Next to the sadness of a soul's returning to the
world after his or her obedience to the gospel is that of a local
body of the Lord's people not officially existing anymore. The
lack of a physical record or the lack of people who could verbally
recall the life of that body sometimes compounds the sadness.
Thankfully, in one instance, the latter is not true of a body
of Christians that met in rural Wayne County, West Virginia. That
body met at Camp Creek, near East Lynn.
Recently my father, Charles B. Hale, sent me an
article that appeared in the Huntington Herald-Dispatch
concerning the official record book of this body covering the
years from 1920-1950. Mr. Michael Tabor, a grandson of the last
evangelist on record, Jasper N. "Bub" Tabor, wrote the
article. According to Mr. Tabor in the article entitled "Man
Learns More About Family Through a Church Record Book," Mrs.
Debbie Campbell found the original and rescued it. "The book
was headed for disposal after a 14th Street Fall Festival in Huntington
in the late 1990's." Mrs. Campbell made copies of the book.
One is now in the Wayne County Public Library, and one is at the
KYOVA Genealogical and Historical Society (www.rootsweb.com/~wvkgs)
in Guyandotte, of which Mrs. Campbell is a member. The original
is to be placed in the Special Collections Archives at Marshall
University. After corresponding with Mrs. Campbell via e-mail
and contacting my father, we are now in possession of a CD that
contains the record. After viewing it and talking extensively
with my father, I have learned very much about that body.
Mr. Tabor's family was involved in the body, but
our family was also involved in the body to an equal or greater
extent. My great-grandparents, Charles Rufus and Ida Belle (Osburn)
Hale, were the oldest generation of our family who were members
there. My grandparents, Lucien S. and Lina (Miller) Hale, raised
their family in that body. Of my father's generation, he, three
brothers, and two sisters are either still faithful Christians
or remained faithful until death. Dad served as a deacon for two
congregations in Wayne County, resigning from the last due to
the congregation's not being sound. He also preached on occasion
at several small congregations in Wayne County. One brother, Talmadge,
was an evangelist from age twenty-six or twenty-seven and was
eighty-one when he died. Charles Rufus was a deacon there, as
well as Lucien S. and Lucien's son Talmadge. Lucien S. was also
appointed elder in the 1930's. I have noticed that those men of
my family, who love the Lord, try to serve Him as faithfully as
possible.
While going over the records, I observed several
things. First, they called themselves "disciples." Each
time a business meeting was recorded or the contribution was recorded,
"The disciples of Christ met at the Camp Creek church in
a business meeting ..." or "The disciples of Christ
met Lord's Day morning at ten thirty in communion service ..."
was used. Second, each time a business meeting was conducted a
chapter in God's Word was read, and a prayer was offered. Third,
the financial records show that the body would assist members
with financial help for medical expenses, and the body assisted
widows and orphans with a contribution. Unfortunately, in the
early 1920's it appears that the body made contributions to "state
missions" and the Christian Missionary Society. Fourth, the
body was not afraid to openly discipline the members if they were
in error. In the January 1933 business meeting the following is
recorded. "Resolution of this church: Any member or group
of members who acts or works against the constituted authority
of this church will be considered by the body disorderly and withdraw
will be in order. It is understood that the constituted authority
of the church is in her elected and ordained officers." On
page 145, the following is found: "_____ ordered before the
body to confess his wrongs. (Dated May 7, 1933) _____ on the 14th
and _____ on the 21st were also called to appear." My father
tells me that someone tried to introduce an instrument into the
worship of this body, but they were not successful. A piano or
organ appeared one day before the Lord's Day services, and the
elders' reaction was immediate. The body was informed that if
the instrument were not removed, it would be disposed of into
the yard. By next Lord's Day, the instrument disappeared, and
nothing was said.
My father tells me that the people who made up
the body knew God's Word and lived it, even though they were simple
country people and sometimes did not have as much formal education
as we do today. That is why I believe that body and the Lord's
church in America flourished as it did in the early to mid twentieth
century. Members of the Lord's body were known as "walking
Bibles." My father also tells me that even though it was
a rural body of believers, their attendance averaged about one
hundred. He also relates that when a revival or gospel meeting
(usually two weeks in duration) was held, it was so well
attended that the lamps people were carrying made the area "look
like fireflies were all over the area."
The main reason that the body did not continue
to exist is due in part to Lucien S. and Lina's no longer residing
in the community on Tiger Fork. Lina was in ill health, and my
father and his siblings convinced them to move to Lavalette near
the town of Wayne so that the trip to assist in taking care of
Lina was not as long. Sadly, many of the families that resided
there were happy to see the body no longer have a presence in
the community. Even though Lucien attended the Wayne congregation
until he passed on, my father tells me he never moved his membership
there.
The building still stands, but another small religious
sect is located there. This body of believers apparently went
through a process of maturity as time passed, which Christians
should do to reach the ultimate goal of heaven. I am glad that
I have had the privilege to learn about them and their worship
and service to Jehovah God Almighty. It inspires me to be more
faithful and diligent in "fighting the good fight,"
"running the course," and "keeping the faith"
as the apostle Paul described our lives in the Lord. 11698 Poser
Rd., Foley, AL 36535. (gry_chp_chrmiss@earthlink.net)
(Editor's note: Brother Edward A. Hale is originally from Huntington, WV)