The year 1811 was ushered in with remarkable demonstrations of the Spirit's presence and power in this church. Indications of a revival spirit were manifested during the closing months of the previous year. The church had been vigilant and faithful in the maintainance of discipline. The membership was aroused to a more earnest spirit of prayer, faith and self-examination, and sinners were awakened with a very great concern for the personal salvation.

     On the first Saturday and Lord's Day in the year, twenty-one persons were received for baptism, on a relation of their Christian experience. At almost every succeeding meeting for many months, there were more or less additions. The stated meetings of the church were held at the regular place of worship. Numerous other meetings were appointed, particularly at night, at the private houses of members, and at such other times and places as were deemed promotive of the interests of religion. Notwithstanding the numerous colonies planted by this church, she still had an extensive boundary, and with diligent care looked after the interests of the cause throughout its entire extent.

     The numerous meetings held, particularly those at night and at private house, were generally the occasions of much prayer, singing, exhortation, conversation and hearing the religious experience of young converts. These meetings, which were held in all the surrounding neighborhoods, contributed greatly to the growth and enlargement of the membership, to the calling out and developing the gifts of exhortation and prayer, and to keep up and extend the revival spirit. During this period the influences of religion appear to have affected more or less the whole population, and converts were to be numbered in almost every family. Brethren from more distant localities, hearning of the meetings, came in, imbibed the spirit, and neighboring churches shared in the gracious revival influences.

     Thomas Henderson and Christopher Wilson were the prominent laborers "in word and doctrine" during this revival season. Henderson had acquired a liberal education, and was a man of very respectable preaching talents. Wilson, who was reared up and ordained in this church, possessed a sprightly mind, an agreeable address, and native talents of more than medium standard. Their preaching was highly appreciated and greatly blessed. Many were made to rejoice in their ministry. Absalom Graves and Chichester Matthews, who had been licensed to preach the year previous, by their earnest exhortations, judicious counsels, and diligence in seeking out and instructing inquirers, contributed much to the progress of the work.

     During this revival and ingathering, which continued till about the first of November, the church experienced a very great enlargement. One hundred and seventy persons were added to her membership, making her total number three hundred and nineteen. Among the prominent male members received were James Garnette, Elijah Hawkins, William Garnette, James Gilmore, Whitfield Earley, Landon Robinson, Cave Montague, Lewis Webb, William Whitaker, Rowland Botts, Robert Kirtley, Willis Graves, Peter Lowstutter, James Dicken, Reuben Graves, Benjamin Watts and Michael Cristler.

     These were subsequently leading and representative men, six of whom became ministers of the Gospel; and with but few exceptions the others were deacons and clerks in this and other churches. Many other esteemed and useful male members were added to the church; "and of the chielf women, not a few." During the remainder of this, anmd the following year, many interesting events touching the history of the church took place.

     James Garnette, who was quite a young man and one of the first fruits of the revival, evincing a commendable zeal, an earnest spirit of devotion and an "aptness to teach," was, during the progress of the revival, encouraged "to exercise his gift in the bounds of the church."

     Francis Craig, also, who had been a member for some time, was in like manner licensed to preach.

     Edward Webb, one of the useful and honored deacons of the church, having removed to another locality, William Rogers and William Montague were chosen to be deacons. Rogers had been set apart to the office in another church, and Montague was duly ordained.

     On the 5th of April, 1812, Absalom Graves, sr., deservedly esteemed one of the best of men, was ordained to the work of the ministry. At the same meeting, twenty-eight members, including Christopher Wilson, were dismissed for the purpose of organizing the church at the Forks of Gunpowder, about twelve miles distant, a number of leading brethren having been appointed to assist them in their organization. For some years past, this had been held as an outpost for preaching, and had been cherished and looked after with care. This church was organized on the 29th of April, 1812, and was for some years a flourishing church.

     In May of this year, Elder Thomas Henderson, whose brief ministry in this and neighboring churches had been profitable to the cause, and who was "esteemed very highly in love for his works' sake," removed to another part of the State, and subsequently became connected with the Choctaw academy in Scott county, Ky., where his labors were useful both as a minister and an instructor of the Indian youth. William Rogers, one of the deacons, about this time also moved into another community; and the church was, in the course of a few months, deprived of the labors of two ordained ministers and one deacon.

     On the 4th of October of the same year Chichester Matthews was ordained to the work of the ministry, and about the same time Elder James Hamilton Goss, from Virginia, a good man, with some eccentricities, moved into the community and taught school. He was received as a transient member, and exercised his ministry irregularly in this and neighboring churches through several years. Graves and Matthews were far from being novices in the ministry. They had for years been diligent students of the Bible, and active laborers in the vineyard. They possessed a sound practical judgment and ripe experience, and from the purity of their loves, the aimiableness [sic] of their spirit and faithfulness, they had acquired great influence in the community and as far as they were known. Their preaching was sound, practical and characterized by unaffected simplicity.

     Early in the year 1813 Landon Robinson was encouraged to exercise his gift in a way of preaching. In December of that same year, Beverly Ward, at his request, was released from the duties of Clerk, in which capacity he had served the church well for several years, and Whitfield Early was appointed in his stead. In the fall of 1814, William Montague and James Garnette were fully licensed to preach the Gospel; and, having made a commendable growth in the knowledge and use of the Scriptures, James Garnette was ordained on the 13th of October, 1816; and early in the year 1817 removed to Culpepper county, Va., where for many years he has been usefully employed in the ministry; and, though now well stricken in years, still survives, esteemed and honored for his works' sake.

     William Montague was ordained June 8, 1817, and jointly labored with the other ministers of the church till in the spring of 1819, when he went into the organization of Sand Run Church. In this church, he labored for a few years, and then, being seduced by the novelties and sophistry of Alexander Campbell's system, slid into "the current reformation."

     In November, 1816, Whitfield Early at his request was released from the duties of clerk, and Lewis Webb was appointed in his stead. Edward Webb and William Rogers having moved into other localities, William Montague, having engaged in the ministry, at the instance of Daniel Mosby, Robert Terrell and Robert Kirtley were unanimously chosen by the church, and, on the 8th of July, 1817, were duly set apart to the office of deacon; and, at his own request, Daniel Mosby, now advanced in years, was released from his active duties of the office. During these years, subsequent to the removal of Henderson and Wilson, the church enjoyed the constant labors of Graves and Matthews, who preached alternately, and meanwhile labored extensively in other fields as evangelists. Their joint and judicious labors were well calculated to build up, to strengthen and guide the membership.

     The discipline of the church was prompt, rigid and faithful. Members were not allowed to live in disorder, nor were they permitted to take letters while in disorder. Steps were at once taken to remove offenses, to reconcile alienated parties, to vindicate the purity of the church and the honor of the Master.

     It was a fundamental principle of discipline, recognized and acted upon by this church from the time of her organization (a fact not hitherto mentioned) that, whenever a case of discipline was clearly ascertained to be such an act of disorderly walking as dishonored the Head of the Church, reproached the cause or compromised the purity of the church, the individual was declared by a vote of the church to have sinned, and to be worthy of exclusion, and was henceforth held suspended from all church privileges until restored; and thus the cause, the purity and faithfulness of the church were vindicated, and the mouths of all gainsayers were stopped.

     During this period traced by this part of our narrative, the church had received by baptism one hundred and seventy-nine members. A very large number had been dismissed, some for organizing another church, but most of them as emigrants to the new settlements in Indiana. Many were removed by death, and several had been excluded. By the 1st of October, 1817, the total membership of the church was two hundred and twenty-five. The church also had three ordained ministers, -- Graves, Matthews and Montague; one licentiate, Francis Craig; two encouraged to exercise their gifts in a way of preaching, Landon Robinson and James Dicken; and two deacons, Robert Terrell and Roberty Kirtley.

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[James A. Kirtley, History of Bullittsburg Church with Biographies, 1872, pp. 15-18. Transcribed and formatted by Jim Duvall.]

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