The following document “The History of Wolf Creek Baptist Church 1809-2009″ was compiled by Pastor Kenny especially for the Church’s 200th Anniversary Celebration. With great fondness and love we dedicate this document to our Wolf Creek Baptist Church Brothers and Sisters who have passed on to be with the Lord.
Past Times at Wolf Creek Baptist Church
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THE HISTORY OF WOLF CREEK BAPTIST CHURCH 1809-2009
As Wolf Creek Baptist Church celebrates her 200th Anniversary, we would like to look back at a long and historic past that parallels many of the historic events of The United States of America. The history of Wolf Creek Baptist Church is a long and storied history.
The original name was Wolf Creek Untied Baptist Church. Most all of the actual church records have been destroyed over the years. The history of Wolf Creek Baptist Church has been kept alive by oral tradition, a few church records, old associational records, a “school project” paper written by Rebecca Moses Laudermilk in 1979 and work by former South Union Mount Zion Baptist Association, Director of Missions, Rev. Janus Jones, in 1990.
There have been 3 dates linked to the origination date of Wolf Creek Baptist Church: 1809, 1827, and 1837. Due to at least 2 fires in its history, most of the church records were destroyed. The author was able to uncover records that state “there was a fire in 1837 and that all records prior to 1837 were destroyed”. The other fire occurred in 1982, destroying the home of Deacon Leonard & Mabel Williams. Their daughter Sis. Barbara Williams was the church clerk at the time and all of the records were kept at the home. Prior to this fire, there had been discussions about the proper place to store the church records and due to fear of a fire or a burglary, the church members felt that the church was not the safest place to store the records, opting instead for the home of the church clerk.
Having found the record of a fire in 1837, we are able to rule out 1837 as the originating date of the church. One traditional account of the church’s beginning is that the church became an arm of the Cumberland River Church, now known as First Baptist Church of Barbourville, soon after its beginning. The following is a quote from Rev. Janus Jones writing in 1990. “The writer, Bro. Jones, has read all of the records of the Cumberland River Church that are readable from 1804-1947, and the name Wolf Creek is not mentioned. On the fourth Friday and Saturday in June, 1811, the Cumberland River Church called all its arms together for a meeting at Finley’s Meeting House on Meadow Creek, and read the minutes of the arms of the church into the Cumberland River Church records. There is no mention of an arm at Wolf Creek. There is mention of several house churches meeting at this time. Church meetings were held at the home of John Chestnut, Phillip Shulls, Thomas Arthur, Robert Byrd, James Gibson and at the house where Hugh Ghaston formerly lived. One of these churches is also called the ‘Church at the Horse Shoe’. Perhaps one of these house churches is the beginning of Wolf Creek Baptist Church.” According to another old account the church was organized by Elder James Mathes (Ed Mathes) and Elder Andrew Evans.
One thing is for certain, the early settlers of this area saw a need for a church and the Lord led them to start a church at Wolf Creek. Times were a lot different in 1809. In 1809, the area of Wolf Creek was in Knox County, Kentucky… Whitley County was not to be for another 10 years. There were only 17 states in the United States of America in 1809 and the United States had just elected its 4th President, Mr. James Madison. The modern day comforts that we have in our church buildings were non existent in the early days. The church most likely first met either in homes or “on the ground”. The first church building at Wolf Creek was made of rugged rough logs, just like the homes of these early settlers.
The Wolf Creek Baptist Church has always been an active and working church. There is record that in 1828 Frederick Snider and Stephen Cox were sent from Wolf Creek to help start a church at Patterson Creek. Wolf Creek Baptist Church has also been partners in associational work throughout most of its history. The earliest recorded history of the South Union Mount Zion Baptist Association that we have is from 1843 and Wolf Creek is listed as having baptized 5 souls that year.
Wolf Creek was led by the circuit riding preacher in these early years, continuing to grow and prosper. Due to bad roads, few preachers and lack of transportation, the early church at Wolf Creek only met once a month. These meetings were held on the fourth Saturday and Sunday of each month. The business meetings of the church were held on Saturday following the preaching services. The church’s business as well as community disputes were taken care of during these meetings. Since most of the early settlers were isolated from their neighbors, church meetings were considered “social occasions”. This was a time for friends and neighbors to get together and visit with one another. Entire families could be seen coming to church in buggies and wagons and on horseback, dressed in their “Sunday best”, the men wearing their overalls and the ladies their best bonnets. Everyone would bring lunch and have “dinner on the ground”.
The following are a few interesting facts that have been saved about the history of Wolf Creek Baptist Church:
“The minutes from December 1862 note that the church met on the forth Saturday in December for worship, but become afraid of a possible invasion of the Confederate Army, and adjourned the business until a later date. The minutes also record that two slaves were members of the church in those days. Their names were “Sally & Jewel”. Also saved from the minutes was that in 1894 the church janitor was paid fifty cents each month for his services. In 1897 the church collected $1.30 to buy a little girl a new pair of shoes and anything else she might need. In 1897 the church contributed 74 cents to the South Union Association for minute booklets. In 1903 they owed the janitor $5.20 in back pay. They collected $3.10 and left $2.10 unpaid. They collected the remainder the next month.”
Throughout its history, Wolf Creek has been on the cutting edge of new ways to spread the message of Jesus Christ. In 1890 Brother M.M. Ellison, a member of Wolf Creek, was appointed to a committee to organize Sunday Schools in the South Union United Baptist Association. Wolf Creek would become one of the first churches in this area to start a Sunday School. Another interesting Wolf Creek historical event happened in 1940. According to associational records, there was a special association called meeting on August 4th at Fairview Baptist Church. The association records read as follows: “The Wolf Creek Church was called in question over certain heretical teachings, and Brother M.S. Davenport was asked to make a statement relative to this. Brother Davenport states that a woman named Mary McCloyd of the American Inland Mountain Mission, had organized a Bible Club in their church in October, 1939, and had exerted such influence that a number of the church members were in sympathy with her teachings. Pastor Andy J. Davis and Brother Davenport asked that a committee be appointed to come to Wolf Creek and advise them at their next regular meeting as to how to deal with the members who had joined the bible club and were following the teachings of the American Inland Mountain Mission. Bro. Davenport went on to say that the women had moved their bible club from the church house to a store building located across the road from the church house, which was owned by a woman who was a member of the church. The association appointed a committee and they reported back at the Associational Annual Meeting on September 27, 1940, held at Bethel Baptist Church. During this meeting, it was advised that Wolf Creek discipline its members, who are in any way upholding the American Inland Mountain Mission or any other heretical teaching. The records go on to state that in 1941, Wolf Creek reported at the Associational Annual Meeting that they had complied with the request of the Association. It was approved that Wolf Creek be able to “letter up” in 1941.” It would be another 10 + years before WMU’s were formed at Wolf Creek and other surrounding area churches. Wolf Creek had its first Vacation Bible School around this same time.
Sometime in the late 1800’s, Wolf Creek started meeting weekly and this continued until around the time of W.W. II, when the church switched to two meetings per month until 1945. Speaking of W.W. II, according to Sunday School records, the Wolf Creek Baptist Church met for Sunday School on December 7, 1941. There were 34 people present and on offering of 34 cents was collected. As these souls were going about their “regular Sunday routine”, little did they know that the world as they knew it was about to be changed forever. For at 1:48 P.M. “Wolf Creek time”, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor causing the United States to enter W.W. II. Over the next few years, countless prayers were “sent up to heaven” for the “boys” of the Wolf Creek Community and the United States as a whole.
As time advanced, the exact date is not known when the old rough log church building was replaced by “old” white framed building, but in the early 1950’s Wolf Creek built a new concrete block building.
The Wolf Creek Baptist Church continued to “work for the Lord” throughout the 1950’s and 1960’s. In 1960 the “Old Hall” building, which was located where the present day parking lot is, was purchased from two fraternal associations, the Beech Grove Council No. 95 of the Daughters of America and the Junior Order of the United American Mechanics. The “Old Hall” building had previously been used by these organizations, as well as the church itself from time to time and also by the community as both a voting precinct and for community events. The building, already beyond repair, would be torn down to make some much needed room for the church.
The decade of the 1970’s brought much cosmetic change to the old building. In the late 1970’s during the pastorate of Rev. Gordon Brown, attendance continued to grow and additional Sunday School rooms were added to the front of the building, as well as a new basement being dug, a new steeple on the church and a new piano and organ was purchased for the enhancement of the worship service.
In the mid to late 1980’s the church building was bricked, indoor bathrooms replaced the old outhouses, and a baptistry and additional rooms were added to the church, all while Rev. J.R. Bullock was pastor.
During the 1980’s and 1990’s Wolf Creek Baptist Church had its ups and downs. Membership declined, partly because of the going home of many of the “old saints”. One great blessing during the 1990’s was the fact that one of Wolf Creek’s members, sister Jennifer Hale Garrison, during her college years was able to go on several mission trips, both in the United States and abroad. Wolf Creek Baptist Church was able to provide some of the resources to enable her to take these trips. This was a direct way for Wolf Creek Baptist Church to reach out to the world.
Some of the pastors during the times of the late 1970’s until today are as follows: Rev. Gordon Brown, Rev. Ray Wilson, Rev. J.R. Bullock, Rev. Janus Jones (Supplying on several different occasions), Rev. Coy Brewer, Rev. Eugene Hamilton, Rev. James Jones, Rev. Craig Boley, Dr. Jerry Lowrie, and our current pastor Dr. John Justice.
With the dawning of a new millennium, Wolf Creek Baptist Church has continued to be associational and mission minded. The Wolf Creek Baptist Church of 2009 has a strong and growing youth ministry. The youth in the past few years have grown from less then 10 children to averaging 60+ youth and children each week. The Wolf Creek Baptist Church under the pastor leadership of Bro. Justice continues to grow and spread the ‘Good News” of Jesus Christ throughout the Wolf Creek Community, The South Union Mount Zion Baptist Association, The Commonwealth of Kentucky, The United States and around the globe.
To honor Wolf Creek Baptist Church during this 200th Anniversary Celebration, Dr. Bill Mackey, Executive Director of the Kentucky Baptist Convention gave the following statement: “I am grateful for the strong witness of Wolf Creek Baptist Church over the past 200 years. Only God can know the influence of your witness in your local community, association, North America and around the world by your gifts through your local church, the Cooperative Program and mission offerings. Thousands have been able to know the full and meaningful life that Jesus offers now and an eternity with Him in heaven because of your faithful witness. May God continue to bless your faithful ministry to His honor and glory.”
From her humble beginnings, to present day, Wolf Creek Baptist Church has come a long way.
A few fun facts—Wolf Creek Baptist Church is older than:
The sewing machine, candy bars, graham crackers, colt revolvers, safety pins, paper bags, the elevator, the escalator, can openers, paper clips, Jell-O, aspirin, the vacuum cleaner, Schwinn bicycles, baby formula, the typewriter, chewing gum, motorcycle, earmuffs, the telephone, toilet paper, the light bulb, Ivory soap, Christmas lights, Coca-Cola, matches, Kellogg’s corn flakes, blue jeans, gasoline and the automobile.
Happy 200th Anniversary Celebration Wolf Creek Baptist Church!
Special Thank You Note:
The Wolf Creek Baptist Church would like to thank all of our speakers, singers, and everyone who took part in the 200th Anniversary Celebration of Wolf Creek Baptist Church. To all who have worked and sacrificed time and resources to help to put this 200th Anniversary Celebration together, we say “Thank You” and “To God Be The Glory”. 200 years ago, the Lord saw a need to have a church at Wolf Creek. We are all products of those dear Godly saints who have preceded us. If time stands, may we also in 200 years be looked upon as being good stewards of Gods time, talents and resources. Our sincere prayer is that the name of Jesus Christ always be lifted up throughout the community of Wolf Creek and the surrounding area.
Thank you,
Wolf Creek Baptist Church
1809-2009