Corner Stone Baptist Church was organized May 10, 1872, at the Pea Ridge schoolhouse. Feeling the need of preaching on Long Arm Prairie some six or eight persons of Baptist churches decided to organize that they might the better promulgate Baptist principles in this part of the county. Accordingly on the above date a Presbytery consisting of Elders A. G. Mitchell, T. N. Sanderson and Wm. H. Bibb was called, and after appropriate services the following persons were organized into a church: Hiram Hall and Fanny, his wife, Robert J. and Sarah A. Chasten, James R. and Dulena A. Gibson, Adam Hall and Jenny Estes. Jenny Estes, Sarah A. Chasten, Jas. R. Gibson and wife are the only members living that helped to organize the church, but none of them are members with us at present.The church called for its first pastor Elder Wm. H. Bibb and elected Robert J. Chasten clerk. Others soon came by letter. After a good deal of sacrificing and toil $850 was secured in money and pledges and the present meeting house was built on Long Arm Prairie. The church has had since its organization
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eleven Pastors: W. H. Bibb, M. S. Whiteside, Jas. Reid, F. M. Birkhead, J. N. B. Hepler, W. N. Maupin, E. B. Dillard, O. A. Gordon, D. E. Mellechamp and W. J. Patrick, serving the church in the order named. The Deacons have been Hiram Hall, James R. Gibson, H. Atkins, B. F. Blackwell, Robert Harris and Alphonzo Noah. But one of these, B. F. Blackwell, serves the church at present. The clerks have been Robert J. Chasten, John Moxley, S. S. Hall, E. M. Atkins, W. T. Hall and W. B. Palmer.The church received into its membership in all two hundred and thirty-five persons. During the last decade the church has lost nearly all of her members, principally by death and removal, until her present membership is only forty-two, with but about a dozen members living close enough to the church to attend her services.
This body from the first has been missionary through her Pastors supplying at various points where there was but little or no preaching. During the first year of her history the church was received into the fellowship of the Salt River Association. This fellowship continued until the year 1890, when the following resolutions were offered by J. S. R. Gregory and adopted by the church:
"Whereas, Salt River Association has become so large and unwieldy, therefore the Baptist Church at Corner Stone at her regular meeting June 14, 1890, adopted the following resolution:"Resolved, First: That for the good of the Baptist cause and convenience of the churches it is best for us to withdraw from said Association and form an Association in Lincoln county.
"Resolved, Second: That we send eight brethren to visit sister churches in Lincoln county and contiguous thereto and ask them to adopt the above resolutions and send delegates to a convention to be held at Corner Stone on the 7th of August, 1890, at nine o'clock a. m., to carry into effect and select a place and
[p. 298]set a time to convene an Association as soon after the meeting of Salt River Association as practicable."According to the intention of the church the new Association, known as Cuivre, was then organized and held her first session with this church the following year.========= [From Wiley Jones Patrick, editor, History of the Churches of the Salt River Baptist Association, Missouri, 1909, pp. 296-298. From Google Books On-line. Scanned and formatted by Jim Duvall.]
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