One of Arkansas' oldest congregations is marking its bicentennial this weekend, gathering, its leaders say, to "celebrate the 200th anniversary of God's faithfulness" among the people of Saline County.
Kentucky Missionary Baptist Church, at 7070 Arkansas 5, roughly 5 miles northwest of Benton, kicks off the occasion from 1-5:30 p.m. today with speeches, special musical guests and a little History 101, followed by a free barbecue supper.
There will be a Homecoming service at 10:45 a.m. Sunday, followed by a potluck at noon. Revival services, featuring sermons from some of the congregation's previous pastors, will be held at 6 p.m. Sunday and at 7 p.m. Monday through Wednesday.
Commemorative coins, featuring the church's facade, also will be distributed while supplies last; 500 have been prepared. The souvenirs quote Matthew 19:26: "With God, All Things Are Possible."
Older than the state of Arkansas, the community was named by early territorial settlers who came from Kentucky, according to a May 19, 1956, article in the Arkansas Gazette.
The congregation, it noted, was "said to be the oldest church south of the Arkansas River in Arkansas Territory" and has worshipped at or near its current site since 1822.
In the early days, the area was "wild and woolly" with worshippers frequently exercising their right to keep and bear arms, according to an April 30, 1961, account in the Arkansas Democrat.
On one occasion, when a bear was spotted, the pastor paused long enough for the animal to be hunted down. The meat was later divvied up among congregants, the article noted.
There has been plenty of heartache over the years. In the 1920s the sanctuary was destroyed by a tornado, according to an article in the Feb. 4, 1968, Arkansas Gazette.
On Aug. 24, 1996, it was leveled again, this time by an arsonist.
The minister at the time, Eric Daniel "Danny" Harris, was the one who lit the match; he would ultimately be sentenced to serve 18 months in prison for his crime.
The building was utterly destroyed but members were able to salvage a wooden pulpit from the site. The old church bell also survived.
Despite the setback, the congregation kept going.
"The ones that were there had great resiliency," said Donny Haynes, the current pastor. "They brought in a lot of other sister churches and stuff really poured in to help to rebuild."
Today, average attendance is about 100, he said.
A bigger crowd is expected for the bicentennial celebration, though the precise turnout is anybody's guess.
"We have no way of knowing. We could have 150 show up or we could have 2,000 show up," Haynes said.
Harris, who served his sentence, isn't among those slated to appear.
Asked how many people would fit in the sanctuary for this weekend's festivities, Eric Vinyard, a lifelong congregant and longtime deacon, said, "It would hold 300 but it would be tight."
After 200 years of ministry, Kentucky Missionary Baptist Church continues preaching the gospel, he said.
"We've had about seven baptisms, you know, in the last six or eight months," he said.
Unlike the earlier buildings, the new sanctuary has a baptismal. The wall behind the tank depicts the Saline River, the body of water where Vinyard and scores of others were baptized over the years.
His late mother, June Vinyard, did the painting.