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History of Antioch Missionary Baptist Church
Logan County, Ketucky
By Wilmer Sears
      Antioch Missionary Baptist Church was organized at Wolf Lick Meeting House September 26, 1818. The presbytery which constituted the church was composed of the following: James Conyers, Phillip Warden and William Tatum.

     The members of the church which went into the organization were Daniel Carson and wife, Elijah Solomon, Southy Rayfield, John Driskill and wile, all of which had letters from Center Church. The church seemed to prosper from the beginning, inasmuch as there were members received at every meeting for some months.

     The Wolf Lick Meeting House was a church erected for church worship by all denominations and stood on what is now the Morgantown and Hopkinsville road, about one mile west of Wolf Lick Creek, at which place the church was organized and was possibly used as a place of worship for some time. For some years they held their regular monthly meetings at the homes of their members which would often cause two consecutive meetings to be held eight or ten miles apart, the members being scattered from what is now the Jericho neighborhood to a point about two miles west of Mt. Sharon. Sometime in the early history of the church there was a log house built on the present church site and in 1834 it was declared church property, strictly, and if it was afterwards occupied by other denominations it must be by permission of the Missionary Baptist Church.

     In March, 1852 a committee was appointed to raise funds to build a church and one month later they reported sufficient money secured to build the church, but it seems there was some difference of opinion as to the size they wanted to build so there was nothing done until 1856. The house was completed as it now stands, except for repairs, sometime in the sixties.

      The pastors who have served in the 129 years of its existence are as follows:
Jacob Bowers Nov. 1818 - Sept. 1828
William Tatum Sept. 1828 - Sept. 1837
James H. Felts Sept. 1837 - Oct. 1854
Calvin Meachim Oct. 1854 - Sept. 1859
J. W. Lamb Sept. 1859 - Sept. 1861
Isaac Barrow Sept. 1861 - Sept. 1863
J. H. Felts Sept. 1863 - Oct. 1865
J. C. W. Mansfield Oct. 1865 - Oct. 1869
Isaac Barrow Oct. 1869 - Oct. 1872
A. Malone Oct. 1872 - Oct. 1882
T. W. McGuire Oct. 1882 - Oct. 1883
J. R. Jenkins Feb. 1884 - July 1886
T. E. McCutchens July 1886 - Aug. 1887
T. J. Allison Sept. 1887 - Nov. 1888
J. J. Goodman Dec. 1888 - Dec. 1889
J. E. Gardener Dec. 1889 - Apr. 1901
J. W. Brister Apr. 1901 - Aug. 1902
J. E. Baggett Aug. 1902 - 1905
J. W. Gill 1905 - Jan. 1908
J. W. Leighton Apr. 1908 - Jan. 1909
J. C. Thompson Jan. 1909 - Apr. 1912
M. M. Hall Apr. 1912 - Apr. 1913
R. W. Danks Apr. 1913 - Apr. 1915
J. R. Jenkins Apr. 1915 - Apr. 1916
G. W. Milan July 1916 - until death. A period of six or eight months.
B. S. Stewart 1917 - Sept 1923
F. W. Cooper Sept. 1923 - Apr. 1924
J. S. Hale Apr. 1924 - Oct. 1924
J. H. Page Oct. 1924 - Oct. 1925
S. P. Browning Oct. 1925 - Nov. 1935
Marvin Stinson. Nov. 1935 - Nov. 1936
T. W. Cooper Nov. 1936 - Dec. 1937
W. W. Johnson Dec. 1937 - Dec. 1938
S. P. Browning Dec. 1938 - Dec. 1943
H. E. White Dec. 1943 - Apr. 1944
Elmer G. Morris is the present pastor and has been serving the church about four years.

      Antioch Church has had 39 pastors. James H. Felts served longest, 17 years. The present membership is 246.

      The first associational connection was with the Red River Association in 1819. In 1823 they secured a letter from the Red River Association to join Gasper River Association and continued with that body until 1863 at which time they joined Clear Fork Association and was one of the churches represented at Green Ridge church in 1903 when Clear Fork was changed to Logan Co. Association. They have remained with that body until this date.

      The church has ordained a number of men to preach the gospel, most, if not all of these are now deceased.

      The following extracts taken from the old church records may be of interest to someone. In 1822 John, a colored man, the property of Henry Ashburn, was licensed to preach. July 27, 1822 was set apart for fasting and prayer.

      In October 1839, the church chose John Driskill to represent her in the convention to be held in Butler County for the purpose of devising ways and means to supply destitution in the associational boundary.

      In February, 1842, a collection of $8.00 was made for the pastor. The first record of paying the pastor.

      October, 1842, a member brought a charge against himself for striking another brother and was forgiven.

      June 26, 1858 first money was collected for Home Missions.

      June 1880 the church dismissed eleven members by letter to form a church at Elk Lick.

      So far as we find in the records, Antioch Church has held its meetings on fourth Sunday in each month until April 1944 when it was changed to first Sunday in each month.

      Thus have we endeavored to bring out some of the facts concerning the life of this church which is the second oldest church in the Logan County Association.

      This church has long been one of the "land marks" of this community. Of the host of souls who have been led to Christ through the influence of this church, they can only be revealed in eternity and as she lives on completing her second century and if God wills, enters her third century of existence, may she strive to do even more for the advancement of the cause of Christianity and the uplift of humanity than she has ever done in the past.

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[The foregoing history of Antioch was prepared by Wilmer Sears, clerk of the church. From the Logan Baptist Association minutes, 1985, pp. 8-9; it is a slight revision of the 1947 history. This document provided by Ben Stratton, Farmington, KY. Scanned and formatted by Jim Duvall.]



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