Shelby County, Indiana
Lewis Creek Baptist Church
The public has been invited to attend the B. Y. P. U. rally to be held at the Lewis Creek church on Wednesday evening. The young people of the local church are asked to meet at 7 o'clock Wednesday evening. The rally will start at 7:30 o'clock.
The Rev. J. S. Riser, of Fairland, and Dr. O. R. McKay, of Indianapolis, will be in charge of the rally.
The meetings Thursday will be devoted almost entirely to the business of the association. This will include election of officers, selection of the meeting place for the 103rd session and the reading of letters. The session will be closed Friday noon.
Shelbyville, Lewis Creek, Smithladn, Little Blue River, Fairland, Waldron, Mt. Pisgah, Hawcreek, Homer, Hope, Sharon, St. Louis Crossing, Columbus and Bethel are the locations of the churches of the association.
Contributed by Phyllis Miller Fleming
The Lewis Creek Baptist Church
(By Effie Connor, circa 1910)
Lewis Creek Baptist Church
The Shelbyville Daily Democrat
Tuesday, August 5, 1924
Page 8 column 1
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PREPARATIONS COMPLETE
FOR ANNUAL SESSION
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B. Y. P. U. Rally Will Precede
Opening of 102nd Session of
Baptist Association.
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Preparations are now completed for the 102nd annual convention of the Flat Rock Baptist Association to be held at the Lewis Creek Baptist Church, Thursday and Friday, August 7 and 8. Fourteen churches will be represented by delegations during the two days of the meeting. Membership of the association includes churches from Shelby county and part of Rush and Bartholomew counties.Tuesday, August 5, 1924
Page 8 column 1
----------
PREPARATIONS COMPLETE
FOR ANNUAL SESSION
----------
B. Y. P. U. Rally Will Precede
Opening of 102nd Session of
Baptist Association.
----------
The public has been invited to attend the B. Y. P. U. rally to be held at the Lewis Creek church on Wednesday evening. The young people of the local church are asked to meet at 7 o'clock Wednesday evening. The rally will start at 7:30 o'clock.
The Rev. J. S. Riser, of Fairland, and Dr. O. R. McKay, of Indianapolis, will be in charge of the rally.
The meetings Thursday will be devoted almost entirely to the business of the association. This will include election of officers, selection of the meeting place for the 103rd session and the reading of letters. The session will be closed Friday noon.
Shelbyville, Lewis Creek, Smithladn, Little Blue River, Fairland, Waldron, Mt. Pisgah, Hawcreek, Homer, Hope, Sharon, St. Louis Crossing, Columbus and Bethel are the locations of the churches of the association.
Contributed by Phyllis Miller Fleming
The Lewis Creek Baptist Church
(By Effie Connor, circa 1910)
September 23 1833, the brethren met at the residence of William Morris and held a meeting looking for the formation of a Baptist church. Daniel Stogdell acted as moderator and William E Eaton as clerk. Those of this church faith present were: Daniel Stogsdell, J. Long, Phillip Stark, P. Whitlow, David James Clark, James Grisham, James Robertson, Alexander Robertson, John Bush, William Bush, William Wickliff, John Ressen and others from near by places in Shelby County. These represented Baptist from Shelbyville, Blue River, Mt Morish, and other points. The articles of faith of the Flatrock Church were at hand and adopted. It was agreed that the name of the church to be formed should be called the “Baptist Church of Christ, at Lewis Creek.” The charter members were Polly Stafford, Simeon Stafford, Nancy Stafford, William Morris, Martha Morris, David Hendrick, Matilda Hendrick, Polly Morris, Neal McCann, Louisa McCann. The record says that “Brother Stogsdell preached a sermon on the occasion from – “Honor all men, love the brotherhood, fear God, Honor the King.” This record is signed by William G Eaton clerk, William Stogsdell moderator.
This is the substance of the first recorded minutes of the church. The place where this church was formed was at the Morris home and is now known as the Tony Minster farm. Rev Eaton was engaged as pastor November 1833, for one year. William and Jesse Morris were chosen deacons.
On the first Saturday in February 1834, it was the time for a business meeting and it was decided to have a foot washing. Again the minutes show that in November of the same year they attended another foot washing. Nothing later appears regarding the subject of foot washing. William Moore served the church twenty-three years as moderator. He preformed all of his labors free and it is said that he was easily offended if anyone tendered him pay. He was always called “old Uncle Billy”. In December 1836, it was thought necessary to secure someone to “set tunes” for singing at public worship and Buckner Caudell was chosen. In February 1837 trustees viewed grounds upon which to erect a church edifice. George Fisher about that date donated land for this use; the material was also donated and a church was erected; it was about twenty by twenty-four and faced the west and it had one window of one sash in the south and one in the east. The seats were slabs hewn out by the membership. They had no way of heating the church so they met in the building in the summertime and at private houses in the wintertime. Not withstanding the rude edifice, these devoted people enjoyed their new quarters and sang praises unto the Lord and were thankful, possibly more so than church-goers of today.
They went to church either on foot or on horseback, clad in homespun garb, including homemade shoes and sometimes in warm weather bare-footed. The singing books being scarce, the preacher having the only one, he would read two lines, then the congregation would sing them. This was followed up until they had finished the entire hymn. In 1841, the pastor with several other visiting ministers, including Rev. Reese and Curtis held special services and a number united with the church, including Allen Sexton, still living at the ripe old age of ninety-one years. The pastor was Rev. Stogsdell, and at the close and at the close of the meetings, Rev. Barnes arose and stated that he was not going to scare them by taking up a collection but that he wished them to accompany him to the outside and examine the dilapidated saddle of brother Stogsdell, after which if they felt that they could give anything to come in and lay it on the table. They would not pass the hat around because they thought that was too much like the Methodists. They examined the saddle and found it worn and he soon received a new one. Remember they did not believe in paying a preacher and some even objected greatly at this expenditure, which was the first they had tendered the pastor. At one time this same pastor was a member at Clifty, but was excluded on account of preaching temperance, missions and advocated Sunday schools. He then organized a Mission church on his own account there. In 1842 the congregation wishing to be more modern agreed to ceil the church building. The work was performed by the members as was also the chinking and re-daubing in the log walls. They agreed to purchase a stove and sent Gideon Stafford to Lawrenceburg to get it, but there he found none on sale, so he bought a second hand one, which he brought back with him. But they had troubles of their own and even in that remote day “Sunday Head-aches” were frequent, but committees were sent out after them and if they could not send a reasonable excuse they were excommunicated. What a busy time the present day church committee would have at trying this plan. Sometime in the fifties the old church was abandoned for a frame building that stood just to the south of the present church.
Silas Gore, the only bidder, got the contract to erect this church. It was thirty-six by forty feet, and many objected on account of it being too large. In 1838 it was ordained that each male members pay twenty-five cents toward the running expenses of the church and Allen Sexton was made treasurer and served forty years.
In 1859 the church released Rev Moore as pastor and called John Reese for one year, agreeing to pay him one hundred dollars. He served this church until 1868, when James Young was called, but soon resigned and was succeeded by Rev. Clifty, who in 1870 was followed by John Reese again and he continued until 1884, making twenty-two years of service.
The present church edifice was build in 1882-83 at a cost of two thousand three hundred and six dollars. In October 1884, W.W. Smith was chosen pastor and continued three years and was followed by G. H. Elgin, who died while pastor. Since then the pastors have been – Revs. Perry Markland, McGregor, Harper, Coulter, Hucklesberry, Ederson, Jayne and Odell and the present pastor, W. T. Markland. Sixteen pastors have serviced: six hundred and seven members have been taken into the church the present membership being two hundred and fifteen. The seventy-fifth anniversary has recently been celebrated. The society has accomplished much good in the passing decades and is doing work today.
Contributed by George Young and Mary Lou Ewing
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