History of Johnson Baptist Church
Johnson Baptist Church’s First Half Century
By Thomas Rothrock
Part One
The Johnson Baptist Church Is Organized
This portion of a history of the Johnson Baptist Church is vague indeed. In so far as it can be learned, all records of the beginnings of the Church are lost.
Under the guidance of Fayetteville’s First church, the Johnson Baptist Church was organized about 1912. Fayetteville First Church’s pastor, the Rev. Hunt, preached for the new Church several times after the organization. Pastors who followed were:H.P. Haley, 1919; G.E. Holt, 1921; O. Woodruff, 1923; Keen, 1925. Other pastors who served the Church are now unknown.
Probably the first deacon ordained by the Church was Hugh Lichlyter. Ben Johnson soon followed.
The Church carried on the work for something more than a decade before becoming inactive. As previously stated, all records are lost – and, it could be added, memories are dim after all the years that have passed since then.
Part Two The Johnson Union Sunday School After several attempts which did not last, there was established at Johnson early in 1932 a Union Sunday School which proved to be a connecting link or bridge between the original Baptist Church and the Church which was reconstituted years later. The family of the one compiling this little history began attending this Union Sunday School in April of 1932. At this time Esau Begley was both superintendent and song leader.; Mrs. Hortense Dunlevy teacher of the Adult class; Miss Ora Joe Hanks the young people. Mrs. Irene Crum also taught the young people for a period.
With the begginning of 1933 Tom Rothrock was elected Sunday School superintendent and remamined such till after the Baptist Church was reactivated. Mrs. Ola Rothrock was teacher of the young people for many years. Other teachers through the years for the various classes were:Mr. Prince, Rev. Burrell Stephens, Paul Allen, Mrs. Dora Heckman, Mrs. Ruby Broyles, Mrs. Hortense Hendrix, Mrs. Nellie Stamper, Miss Bonnie Hanks, Miss Virginia Banks, Miss Sue Harper, Miss Ina Mae Johnson, Mrs. Joe Woods, Miss Elizabeth George, Tom Rothrock.
Assistant Sunday School superintendents were:Roy Heckman, Alvin Luper, Paul Allen, Mr. Prince.
Secretaries and Treasurers were: Mrs. Edith Johnson, Miss Kathleen George, Miss Laura Belle Scott, Mrs. Mildred Cassat.
Pianists were: Mrs. Beulah Cardwell, Mrs. Dora Heckman, Mrs. Ruby Broyles, Mrs. Irene Crum, Miss Alice Faye Cardwell.
Song leaders were: Frank Johnson, Esau Begley, Lee Bridenthal, Fed Qualls, Dewey Maxey.
From 1932 to 1936 the Rev. Graham (Baptist) from Springdale and the Rev. Freyschlag (Presbyterian) from Fayetteville each held services once a month. For the years 1937-48 our pastor was Ernie Miller, a student at the University of Arkansas. During the summer of 1938 the Rev. Prince of Springdale’s First Baptist Church held a revival for us and made us a protectorate of his Church, although we retained our Union status.
Through the years our attendance averaged somewhere around 50; dropping some as World War II years commenced, due to the fact that some Johnson families moved away to take newly created jobs. Our average collection was in the neighborhood of one dollar. These were depression years. On March 7, 1937 the secretary reported a deficit of 68 cents.
A community Christmas tree and program was always held by us, the money to defray the expenses being raised by a pie supper.
A list of families in attendance through the years would be about as follows:Crum, Johnson, Luper, Heckman, Hanks, Dunlevy, George, Combs, Diven, Rothrock, Banks, Allen, Qualls, Mahan, Wilkinson, Stamper, Kell, Harris, Curtis, Howard, Lyons, Williams, Miller, Webb, Graves, Woods, Stephens, Harper, Dillinger, Prince, Reed, Roper, Kelley, Stone, Preston, Bowman, Clark, Cardwell, Cassat, Broyles, Begley, Bridenthal, Maxey, Scott, Hendrix.
Although some records are available for this period, they are not at all complete, and here again, memories are dimmed by passing years.
Part Three
The Johnson Baptist Church Reactivated
July 30 – Rev. J.S. Blystone, Associational Missionary for the Washington-Madison Association, acting as Moderator, called to order a meeting to reconstitute the Johnson Baptist Church.
Members of the old Johnson Baptist Church were: Dayne Johnson and Mrs. Mildred Cassat. Under the guidance of Fayetteville’s First church, the Johnson Baptist Church was organized about 1912. Fayetteville First Church’s pastor, the Rev. Hunt, preached for the new Church several times after the organization. Pastors who followed were:H.P. Haley, 1919; G.E. Holt, 1921; O. Woodruff, 1923; Keen, 1925. Other pastors who served the Church are now unknown.
Probably the first deacon ordained by the Church was Hugh Lichlyter. Ben Johnson soon followed.
The Church carried on the work for something more than a decade before becoming inactive. As previously stated, all records are lost – and, it could be added, memories are dim after all the years that have passed since then.
Part Two The Johnson Union Sunday School After several attempts which did not last, there was established at Johnson early in 1932 a Union Sunday School which proved to be a connecting link or bridge between the original Baptist Church and the Church which was reconstituted years later. The family of the one compiling this little history began attending this Union Sunday School in April of 1932. At this time Esau Begley was both superintendent and song leader.; Mrs. Hortense Dunlevy teacher of the Adult class; Miss Ora Joe Hanks the young people. Mrs. Irene Crum also taught the young people for a period.
With the begginning of 1933 Tom Rothrock was elected Sunday School superintendent and remamined such till after the Baptist Church was reactivated. Mrs. Ola Rothrock was teacher of the young people for many years. Other teachers through the years for the various classes were:Mr. Prince, Rev. Burrell Stephens, Paul Allen, Mrs. Dora Heckman, Mrs. Ruby Broyles, Mrs. Hortense Hendrix, Mrs. Nellie Stamper, Miss Bonnie Hanks, Miss Virginia Banks, Miss Sue Harper, Miss Ina Mae Johnson, Mrs. Joe Woods, Miss Elizabeth George, Tom Rothrock.
Assistant Sunday School superintendents were:Roy Heckman, Alvin Luper, Paul Allen, Mr. Prince.
Secretaries and Treasurers were: Mrs. Edith Johnson, Miss Kathleen George, Miss Laura Belle Scott, Mrs. Mildred Cassat.
Pianists were: Mrs. Beulah Cardwell, Mrs. Dora Heckman, Mrs. Ruby Broyles, Mrs. Irene Crum, Miss Alice Faye Cardwell.
Song leaders were: Frank Johnson, Esau Begley, Lee Bridenthal, Fed Qualls, Dewey Maxey.
From 1932 to 1936 the Rev. Graham (Baptist) from Springdale and the Rev. Freyschlag (Presbyterian) from Fayetteville each held services once a month. For the years 1937-48 our pastor was Ernie Miller, a student at the University of Arkansas. During the summer of 1938 the Rev. Prince of Springdale’s First Baptist Church held a revival for us and made us a protectorate of his Church, although we retained our Union status.
Through the years our attendance averaged somewhere around 50; dropping some as World War II years commenced, due to the fact that some Johnson families moved away to take newly created jobs. Our average collection was in the neighborhood of one dollar. These were depression years. On March 7, 1937 the secretary reported a deficit of 68 cents.
A community Christmas tree and program was always held by us, the money to defray the expenses being raised by a pie supper.
A list of families in attendance through the years would be about as follows:Crum, Johnson, Luper, Heckman, Hanks, Dunlevy, George, Combs, Diven, Rothrock, Banks, Allen, Qualls, Mahan, Wilkinson, Stamper, Kell, Harris, Curtis, Howard, Lyons, Williams, Miller, Webb, Graves, Woods, Stephens, Harper, Dillinger, Prince, Reed, Roper, Kelley, Stone, Preston, Bowman, Clark, Cardwell, Cassat, Broyles, Begley, Bridenthal, Maxey, Scott, Hendrix.
Although some records are available for this period, they are not at all complete, and here again, memories are dimmed by passing years.
Part Three The Johnson Baptist Church Reactivated
July 30 – Rev. J.S. Blystone, Associational Missionary for the Washington-Madison Association, acting as Moderator, called to order a meeting to reconstitute the Johnson Baptist Church.
Those who had letters from the First Baptist Church of Springdale, Arkansas, were: Ollie Crum, Bill Crum, Mrs. Mayme Johnson, Doris Dean Johnson, Ina Mae Johnson, Richard Rothrock, Harold Cassat, Dorothy Jean Luper, James Cardwell, Alice Faye Cardwell, Allen Miller, Floyd Miller, Hoyt Combs Jr., Mrs. Nellie Stamper, Mrs. Florence Graue, Ward Graue.
Those who came on promise of letter were: Paul Allen, Mrs. Lena Allen, Alvin Luper, Mrs. Ola Rothrock, Irvin A. Rothrock, Rev. and Mrs. Burrell Stephens, Frank Johnson, Mrs. Edith Johnson, Hugh Lichlyter, Mrs. Emma Lichlyter, Mr. and Mrs. F.M. Holt.
Candidates for baptism were: Billie Lee Diven, Mrs. Flora Luper, Thomas Rothrock.
The first officers elected by the Church were:Harold Cassat, trasurer; Alice Faye Cardwell, clerk. Membership this year was 25.
The minutes for the first year being lost, there is no further information and some given here is, perhaps, not as accurate as it should be.
July 29. The Church voted to build a Church building on a site to the right of the school house and on land owned by Hugh Lichlyter.
August 12. The Rev. C.B. Glaize was called as supply pastor for an indefinite period, for two Sundays a month at $10 per Sunday.
September 29. Mrs. Ola Rothrock was elected Church clerk and Mrs. Edith Johnson treasurer.
Mrs. Nellie Stemper, Mrs. Mabel Crum, Mrs. Letha Williams were elected as a nominating committee for deacons.
The Church adopted a budget and Rev. Glaize appointed a committee to take pledges for the Church fund, comprised of Hugh Lichlyter, Mrs. Nellie Stamper, Mrs. Ola Rothrock.
(to be continued)
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