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PINE FOREST BAPTIST CHURCH
HISTORY
BY GREG MAY AND ANN MAY
AUGUST 9TH, 1998
PINE FOREST BAPTIST CHURCH WAS ORGANIZED AUGUST 13TH, 1908 WHEN A GROUP
OF PEOPLE MET TOGETHER AT THE COLLINS SCHOOLHOUSE UP THE HILL FROM OUR
PRESENT CHURCH. BRO. W.J. SARGENT WAS ELECTED MODERATOR AND J.Y. OLIVER AS
ASSISTANT. DURING THE MEETING IT WAS VOTED THAT THIS CHURCH WOULD BE CALLED PINE FOREST BAPTIST CHURCH BECAUSE OF THE MANY PINE TREES IN THE AREA WHICH NOW ARE NON EXISTENT. IT WOULD BECOME A MEMBER OF THE MISSIONARY BAPTIST DENOMINATION (NOW SOUTHERN BAPTIST). THE FIRST DEACONS TO BE ORDAINED WERE DAVE SELLARS AND E.G. MYERS. J. W. HOLLIMAN WAS ELECTED AS THE CHURCH CLERK. THE MEETING CONCLUDED WITH BRO. J. W. SARGENT AS THE FIRST PASTOR. THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE PRESENTED THEIR NAMES FOR MEMBERSHIP:
E.G. MYERS, J.M. HOLLIMAN, J.H. BAILEY, D.W. SELLARS, ALSHIA KIMBRELL, LIZZIE (MCGARRH) MAY, TILITH MYERS, LULA BAILEY, LIZZIE KIMBRELL, MATTIE SELLERS, VIRGIE MAY, ANNI HOLLIMAN, R.E. THARP, BAMIE LAND, AND NORA BOX. SERVICES WERE HELD IN THIS SCHOOLHOUSE UNTIL LAND WAS PURCHASED AND THE CHURCH WAS BUILT IN THE MID 1920’S. IN 1923 SUNDAY SCHOOL WAS ORGANIZED WITH D. W. SELLARS AS SUPERINTENDENT. THE CHURCH CEMETERY WAS ESTABLISHED WITH THE DEATH OF MR. D.W. SELLARS ON JULY 8TH, 1924. HE WAS THE FIRST PERSON TO BE BURIED IN THE CEMETERY.
DURING THE FIRST YEARS AFTER THE CHURCH WAS ORGANIZED, SERVICES WERE HELD ONLY ONCE A MONTH. LATER SERVICES WERE HELD TWICE A MONTH AND ON SUNDAY NIGHTS FOR A WHILE. LATER SERVICES WERE HELD IN THE AFTERNOON WITH NO SUNDAY SCHOOL.
AFTER HAVING SERVICES IN THIS BUILDING OVER THE YEARS, THE CHURCH NEEDED MANY REPAIRS AND IN JULY OF 1962 PREPARATIONS WERE MADE TO BUILD A NEW CHURCH WHICH IS NOW THE FELLOWSHIP HALL. THE CHURCH WAS DISMANTLED AND FROM AUGUST THROUGH EARLY SEPTEMBER SERVICES WERE HELD UNDER THE PINE TREES WHILE THE NEW CHURCH WAS UNDER CONSTRUCTION. THE NEW BUILDING WAS FINALLY COMPLETED AND THE FIRST SERVICE WAS HELD IN SEPTEMBER OF 1962. NOW ON TO THE LATE 1960S. (MORE HISTORY OF 1960S WILL BE ADDED LATER)
IN 1968 THE MEMBERS WERE SADDEN BY THE DEATH OF BROTHER ARNOLD JACKS OF STEWART. HE WAS PASTOR UNTIL HIS DEATH IN 1968. THE MEMBERS SOON CALLED BRO. SANSING AS PASTOR. HE WOULD STAY UNTIL 1971. BRO. WALTER LEE YEAGER BECAME PASTOR FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 1971 AND WOULD STAY UNTIL 1977.
THINGS BEGAN TO CHANGE IN 1971. SERVICES WERE STILL HELD ONLY TWICE A MONTH. BUT THE MEMBERS WOULD EVENTUALLY VOTE TO BEGIN HAVING PRAYER MEETING ON THURSDAY NIGHTS AND LATER VOTED TO HAVE SERVICES EVERY SUNDAY. SUNDAY SCHOOL WAS AGAIN STARTED WITH AN ATTENDANCE OF 10 OR 15. ON OCTOBER OF 1972 IT WAS VOTED TO BUILD SUNDAY SCHOOL ROOMS. WORK WASN’T ACTUALLY STARTED ON THEM UNTIL NOVEMBER OF 1973. THE ROOMS WERE COMPLETED AND DEDICATED, ONE IN MEMORY OF REV. ROBERT LEE BRIDGES AND THE OTHER IN MEMORY OF MR. TALMADGE SELLARS. IN JULY OF 1973, THE FINAL STEP WAS MADE, ALLOWING PINE FOREST TO BECOME A FULL TIME CHURCH BY ORGANIZING TRAINING UNION AND WORSHIP SERVICE AT NIGHT. THREE YEARS LATER ON JANUARY
2, 1975 THE MEMBERS VOTED TO BUILD TWO MORE SUNDAY SCHOOL ROOMS. THE ROOMS WERE COMPLETED AND THE DEBT WAS PAID ON THE ROOMS IN FEBRUARY OF 1977-IN MEMORY OF BILL DODD WHO DIED ON FEBRUARY 1ST. BRO. HOWARD DAVIS (OF THE OCEAN SPRINGS, MS AREA) BECAME PASTOR IN 1977. HE AND HIS WIFE, TILLIE WOULD STAY UNTIL 1983.
ON SEPTEMBER 10TH, 1978, THE MEMBERS VOTED TO BUILD A NEW SANCTUARY.
AND IN MARCH OF 1979 THE SLAB WAS POURED AND CONSTRUCTION BEGAN. THE MEN IN THE CHURCH DID MOST ALL OF THE WORK. THE FIRST SERVICE WAS HELD ON AUGUST 3RD, 1980 DURING THE SUMMER REVIVAL WITH NO FLOOR COVERING OR CARPET. DROPLIGHTS WERE USED FOR LIGHTING AND FANS WERE USED FOR AIR-CONDITIONING. THERE WERE TWO PASTORS INVOLVED WITH THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE NEW SANCTUARY. BRO. HOWARD DAVIS WAS PASTOR WHEN IT ALL BEGAN. HE WORKED VERY HARD ON THE BUILDING ALONG WITH THE MEN OF THE CHURCH. AND IN MAY OF 1983 BRO. JOHN ALLEN WADE WAS CALLED AS PASTOR. HE WORKED EQUALLY HARD IN COMPLETING THE BUILDING. HE AND HIS WIFE ROSA LIVED IN VAIDEN, MS AND WOULD DRIVE THE MANY MILES FOR EACH SUNDAY’S SERVICE. THE NEW SANCTUARY WAS COMPLETED AND DEDICATED ON MAY 6TH, 1984. BRO. WADE RESIGNED IN AUGUST OF 1984. BRO. WALTER LEE YEAGER RETURNED AS PASTOR IN MARCH OF 1985 AND IS NOW THE CURRENT PASTOR THE CHURCH. AS MENTIONED EARLIER, HE HAD PREVIOUS BEEN PASTOR FROM 1971 THROUGH 1977. HE AND HIS WIFE MARY JO HAVE SERVED THE CHURCH FOR OVER 20 YEARS.
AS YOU CAN SEE FROM THIS NEAR 100 YEAR HISTORY, PINE FOREST HAS COME A LONG WAY FROM BEING A “ONCE A MONTH CHURCH” TO A FULL TIME CHURCH. IT HAS GROWN IN NUMBER AND FINANCIALLY THROUGH THE YEARS, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU THINK OF THE OFFERING IN THE EARLY DAYS BEING $2 OR $3 AND IN THE 1960S AND 1970S AVERAGING $15- $20 EACH SUNDAY. THE CHURCH HAS SHARED PASTORS OVER THE YEARS WITH GREAT CHURCHES LIKE UNION, STEWART, EBENEZER (IN CHOCTAW COUNTY) AND PRESENTLY EDGEWORTH. THE FRIENDSHIPS WITH THESE CHURCHES ARE TRULY APPRECIATED. ( MORE HISTORY WILL BE ADDED AT A LATER DATE)