History of Allen's Creek Baptist Church, Inc.
Church History
Between 1875 and 1885 the First Baptist Church of Waynesville was the “mother church” to three congregations. In June 1875, nine members were dismissed to form what is now the Antioch Baptist Church. In September 1879, eighteen members were dismissed to form the Pleasant Balsam Baptist Church. The records of First Baptist contain the names of those who were dismissed to become charter members of these two churches. On June 30, 1883, a third group of seventeen was dismissed to establish the Allen Creek Baptist Church; however, no names are given in the minutes. Their history reads, “These met in the Liberty School House, where Waynesville pastors had frequently held revival meetings.”
On August 12, 1883, the Allens Creek Baptist Church was organized as the Liberty Baptist Church. In the records of Allens Creek, we do not have the names of the charter members nor do we have the names of the men who composed the organizing presbytery. The church’s first pastor was Ephraim Norris. By 1886 they had changed its name to “Allens Baptist Church”. This name was used by the church until 1888 when the church’s name became “Allens Creek Baptist Church”.
The church, upon its organization, immediately joined the fellowship of the Tuckaseigee Baptist Association meeting in Macon County. The Haywood Baptist Association had not been formed. On September 23-26, 1886, fourteen churches met at Pleasant Hill Baptist Church (Clyde First) and organized the Haywood Baptist Association. Allens creek was one of these churches. By this time its membership had increased to 45 members.
The church also became a member of the Western North Carolina Baptist Convention. This convention met in Hendersonville. It had a paper similar to the “Biblical Recorder” which was printed weekly. This four-page paper was known as “The Asheville Baptist”. It was devoted to the interests of the denomination in this section of the state.
From its beginning, the Allens Creek Church built an orderly fellowship. They established rules of Decorum and a Church Covenant. The rules of Decorum were:
- Members shall not absent themselves in time of business without leave from the moderator.
- We admit no other title than “Brother” when engaged in business.
- Resolved that the members of this church neither make, buy, use or sell any spirituous liquors
as a beverage.
“May the Lord help us to do all things for Christ’s sake.”
The Church Covenant recorded in an old church roll-book reads:
“We the members of Allens Creek Church agree on the articles of faith, and do for and in behalf of each other, covenant and agree and give ourselves up to each other in church and Christian fellowship in order to keep up the unity of the Spirit in bonds of peace, and to assist each other in all matters of distress and pray for each other’s prosperity. Amen.”
Out of the church’s desire, “to keep the unity of the Spirit”, the church practiced discipline of its members. The early records show that members were brought before the church for “the use of profanity”, “cussin”, “unchristian conduct”, “attending a frolic”, “dancin”, and “drinking spirituous liquors”. The church records show that they were eager to reinstate a brother or sister who apologized to the church for the error of their ways and the shame brought upon the church.
THOSE WHO HAVE SERVED ARE:
Ephraim Norris 1883-1884
Elijah Allison 1885
A.B. Henson 1886-1887; 1893-1895
W.W. Wells 1888
M.C. Compton 1889-1892
M.R.N. Caldwell 1896-1899; 1901
J.M. Haynes 1900
W.M. Pruett 1902-1907; 1909-1915; 1922-1924
James R. Liner 1908
John C. Bennet 1915-1917; 1925-1926
A.V. Joiner (Pastor Waynesville first preached in the afternoons) 1918-1919
Wiley Green 1920
Hayman Hyde 1921
W.B. Robinson 1924-1925
John Stanberry 1926
C.L. Allen 1927-1929; 1930-1933
M.L. Hooper 1929-1930
Thomas Erwin 1933-1936; 1939-1940; 1945-1950
Oder Burnett 1936-1939
W.L. Sorrells 1940-1944
Gordon Scruggs 1950-1951
C.D. Sawyer 1951-1955; 1964-1967
Otto Parham 1955-1961
R.M. Heavner 1961-1963
Carol Presnell 1968-1985
Tony Crisp 1986-1990
Lloyd Fish, Jr. 1991-2001
Eddie Deitz 2003-2016
Scotty Patrick 2017-Present