. At
the end of 1959, the church
rolls held sixty members and
Women preparing for a meal in the church basement
Sunday School enrollment
47
recreation room during the mid-1950s
was up to seventy-five.
45 Portion of text of sermon by Reverend J.W. Luke during installation ceremony of Reverend R. L. Berry, 10
February 1957.
46 Church minute book.
47 Ibid. and Women of the Church History for 1958.
13
The life of the church in the 1950s and 1960s included family night suppers and youth
events. The annual Christmas program was a long-standing tradition and generally required the
memorization of lines and songs by the children of the church. Session minutes from October
12, 1961 stated that “a motion carried
authorizing the Sunday School teachers to plan
a Christmas program” and in 1962 Jess
Gentry, Bill Choate, and Wayne Triplett were
appointed as that year's Decorating Committee
while Louise Choate, Edna Thompson, and
Mrs. A.V. Choate were in charge of the supper
that would culminate the event. The Christmas
Program script from 1968 survives and we
find Debbie Choate playing Mary and Tony
Adams as Joseph. Sandra Stoker was the
reader. The pageant also included five
shepherds (Charlie Young, Roger Adams,
Holly Choate, Tommy Triplett, and Leedee
Stoker) and three wise men (Henry Johnson,
John Landreth, and Terry Choate).48
Reverend Berry tendered his resignation in
Reverend Berry performing the marriage
May 1964 and planned to retire in Sparta that
ceremony of Charles R. and Barbara Joines
December. He died on September 8, 1964,
in the church on December 17, 1961.
however, after suffering a stroke.49
After learning of Reverend Berry's resignation, Glade Valley and Sparta churches
discussed consolidating the two churches with congregational meetings at both churches. The
churches decided to continue as separate entities, but worked together to secure a pastor for both
churches. A call was made in the fall of 1965 to Reverend John W. “Mack” McQueen, who was
then serving in Charleston, S.C. Reverend McQueen (b.1907) was a native of South Carolina
and a 1933 graduate of Columbia Seminary. He was Army Chaplain during World War II and
had served churches in Georgia, Alabama, and South Carolina before coming to serve Sparta
and Glade Valley. He was married to Sally Fiske Lindsey. Reverend McQueen was
recommended by Dr. and Mrs. T.V. Willis, whom he had married in 1935. Reverend McQueen
is remembered as a good story teller with a far-reaching voice. Membership at Sparta
Presbyterian in 1965 stood at sixty-nine. 50
48 Church minute book and “Christmas Program – 1968,” script in possession of Carolyn Young.
49 Memorial from minutes of Winston-Salem Presbytery.
50 Church minute book and Interview with Charles Willis, 2006.
14
chapter 5
---We dedicate this building. And now, as a people within the household of God, in the unity of
faith, in the communion of saints, in love and goodwill to all, in gratitude for the gifts of this
place to be an habitation of God through the Spirit, we dedicate ourselves to the study and
worship of God and the service of His Kingdom. . . 51
--The late 1960s and 1970s were a period of modernization for the church. In April of
1967 “radio services” were approved and the deacons were asked to arrange for the necessary
equipment, beginning the ongoing practice of broadcasting the live church service on WCOK
radio.52 Also in the interest of improved communication, a bi-monthly newsletter was founded.
Produced by Reverend McQueen, Lois Landreth, and Carolyn Young, the first edition of the
“Sparta Presbyterian Church-Chat” was issued in September of 1969.53
Sunday School teachers in 1968-69 were
kindergarten: Marie Choate; grades 1-2: Carolyn
Young; grades 3-4: Lois Landreth; grades 5-6:
Elizabeth Hester; grades 7-8 Mrs. McQueen;
grades 9-10 Gene Gray; and grades 11-12: Ouida
Willis. In order to better serve its members
attending Sunday School, the church voted at a
congregational meeting on May 18, 1969 to build
an education building. Architect's drawings of
the new addition were presented in July of 1970
and the building was completed later that year at
a cost of $20,000, half of which was borrowed
and half of which was contributed. The building
was built by Reliable Construction Company of
Monroe and included a youth center, bathrooms,
pastor's study, and six classrooms. The old
basement of the church was renovated after the Reverend McQueen and Glenn Nichols at
construction to include a kitchen and fellowship the Education Building ground-breaking in
hall.54
1970.
The Women of the Church group had
long been an active and influential part of the church under the leadership of women like Lois
Landreth, Carolyn Young, Ouida Willis, Maybelline Choate, Elizabeth Hester, and Rebecca
Choate who were the officers and committee chairs for 1967. The role of women in the church
expanded in the 1960s and 1970s as women increasingly served on the church's primary
committees (building, worship, house and grounds, witness and service, commitment, and
strengthening the church). This culminated in 1969 with Ouida Willis and Carolyn Young's
highly visible roles as members of the building committee for the education building. Dorothy
Duncan became the first woman to serve as a church leader when she was elected Deacon in
51
52
53
54
Litany of Dedication by Reverend John McQueen, 27 September 1970.
Church minute book.
Ibid and copies of “Sparta Presbyterian Church-Chat” from 1969 and 1970 in the possession of Lois Landreth.
Church minute book.
15
January of 1973. Mrs. Duncan was a member from 1971 until her death. The first woman
ordained as Elder in the church was Lucy Hale in December of 1973. Mrs. Hale later moved to
Minnesota in 1975.55
The governance system of the church also underwent change during this period. First, a
rotation system for Elders and Deacons was enacted in 1972. The first Elders under this system
were Gene Gray, Edward Johnson, and Arnold Young and Deacons were Charles D. Choate,
Roger Murdoch, and Dorothy Duncan. This shift represented a changing of the guard as men
such as Dr. T.V. Willis, Dr. C.A. Thompson, and R.L. Joines, who had been Elders since the
1940s and 1950s, retired from service. In 1981, the church adopted a one-board system by
abolishing the office of Deacon. All Deacons serving at this time were made Elders.
Though marked by major construction projects and important shifts in the organization,
the 1960-1980 period was also a time of the continuation of personal service to the church in the
tradition of George Cheek, Dr. T.V. Willis, and Glenn Nichols. For example, Jess Gentry, who
began serving as deacon in 1957, suggested in March of 1971 “that someone be responsible for
turning the heat and lights on and off.” Mr. Gentry volunteered to take on this role “for one or
two years” but he went on to serve the church in this capacity for more than thirty years. In
addition to readying the church building for Sunday worship, he also took charge of the removal
of snow and ice from steps and walks during winter weather. Similarly, Arnold Young was
installed as an Elder soon after he joined the church in 1966 and he continued to serve the
church until his death in 2002. His hugs and smiles were as much a part of the church as the
Benediction.56
Among the women, Ouida Willis, Myrtle Choate, and many others served tirelessly for
many years. The “Church-Chat” memorialized Ouida Willis's service after she announced her
retirement from Alleghany High School in 1970: “Hers has been a great ministry to many
hundreds of young people. . .”57 The Women of the Church officers in 1976 included many who
would continue the work of their predecessors in the years to come: Carolyn Young, President;
Lois Landreth, Vice President; Mary Harless, Secretary and Edna Thompson, Treasurer. Nine
other women were elected to serve as chairs of Morning and Evening Circle, the Bi-centennial
committee, Family Life, Community Action, and Leadership and Resources.58
John Brady, Arnold Young, Basil
Landreth, Ed Johnson, and Gene Gray in
front of church, c.1970.
55
56
57
58
Ibid.
Ibid. and personal recollections of the author.
“Sparta Presbyterian Church-Chat,” 30 April 1970.
Church minute book.
16
Reverend McQueen resigned his post in 1973 and entered his retirement. Reverend
Robert Stroud, a faculty member at Glade Valley School filled the pulpit part-time during 1973
and 1974. In 1973, after being discussed for many years, the small congregation of Glade Valley
Church merged with Sparta Presbyterian after votes from both congregations. The connection of
the two churches had always been close. They often shared a minister and held joint services.
The Women of the Church from the two churches held meetings together once a month for
many years in the 1950s and 1960s.59
For nearly two years, the newly combined church, led by a combined Session, searched
for a minister. Reverend Donald Mimbs was called in the fall of 1975. Reverend Mimbs
(b.1936) grew up in Florida and was married to Arzetta Stevens in 1959. He is a graduate of
Florida Southern College, Southeastern Baptist Seminary and Loma Linda University. He
served at churches in Florida, Lenoir and Liberty, N.C. before retiring as Navy Chaplain, a post
he held from 1969 until 1974. Since 1984, Reverend Mimbs has earned his doctorate degree.
Reverend Mimbs presence from the pulpit was striking with his shock of silver hair and jovial
countenance. Active in the community, he was a member of the local Lion's Club and was
popular among his congregation. By the end of 1976, the church budget was in excess of
$20,000 and the membership had grown to 156 with six elders (two women and four men) and
six deacons (one woman and five men).
Reverend Mimbs and his wife, Arzetta, in the
church fellowship hall in 1984.
59 Ibid. and Women of the Church histories.
17
Chapter 6
---Brothers and sisters in Christ, this is a day of rejoicing. We have come together to consecrate
this building of the Sparta Presbyterian Church. Let us open our hearts and minds to receive
God's word and faith.60
---Activity in the church, particularly the youth activities, relied on the children of active
members. Marty Young, the daughter of Arnold and Carolyn Young was Summer Youth camp
leader in 1978. She was succeeded in 1980 by Mary Sue Johnson, the daughter of Edward and
Frances Johnson. Despite this, however, by 1980 active membership had dropped to 132.
Session in 1980 included Caroline Coker, Mary Harless, Arnold Young, Gene Gray, Herman
Hayden, and Nelson Harrill. Emily Boehler was elected Sunday School superintendent.61
Sparta Presbyterian Church after 1984 renovation.
(photograph courtesy of Imaging Specialists, Inc.)
As early as May of 1978, the Session began to discuss the future of the sanctuary and in
1981 options to renovate the church, add a narthex, or to relocate the church were presented to
the congregation. The decision to add a narthex and make changes to the interior and exterior
was made and the renovation was designed by Sinnett/Smith Architects. Gene Dysart,
Maybelline Turbeville, Carolyn Young, and Arza Stevens served on the building committee.
The work was funded by many generous gifts including large gifts from Mrs. Bessie Lee
Duncan and the Estate of Burtis Griffith. The renovation was completed in late 1983 and
dedicated on May 6, 1984. At the end of that year, membership had risen to 151.
60 Declaration of Purpose published in Order of Worship for Re-dedication of Sanctuary on May 6, 1984.
61 Church minute book.
18
Membership fell again throughout the late 1980s and 1990s and stood at 132 in 1999.
The church was not without leadership during this period, however. After Reverend Mimbs'
resignation in 1984, Dr. James T. Frazier served as interim pastor through February of 1985.
Reverend Tom Bagnel served as interim pastor from February until August of 1985, when Dr.
Frazier was installed as pastor. A native of Orlando, Florida, Dr. Frazier graduated from
Ashland Junior College and Centre College in Kentucky before receiving his Master of Divinity
from Columbia Theological Seminary 1959. He went on to earn his Doctorate in Ministry from
Union Theological Seminary in 1974. Soon after his installation, Dr. Frazier and his wife Peggy
purchased a farm in Alleghany County and
began raising Christmas trees. In addition
to agriculture, Dr. Frazier has a strong
interest in history. His extensive
knowledge of his own Scottish heritage
was often found in his sermons. He was
well known for the efforts he made to visit
regularly with all of the members of his
congregation.
Since
Dr.
Frazier's
retirement in 1998 he and Peggy have
continued to reside at their farm.
Between 1998 and 2000, Sparta
Dr. Frazier and family in 1998.
Presbyterian Church was served by
Reverend Paul Ridolfi. Reverend Thom
Burleson was installed as pastor in 2000 and continues to serve the church. A graduate of the
University of North Carolina, Reverend Burleson earned his Master of Divinity from Princeton
Theological Seminary and is currently working towards his doctoral degree at Union
Theological Seminary. The youngest pastor to serve the church in many years, Reverend
Burleson's own young family are at the center of his ministry. A native of western North
Carolina, Reverend Burleson is working towards building membership in the church.
19
Epilogue
---Psalm 121: 1
I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
---During his recent sermon beginning the celebration of the Sparta Presbyterian Church
Centennial, Reverend Burleson delved into the connection of Sparta Presbyterian Church with
its home in the mountains of North Carolina. Surely, this spectacular place had influenced the
church. Were the music, food, and method of service not changed for having been part of these
mountains? Surely they were and still are. It seems that the mountaineer's perseverance, perhaps
even sheer stubbornness were also important to our church's history. Never a large church, we
have long struggled to build membership, but the fellowship found here through the years has
been constant. While this history mentions many who served the church, many more were
probably omitted. They are not forgotten, however, and the tradition of working together for the
good of the church is their legacy. We can only hope that this history tells us a little about who
we are because of who and where we came from.
---Special Thanks To:
Carolyn Young
Shirley Thompson Laws
Lois Landreth
Charles and Barbara Joines
Ronny Hash
Charles Willis
Reverend Thom Burleson
Dr. James T. Frazier
Imaging Specialists, Inc. for current photo of church on front cover
20