|
Mt. Hebron Baptist church |
|
Pastor Grant Hardwick |
|
Church History |
|
A Brief History of the Mt. Hebron Baptist Church of Garrard County, KY Compiled by Samuel D. Arnold June 14, 1979
The "roots" of Mt. Hebron Baptist Church were sown in New Testament time. If Mr. Orchard in his history about the Welch Baptist is correct, and I believe he is, then Mt. Hebron, through a chain of events, connects to this line of the continuity and perpetuity of Baptist Churches back to the time of Christ. Mr. Orchard states in the introduction in his book, page 21, thus, "it can be shown upon the most unquestionable authorities that there has been a succession of Baptist Churches in England, Wales, from the days of Paul until now, and it is an established fact that a majority of the churches planted in America, from the year 1645-1730 were organized by Welch Baptist (at this time there were less than 40 Baptist Churches in America, my note*) and constituted upon articles of faith brought over with them from the mother church." In 1740 a young man by the name of George Whitefield came to America from England. He, together with the Wesley brothers. had become very concerned with the apathy shown among Christians. He was an episcopalian by denomination and a Calvinist in doctrine. He was a good speaker and very fervent in spirit toward the souls of men. He had made previous trips to America, but in this preaching engagement in New England a great revival broke out especially among the Congregational People. Whitefield was not accepted nor encouraged by all people. Many leaders of churches disapproved of his methods. Those did not accept his work were referred to as "REGULARS" and those who did accept him were called "SEPARATISTS" because it separated them from the established order of the Congregational Church. The Separatists were also referred to as "new lighters". Not all Baptists at this time encouraged this revival, yet in the providence of God they benefited greatly from it. Even Baptist Churches that favored the revival were referred to by the other Baptists as "SEPARATE BAPTISTS." They began to refer to themselves as "REGULAR BAPTISTS."Up to this time they were known as "PARTICULAR BAPTISTS." Out of this revival, which is called "the great awakening", arises two important men for the sake of our study of the names of Shubal Sterns and Daniel Marshall. These two men were of the Congregational Order. As a result of their conversion they carried the zeal of this revival with them. They formed "Separate Congregational Churches." However, in their acquaintances with the Baptist and their independent study of the Scriptures they came to realize they had left out of their life a very important commandment of the Lord, namely "Believers Baptism." They turned to the Baptists for baptism. Shubal Sterns was baptized by Walt Palmer, a Baptist preacher at Toland, Connecticut, May 20, 1751. Daniel Marshall was baptized by Samuel Heaton, pastor of the Baptist Church at Opekon, Virginia in 1754. This church fellowshipped the Regular Baptist Churches in Philadelphia. These churches were planted in Philadelphia by members from Wales or the Welch Baptist. As early as 1683 they had purchased large tracts of land in this area. They were drawn here from Wales because of the freedom of religious opinion established by William Penn. Penn was a Quaker. He established this area in 1682. Philadelphia means "brotherly love." Many of the "Regular Baptist Churches" were quite cold toward the "SEPARATE" people. There was really very little difference between them. In general the "REGULARS" opposed the great revival effort and the "SEPARATISTS" approved it. In doctrine they were both "Calvinists." The Regular Baptists subscribed to the Philadelphia Confession of Faith and the "Separate Baptists" subscribed to no creed except the New Testament. The Regular Preachers were more educated, the Separate Preachers less educated. The Regulars were more austere. The Separatists were more emotional, had more evangelical fervor. I believe the two helped each other; the Regular Baptists giving doctrinal stability and the Separate Baptists giving evangelical zeal. Around 1800 (sooner in Virginia) they began to be known as "United Baptists" in Kentucky. Most of the coldness had disappeared between the two groups. In 1754 Shubal Sterns left Toland, Connecticut heading South. He joined company with his brother-in-law, Daniel Marshall, in Opekan, Virginia. In the summer of 1755, Sterns, Marshall and company headed to North Carolina with a burden to preach there because of letters he had received from friends in that area desiring the preaching of the Word of God. They settled at Sandy Creek in Guilford County, North Carolina. On November 22, 1755, the party of 16 were constituted into the Sandy Creek Baptist Church, the first Separate Baptist Church in the South. Bro. Sterns was appointed Pastor. This was to be the mother church of all other Separate Baptist Churches of the South. In 17 years, 42 churches and 125 ministers came out of this church. A question might arise in the mind of the reader as to what authority they constituted themselves into a church here. I know that Bro. Sterns pastored a Baptist Church in Connecticut before he left for the South. He could have received authority from the or even from the Baptist Church in Opekon, Virginia where his brother-in-law, Daniel Marshall, was a member and Bro. James Garrard the pastor. This was a "Regular Baptist Church." Through a chain of events that I will not labor on at this time, a Separate Church (the first in Virginia) was organized in Virginia on August 1760 under the pastoral care of Dutton Lane, who had been converted and baptized by Sterns. Many people were evangelized under Shubal Sterns and Daniel Marshall. God raised up, called, and sent forth through these churches (in North Carolina) preachers of the Gospel; preachers such as Samuel Harriss, James Reed and Dutton Lane. Meetings were held in various counties. One of the countries that was blessed with acceptance of the Gospel was Orange County, Virginia, at a place between the Rappahannoch and James River called Upper Spotsylvania. On November 20, 1767, Reed, Harriss and Dutton Lane led in the constitution of a Separate Baptist Church at this location called "Upper Spotsylvania Baptist Church" consisting of 25 members. The first pastor of this church was Joseph Bledsoe. In 1770 Lewis Craig became pastor. he was baptized sometime in 1766 by James Reed. These churches suffered much from the Established Church Order of the Church of England. you had to get a permit from them to preach in Virginia. In 1771 Lewis Craig was arrested for preaching the Gospel without a permit. The Baptists in Virginia were also taxed to support the Church of England, to pay the salaries of their ministers, to build their houses of worship, to build parsonages for their ministers, etc. To escape this situation Craig sought an outlet. In 1779, together with a Captain William Ellis, Craig came to Kentucky to explore the possibility of a move there. Two years were spent in making preparations of this move. In the Fall of 1781 the Upper Spotsylvania Church, under the leadership of Lewis Craig, left Virginia and migrated to Kentucky. They got to Cumberland Gap on December 1,1781 and the second Lord's Day of the month arrived at Gilberts Creek, with the help of Benjamin Logan who had already built a station at or near what is now called Stanford. They selected a site at Gilberts Creek where a fort had already been built also called "Craig's Station." After their arrival in Kentucky, they referred to themselves as "REGULAR BAPTISTS." In 1782 Lewis Craig led in the organization of the Forks Dix Baptist Church. By 1783 most of that original church (Upper Spotsylvania) had scattered to other areas; most to Fayette County, north of the Kentucky River, where Craig was also responsible for the South Elkhorn Baptist Church (which is now South Elkhorn Christian Church). This church was made up of members of the Upper Spotsylvania who followed Craig to Fayette County. By 1785 most of the other members of Gilberts Creek moved to Fayette County to unite with this new organization. In 1786 Craig was also instrumental in the organization of Bryan Station Baptist Church. Joseph Bledsoe, who had had been the first pastor of the Upper Spotsylvania Church, also came to Kentucky with another man by the name of James Smith. Bledsoe organized a Separate Baptist Church at Gilberts Creek, also. That church is mistaken for the original group under Lewis Craig. This was in 1883. It is my opinion that Mr. Bledsoe may have found a remnant of the original who may have stayed at this location or who resented the designation of themselves as "Regular Baptists" upon their arrival to Kentucky. James Smith settled near present day Bryantsville at the "old Burnt Tavern" are. Bryantsville was then called "Smithtown" after James Smith. Some give him credit for organizing the Forks Dix River Church. However, the record of the Forks Dix Church dating back to 1805(the first records were lost) states that Lewis Craig was responsible for the beginning of the Forks Dix River Baptist Church. When Bro. Burdett Kemper was pastor (he became pastor in 1839 and continued as pastor until his death in 1876) his son was church clerk and the following is a quotation from him, "The Forks Church, to which Father Kemper still preaches, was constituted by Lewis Craig in 1782 and has never had but three pastors (up to that time) Randolph Hall, John S. Higgins and Burdett Kemper." Bro. Kemper died four years after Mt. Hebron was organized. Spencer (a historian) says James Smith was a preacher in the church in 1790 at which time it numbered 59 members. (I am unable to resolve this difference of opinion, however, being a preacher in the church doesn't necessarily mean being the pastor, my note*.) THE MT. HEBRON BAPTIST CHURCH: Mt. Hebron Baptist Church was constituted in 1872 which Bro. Kemper was pastor at Forks Dix Church. Several members lived in the Mt. Hebron community. (It had been called Mt. Hebron since about 1857). One of these members, who as a farmer in this community, was a deacon in the Forks Dix Church and assisted Bro. Kemper in preaching. His name was Achilles Allen. He preached in homes, the Collier School House or wherever he could. The time came when these members in the Mt. Hebron community felt they should be separated from the mother church and organized into and indigenous church in that community. Bro. Allen petitioned the Forks Dix Church with this request and the request was granted. The Mt. Hebron Baptist Church was constituted in 1872 with 46 members. The Charter members are as follows: |
