First Baptist Church in Cave Springs celebrates its 135th anniversary today.
"Oct. 5, 1880, 100 years ago, a group of brothers and sisters in Christ met at Stick-in-the-Mud School House, located about one mile south of Cave Springs, for the purpose of constituting and organizing a Baptist Church of Christ," reads a history of the church written by the late Lillian Fagala on the occasion of the church's anniversary in 1980. "As soon as the new church was formed, they began to receive other brothers and sisters into their fellowship. By the end of the month, their membership had grown from 18 to 41."
First Baptist Church
Cave Springs
What: 135th anniversary
When: 10 a.m. Saturday
Where: 322 St. Main St.
Information: 756-1923
STORIES TO SHARE
Lillian Fagala’s history of the First Baptist Church in Cave Springs is a treasure, with many “gems” gleaned from its record. Here are a few:
• “Church discipline was never neglected in the early church. Committees were often appointed to investigate the misdemeanors of a Brother or Sister. If found guilty, they could be forgiven, if so desired, and would repent of their acts. Otherwise they were excluded from the church fellowship. Records show that some were excluded by one or more of these charges: heresy, adultery, intoxication, swearing, dancing, card playing and ‘unchristian conduct.’”
• “There are no minutes recorded from July 1909 to January 1910. Evidently the church was being moved to its present location. It has ever been the custom of the church members to pull their full weight, (even the sweat of their brow), behind their building projects. This time, one member gave more than the sweat of his brow, for, while the men were picking up rock to build the new foundation, L.C. Fagala was bitten by a copperhead snake.”
• Smallpox canceled Sunday services in February 1917. A “big snow” in January 1977 canceled six regular services during the month. And services for the fifth Sunday in December that year, and the New Year’s Eve singing, were canceled due to an ice storm.
In July 1977, the Vacation Bible School was canceled. “A fire in the Bible Book Store at Rogers burned our supplies,” reads the history.
• During a March 1925 conference, church members voted to “sign up for the electricity.” During the Depression of April 1931, “it was agreed, ‘that we will take the Sunday eggs for a month and apply on the electric bill.’” A gas heating system was installed in 1944.
• “A revival meeting started April 22 (1954) ,with Elder A. R. Reddin doing the preaching. The results were 56 baptisms and 6 others joining the church by letter of recommendation. It was indeed a happy time at the church. God had bountifully blessed the church.”
• In June 1954, the pastor’s salary was set at $250 per month. In September 1896, A. J. Maxwell was called as pastor, and agreed to preach for $3 a month “on each trip, during the associational year.” A November 1938 finance report lists $17.50 collected for the pastor.
• “The church records have been carefully preserved, but the crisp, yellowing pages of the older books could hardly be handled,” Fagala wrote. “As a remedy for this, one member, Mrs. Reba Oakley, typed up the first 63 years of the records. This was done in the year 1963. (Thank you, Reba.)”
Church conferences and business meetings were held once a month on Saturday, with church service following on Sunday, the history records. Elder J.C. Robertson was the first pastor. The first communion was served May 22, 1881. In July, the church petitioned for admission to the Springtown Association.
"In April 1883, a committee was appointed to procure a site for a church house, collect funds for, and superintend the building of the same," Fagala wrote. A site on the southeast corner of Brown Farm, one mile north of Cave Springs, was chosen. The proposed structure was to be 32 by 46 feet.
The congregation met for the first time in its new home on July 25, 1885, and promptly changed the name of their church from Cave Springs to Bethesda. The name was changed from Bethesda to Cave Springs First Baptist Church in November 1914.
The church organized its own Sunday school in 1934. Until this time, the church and the Sunday school were separate organizations. Eldridge Fagala was elected Sunday school superintendent "for another year."
In February 1952, the congregation voted to build a new building on church property just north of the old structure. The plan included block walls, cement floor and eight classrooms -- all on the ground floor. Through the years classrooms in two wings, a kitchen, a nursery and a library have been added.
"All labor was volunteer, and everyone seemed to desire to have a part in the work, being willing and anxious to do their share," the history reads. The first service held there was Aug. 11, 1954."
MEMORIES
The church records list many pastors and other church leaders throughout the church's history as well as official actions taken on behalf of the church. The history honestly lists many times of transition and discord, and Fagala addressed them:
"The church has made mistakes in the past, and will as time goes on; but we offer to you the Lord Jesus Christ, who maketh no mistakes. Had it not been for the power of God to keep the church, She could never have lasted this 100 years. The present members are thankful to the Christians of all ages who carried the gospel down to us."
Perhaps it was Elder J.N. Farish, who served for 38 years, who finally brought stability to the small church. John Allen, a current member of the church, recalled Farish, the pastor Allen remembers from childhood. A young Allen was in the party that greeted Farish and his wife with lunch on the day they moved to Cave Springs in August 1955. Farish's widow, Loleta Farish, will be honored during the weekend celebration.
Allen is the great-grandson of one of the church's charter members, Elijah L. Allen. He remembers walking to the church three times a week from his family's home just a mile away. "That was until he got a job in town and had to get a car. Then we rode to church. This was in the 1950s," Allen said.
Allen said his maternal grandfather, Henry George, also an early member of the church, was one of the first truckers in Northwest Arkansas. George started an early bus ministry with his truck, picking up people from Elm Springs who wanted to worship in Cave Springs.
Through the years, Allen was active in youth activities and served as treasurer and music director of the church many years. His wife, Linda, taught Sunday school, and many of her former students -- including the couple's own three children -- now participate in various ministries across the country.
Today, the church is led by Gary Brewer and is part of the Baptist Ministry Association of the Ozarks. Missions include a Hispanic congregation, the University of Arkansas center of the Baptist Student Association, eight churches throughout the state, a radio mission based in Conway and outreach to Central America.
"The Cave Springs Baptist Church is a small church, but Cave Springs is a small town," Fagala concluded the history. "Most of our young people go to other churches in larger towns as they leave to find work. We pray that whereever they go, they will be faithful to their God and their churches.
NAN Religion on 10/10/2015