Sardis Church 
 
 A Historical Sketch 
 
 Read at the Centennial 
 of the Church 
 
 BY 
 
 REV. J. K. HALL 
 
\ 
 
 Digitized by the Internet Archive' 
 in 2014 
 
 https://archive.org/details/sardischurchhistOOhall 
 
Historical Sketch Sardis Ghurch 
 
 NE HUNDRED years ago yesterday— May the 5th, 
 18 16 — a little band of Christians gathered in their 
 house of worship near the banks of the Little River, 
 about a mile and a half from this place, across the 
 ravine from what we now know as Old Sardis Church, to organize 
 themselves into a Presbyterian church. At that time, the United 
 States had been enjoying independence a little over thirty-two 
 years. James Madison, the fourth President of the United States, 
 was in office. The second war with England had only recently 
 been brought to an honorable close, and the people were re- 
 joicing over the return of peace. The aged George the Third was 
 still upon the throne of England. The preceding summer the 
 battle of Waterloo had been fought, and Napoleon had been sent 
 to St. Helena to end his days. 
 
 Though the little band gathered in their house of worship 
 one hundred years ago were living in stirring times, conditions 
 then were very different from what they are today. A mere 
 glance will show this. Ocean-going steamers were unknown. 
 The sail boat, with its discomforts, disease, and frightful mor- 
 tality, requiring months to cross the Atlantic, was the only means 
 of communication between Europe and America. Railroads had 
 not been thought of. The ordinary mode of travel was on horse- 
 back. The only vehicle was the two-wheeled gig, used mostly by 
 ministers. A trip from North Carolina to Philadelphia consumed 
 three weeks. There was no telegraph, no cable, no telephone. 
 Peace between England and the United States was signed Decem- 
 ber 24, 1814. On January 8, 181 5, the battle of New Orleans 
 was fought by General Jackson, in utter ignorance of the fact 
 that peace had already been concluded. It was not until a month 
 after the battle of New Orleans that the news of peace became 
 known in America. There was no cotton gin. Every pound of 
 cotton was seeded by hand. Instead of carrying fancy work 
 with them when visiting, ladies carried little bags of cotton, and 
 while enjoying a social day, picked the seed from the lint. Farm 
 implements were of the most primitive kind. The only plows 
 
used were boards tipped with iron. The clothes worn by master 
 and servant were made from cloth woven by hand. The most 
 cultivated ladies of the time were known to have woven their own 
 wedding dresses. Weaving was a fine art, and was not beneath 
 the dignity of cultivated people. The nearest postoffice was Fay- 
 etteville, and the community was thought very fortunate in having 
 a postofnce so near. Church privileges were meagre. The only 
 churches at that time in this section of country were Fayetteville, 
 Bluff, Barbecue, Averasboro, and Tirzah, the last organized only 
 five years previously. From Fayetteville to Tirzah, from Bluff 
 to Barbecue, there was no church. No wonder this little band 
 determined to organize their own church. 
 
 It would be very interesting if we could roll back a hundred 
 years and see that little band of worshipers gathered for the 
 purpose of organizing themselves into a Presbyterian church. 
 The appearance of the assemblage would be very amusing to us 
 in its quaint dress. But, if they were quaintly dressed, they 
 were pure in heart and sound in theology. This is clearly seen 
 in the paper adopted at the organization of the church. This 
 paper is of such interest that I incorporate it here : 
 
 " 'Man's chief business in this world is to prepare for a 
 better.' Our bodies are perishable, and will soon moulder in the 
 dust ; but our souls are immortal, and will live forever. Although 
 our souls and bodies are united at this time, the period is fast 
 approaching when a separation must take place between them, 
 and our souls must be consigned either to everlasting happiness 
 or to eternal misery. To ascertain to which of these two ever- 
 lasting abodes we are hastening — for which of these eternal 
 conditions we are meet — we must have recourse to the gospel of 
 Jesus Christ, through which life and immortality are brought to 
 light. The means of grace are calculated to inspire the hope of 
 glory. The Scriptures, eminently styled the Word of God, are 
 able, through faith in Jesus Christ, to make us wise unto salva- 
 tion. Through the operation of the Spirit of God, the reading 
 of His Holy Word, and especially the preaching of it, is made 
 perfectly efficacious in convincing and converting sinners, and in 
 leading them up in holiness and comfort through faith unto 
 salvation. The administration of God's ordinances, and especially 
 the sacraments of baptism and the Lord's supper, is also made 
 effectual by the help of God and the working of His Spirit, to 
 
 Page Two 
 
the everlasting salvation of all those who by faith receive them. 
 Feeling a deep conviction of these important and soul-interesting 
 truths, and cherishing an earnest and longing desire to live con- 
 stantly and habitually under the influence of such conviction, we, 
 the subscribers, initiated into Christ's Church and dedicated to 
 God at an early period of our life by the sacred ordinance of 
 baptism, but residing at this time further than we deem con- 
 venient from any regularly constituted church of Christ, formed 
 on the plan which we consider warranted by the Word of God, 
 do hereby agree to form ourselves into a Christian society for 
 the purpose of regularly uniting in the public worship of God 
 and in the enjoyment of the ordinances of His house. And 
 believing that the doctrines taught and the regulations adopted in 
 the Presbyterian Church are all recognized in the standards of 
 unerring truth, we do by this solemn act connect ourselves with 
 that body of Christians, desiring to partake with them of the 
 privilege of being publicly recognized as a constituent part of 
 Christ's Church militant. To this end, we hereby associate our- 
 selves together as a church of Christ, to be known henceforth 
 by the name of 'The Sardis Presbyterian Church, in the County 
 of Cumberland and State of North Carolina' ; and, on behalf of 
 ourselves and our respective families, we solemnly and sincerely 
 agree to the following articles, viz : 
 
 "ist. We believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testa- 
 ments to be the Word of God, the only infallible rule of faith 
 and practice. 
 
 "2ndly. We sincerely receive and adopt the Confession of 
 Faith of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of 
 America as containing the system of doctrine taught in the Holy 
 Scriptures. 
 
 "3rdly. We agree to yield Christian subjection in the Lord, 
 according to the principles laid down in said Confession of Faith, 
 to the church session, composed of such regularly ordained min- 
 ister and ruling elders as we shall ourselves choose, for the 
 purpose of exercising regular and salutary discipline over us, 
 reserving to ourselves in cases where we may judge it necessary 
 the privilege of appealing from the decision of such session to 
 that of Fayetteville Presbytery; from the decision of said Pres- 
 bytery to that of the Synod of North Carolina; and from the 
 decision of said Synod to that of the General Assembly of the 
 
 Page Three 
 
Presbyterian Church in the United States of America. And in 
 testimony of our hearty acquiescence in each and all of the 
 aforegoing articles and in the truths asserted in the preamble, 
 we do hereunto subscribe our names in the County of Cumber- 
 land and the State of North Carolina, this fifth day of May in 
 the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixteen." 
 A number of things are evident from this paper : 
 
 1. There was already a place of worship before the organi- 
 zation of the church. These articles state that the people were 
 assembled in their house of worship. A building had been 
 erected and worship maintained prior to May 5, 1816. How long 
 a place of worship had been maintained prior to the organization 
 of the church perhaps no one now knows. 
 
 2. The church was not organized as Presbyterian churches 
 usually are. It is customary to petition Presbytery to organize a 
 church. These people organized themselves, and then offered 
 to place themselves under the authority of Fayetteville Presby- 
 tery on certain conditions. 
 
 3. The people were thoroughly orthodox. The Westminster 
 Confession of Faith is not sounder theology than the articles 
 signed at the organization of the church. 
 
 4. The people were exceedingly jealous of their rights. "We 
 agree," said they, "to yield Christian subjection in the Lord to 
 a church session composed of such regularly ordained minister 
 and ruling elders as we ourselves shall choose, reserving to our- 
 selves the privilege of appealing from the decision of such session 
 to that of the Presbyter)^ of Fayetteville, from the decision of 
 said) Presbytery to that of the Synod of North Carolina, and 
 from the decision of said Synod to that of the General Assembly 
 of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America." 
 Those who had suffered religious tyranny in the old world were 
 determined not to suffer a repetition in the new. 
 
 The record proceeds : "The aforegoing articles and pre- 
 amble were signed by twenty-seven persons, sixteen of whom 
 were communicants ; the remaining eleven had never come to 
 the Lord's table, but had, in common with, the others, received 
 initiation into the Church of Christ in their infancy by the sacred 
 ordinance of baptism. The communing members were: Wm. 
 L. Walker, Jerusia Walker, Allan McLean, Mary McLean, 
 James Watson, Jane Watson, Elizabeth Watson, Roderick Mor- 
 
 Page Four 
 
ison, Isabella Morison, Janet Philips, Duncan Munroe, Mary 
 Elliot, Mary Williams, Ann Thompson, Archibald Campbell, and 
 Sally Campbell. The non-communing members were : Angus 
 Philips, Flora Philips, Daniel Smith, John McDougald, Catharine 
 McDougald, Alexander Walker, Alexander Williams, Charity 
 Williams, Hector McLean, Penelope Morison, and John Thomp- 
 son." All of these have long gone to their reward, even the names 
 of many of them have vanished from the community, yet it be- 
 hooves us to bow our heads in grateful remembrance of these 
 men and women of profound faith and sturdy independence. 
 
 While these twenty-seven formed themselves into a Presby- 
 terian church, they did not proceed to the election of officers 
 until the 7th of July. On that date, W. L. Walker and Duncan 
 Munroe were elected elders. On August 4th, Duncan Munroe 
 declined to serve as elder. On Sunday, the first day of Septem- 
 ber, W. L. Walker was solemnly ordained to the office of elder. 
 On August 3, 1817, the congregation proceeded to do an unusual 
 thing. They elected John McNeill, a member of the Bluff 
 Church, an elder in Sardis Church, and appointed Rev. Colin 
 Mclver to confer with the Bluff Church with a view of having 
 Mr. McNeill dismissed to Sardis Church, that he might become 
 an elder. These efforts were successful, and on August 17, 
 1817, John McNeill was ordained an elder in Sardis Church. 
 The church was now fully organized for work. 
 
 The first to minister to the church was Rev. Colin Mclver, 
 who was clearly instrumental in organizing the church. This 
 remarkable man was a native of Scotland, and spoke Gaelic as 
 readily as he did English. This ability was used to good pur- 
 pose, for to many highlanders he brought the gospel message in 
 their native tongue. He was a man of cultured mind, strong 
 conviction, great learning, and much missionary zeal. For more 
 than thirty years he was Stated Clerk of Fayetteville Presbytery 
 and of the Synod of North Carolina, and for many years was a 
 dominant influence in both courts. He was prodigiously active, 
 and made himself felt in almost every line of religious work. 
 Today, this unusual man is remembered by a single eccentricity, 
 his absent-mindedness. It is sad to think how soon energy, great 
 ability, and high character are forgotten, while a mere eccen- 
 tricity lingers in the minds of men. 
 
 Mr. Mclver ministered to Sardis for about five years. Dur- 
 
 Page Five 
 
ing these years the church seemingly made little progress. Some 
 of the records are lost, but those we have indicate little growth. 
 On March i, 1818, Mr. Hector McNeill was received into the 
 church on profession of faith. There may have been other ac- 
 cessions, but, if so, the records have been lost. 
 
 Mr. Mclver's ministry closed in 1821. Then follows the most 
 dismal era in the history of the church. The church had either 
 been greatly weakened or else it had grown careless and indif- 
 ferent. For several years we find this pathetic record on the 
 minutes of Fayetteville Presbytery: "Sardis, vacant — not able 
 to support a pastor." 
 
 However, this melancholy period came to an end in 1826, 
 when the ministry of Rev. Allan McDougald was secured. He 
 proved to be the right man in the right place. In some respects 
 he was the very opposite of Mr. Mclver. He did not have the 
 profound learning and great ability of his predecessor, and had at 
 one time a glaring weakness, yet he was a man of excellent 
 ability; brave, courageous, and full of zeal, with a tender and 
 loving heart. He easily won the love of his people and the 
 respect and esteem of his brethren. Dr. Neill McKay speaks of 
 him with great tenderness as "McDougald, my preacher and 
 predecessor." Born in Moore County, reared at Cameron Hill, 
 now Harnett County, he spent his whole life in the same general 
 section, ministering to one or more of the following churches 
 throughout his life: Bluff, Averasboro, Sardis, Barbecue, Mt. 
 Pisgah, and Tirzah, his home being about a mile east of Harnett 
 station, in Harnett County. He was a charter member of Fay- 
 etteville Presbytery, and is spoken of in the Minutes of the Synod 
 of North Carolina as one of the young Scotch preachers who had 
 done so much for religion in eastern North Carolina. In 1844 he 
 rested from his labors, and lies buried in the Mills graveyard, 
 near Murchison's Mill. 
 
 Unfortunately, the records of the greater part of the ministry 
 of Mr. McDougald are lost. We have no records until 1835, 
 when Joel Williams became clerk of the session. But, while 
 we have no records, it is evident that during this ministry there 
 had been marked growth in the church. In 1826 the church was 
 weak and discouraged; in 1835 it was vigorous and hopeful. In 
 1825 there were but two elders, W. L. Walker and John Mc- 
 Neill ; in 1835 there were six strong elders in the session, W. L. 
 
 Page Sir 
 
Walker, John McNeill, Jas. A. Thompson, Joel Williams, John 
 Elliot, and Henry Elliot, half of this session clearly having been 
 received during the ministry of Mr. McDougald. During this 
 ministry, too, the large church, now known as Old Sardis Church, 
 was built. In 1835, John Elliot and his wife, Mary, were dis- 
 missed to help found the China Grove Church, Mr. Elliot being 
 elected an elder in that church, which he served with great 
 fidelity and ability. 
 
 In 1838, Rev. Evander McNair succeeded Rev. Allan Mc- 
 Dougald. Born in Robeson County of Scotch parents, licensed 
 in 1832, he came to Sardis when his unusual powers were ripen- 
 ing into maturity. He was an ideal herald of the cross. Tall, 
 even majestic in appearance, courageous, sincere and noble in 
 heart, of apostolic zeal, his delight was to preach the gospel, and 
 the gospel he preached went to the hearts of men. His lifelong 
 friend, Dr. McKay, says : "His pulpit was his throne," and few 
 earthly monarchs ever graced their thrones as he did his pulpit. 
 For fifty-three years he was permitted to be an active herald of 
 the cross ; thirty-one years he gave to his native State, and 
 twenty-two years he gave to Texas, Arkansas, and Alabama, 
 when the fields in those States were white to the harvest, reaping 
 as his reward great harvests of souls. In his old age, he came 
 back to his native State to die, and now lies buried in Lebanon 
 cemetery. This ministry lasted for a period of five years, and 
 was marked by great spiritual activity. There were constant 
 additions to the churcr^ on profession of faith. His ministry 
 seems specially to have gone home to the slave population. 
 Great numbers of them connected themselves with the church 
 under his preaching. Among the additions to the church among 
 the white people we note the following : James P. Hodges, Wm. 
 McDougald, Bryant Byrd, Daniel McNeill, Kenneth Murchison, 
 Flora Ann Cooby, Margaret Baker, and Caroline Campbell. In 
 1842, Joel Williams, an honored elder, and Catharine, his wife, 
 were dismissed to the Bluff Church. In the same year, Mrs. 
 Mary Williams left a legacy of $200 to the church, a testimony 
 to her goodness of heart, but a perplexing problem to the church. 
 That legacy was a veritable white elephant. For the next few 
 years the church seems to have spent more energy in trying to 
 preserve and safeguard that $200 than in any other line of work. 
 
 In 1844, Dr. Neill McKay, a man of unusual ability, great 
 
 Page Seven 
 
decision and firmness of character, an able debater and a dom- 
 inant influence in his Presbytery for many years, a profound and 
 convincing preacher, became pastor. Born at "Flint Hill," Har- 
 nett County, he spent his whole life in his native county. His 
 ministry, extending over a period of fifty-two years, was largely 
 to the congregations of Summerville, Sardis, and Buffalo. Many 
 of those present today will remember his commanding presence. 
 Dr. McKay's pastorate at Sardis extended over a period of seven 
 years, and was specially marked by efforts to maintain discipline, 
 to secure right living, and regular attendance upon the services 
 of the sanctuary. In 1845, James Williams and W. L. Williams 
 were ordained to the office of elder. During Dr t McKay's min- 
 istry, Margaret Shaw and a number of servants were received 
 into the church on profession of faith, and Mrs. W. Hodges, 
 Jane Hodges, Mrs. Mary McDougald, Ranald McMillan and his 
 wife, Ann Elizabeth, were received by letter. During this pas- 
 torate baptism was administered to the following infants : Mary 
 Jane Williams, Mary Eliza Elliot, John Williams, infant of W. 
 L. and Ann Williams, Peter McKellar Williams, and Jonathan 
 Evans Elliot. We are glad to note some of these infants with 
 us today. 
 
 Upon the retirement of Dr. McKay from the pastorate in 
 185 1, the congregation took immediate steps to secure Rev. 
 Simeon Colton, D. D., a profound scholar and a teacher of the 
 first rank, then living at Summerville, to supply the church. 
 These efforts were successful. Dr. Colton continued to serve 
 the church for three years. During this ministry there was a 
 marked revival among the colored people, many of them being 
 received into the church on profession of faith. On September 
 14, 185 1, Mr. J. P. Hodges was ordained to the eldership, and 
 the following Sunday the congregation elected Ranald McMil- 
 lan, formerly an elder in Mt. Horeb Church, an elder. Margaret 
 McKethan and Harriet Walker were received into the church on 
 profession of faith. Among the infants baptized were John 
 Murchison Hodges, William Clarence Hodges, William Allison 
 Smith, Jane Penelope Smith, and Robert Benjamin Smith. 
 
 In 1854, Rev. D. D. McBryde, a young licentiate, a graduate 
 of Davidson College and Columbia Seminary, thoroughly fur- 
 nished for his work, succeeded Dr. Colton, and continued to 
 minister to the church for thirty-nine years. His ministry was 
 
 Page Eight 
 
far the longest in the history of the church, and in many respects 
 it was the most remarkable. From the beginning of this min- 
 istry the church seems to have been in a healthy spiritual condi- 
 tion. There were constant accessions to the church. At almost 
 every meeting of session some one appeared to confess the Lord 
 and seek admission to the church. Some of those connecting 
 themselves with the church from 1854 to i860 are : Catharine 
 Murphy, Martha K. Williams, Neill S. Stewart, Miss Bettie 
 Saunders, Miss Laura Saunders, Miss M. L. Smith, Miss Kate 
 Smith, Miss H. McK. Williams, E. Jones Williams, R. B. Smith, 
 Miss Julia T. Williams, Mrs. Janet A. Harris, Miss Bella Mc- 
 Dougald, and Col. Alexander Elliot. 
 
 In 1 861, the frightful Civil War broke out. Sardis suffered, 
 as did all Southern churches. She was drained of all her able- 
 bodied men. But throughout this awful war the doors of the 
 church were kept open. The people made extra sacrifices to 
 supply the wants of their minister. Even when the war was 
 over, the troubles of the people were not ended. They still 
 faced poverty and misrule. As if to cheer the drooping spirits 
 of the people, God sent a gracious revival, perhaps the most 
 gracious in the history of the church. The revival began in 1865, 
 and continued well into the year 1866. Mr. McBryde was as- 
 sisted by his lifelong friend, Rev. Martin McQueen. I cannot 
 describe that scene of grace. Only those who passed through it 
 can do that. All I can do is to note some of the results. On 
 May 20, 1866, the following were received into the church on 
 profession of faith: Sarah C. Smith, J. Ann Walker, Ellen 
 F. McLean, Mattie L. Williams, James L. Smith, Jesse S. Smith, 
 John M. Hodges, Archibald McLean, Sarah Smith, Kate Smith, 
 Willie Ann Hogshead, Margaret J. Byrd, Lucy C. Byrd, Martitia 
 L. McNeill, Ida T. Hodges, William Bottom, George D. Elliot, 
 John W. McLauchlin, Kate McDougald, and James Henry Smith. 
 On June 17th, the following were received on profession of faith : 
 Edward Smith, W. L. Smith, John E. Elliot, and Mary Eliza 
 Elliot. 
 
 From the time of this gracious revival until the close of Mr. 
 McBryde's long pastorate, the spiritual life of the church was in 
 a state of constant ebb and flow. Sometimes the church was on 
 the crest of the wave, and again it would sink into the trough. 
 To give a detailed history of this long pastorate would be im- 
 
 Page Nine 
 
possible. Merely to mention the names of those received into 
 the church would be too great a tax on the hearers' patience. I 
 shall content myself with pointing out a few of the times when 
 the church seemed to be riding the crest of the waves. On Oc- 
 tober 8, 1869, Miss Caro Smith, John C. Williams, Jr., were 
 received into the church on profession of faith. The following 
 May, John C. Williams, Sr., and Jane E. Elliot were received. 
 On May 17, 1874, Mrs. William Surles, Mrs. A. M. Byrd, Katie 
 McBryde, Maggie McBryde, Fannie McBryde, and Katie Elliot 
 were received. June 4, 1884, R. L. Ryburn, Miss L. L. Long, 
 Miss Julia Sanders, Miss M. J. McBryde, and A. M. McBryde 
 were received. January 6, 1889, Cader Parker, Archie Parker, 
 Alexander Williams, Junius Williams, Everton Wicker, Ethel 
 Wicker, Clara Hodges, Janie McBryde, Laura Smith, and Henry 
 McBuie were received. The following June, Robert Sanders, 
 Don McBryde, and Malcom McBryde were received. These are 
 only a few of those received. 
 
 On May 3, 1874, J. S. Smith and J. E. Elliot were elected 
 elders, and J. L. Smith, G. D. Elliot, and J. M. Hodges were 
 elected deacons. On February 1, 1891, Mr. Cader Parker and 
 Mr. W. L. Williams were elected elders, and Mr. John Williams 
 and Mr. J. M. Davis, deacons. 
 
 Mr. McBryde's long ministry came to an end in 1892. For a 
 short time the church was vacant. However, in 1893 the ser- 
 vices of Rev. J. S. Black were secured. Mr. Black is too well 
 known and too well beloved to need a tribute from me, and the 
 history from his pastorate forward is of too recent a date to need 
 description. Rev. J. S. Black's useful pastorate extended over a 
 period of about thirteen years. In 1906, he was succeeded by 
 Rev. L. A. McLaurin. Mr. McLaurin was succeeded by Rev. 
 C. L. Bragaw as supply, and he by Rev. M. B. McLauchlin, and 
 he by the present pastor in 191 1. 
 
 In looking over the history of Sardis Church, the first thing 
 that strikes us is the high type of ministry the church has en- 
 joyed in the past. Few churches have ever had as able and as 
 godly ministers as those who have served Sardis in the past. All 
 that is needed to prove this assertion is simply to call the roll of 
 ministers : Colin Mclver, Allan McDougald, Evander McNair, 
 Neill McKay, Simeon Colton, D. D. McBryde, J. S. Black, and 
 L. A. McLaurin. 
 
 Page Ten 
 
The church has been no less fortunate in its officers than in 
 its ministers. So far as records now in our hands show, there 
 have been only seventeen elders to serve the church. The list is 
 as follows : W. L. Walker, John McNeill, James A. Thompson, 
 Joel Williams, John Elliot, Henry Elliot, James Williams, W. L. 
 Williams, Sr., James P. Hodges, Ranald McMillan, J. S. Smith, 
 J. E. Elliot, W. L. Williams, Jr., Cader Parker, J. M. Davis, J. 
 M. Hodges, and Alexander McArtan. This list of men repre- 
 sents the highest type of character and manhood that the country 
 can afford. There have been some notably long terms of service 
 in the eldership, but perhaps the longest term of all is that of 
 Mr. J. E. Elliott, who for forty-one years served this church as 
 elder, and is now serving the Church of the Covenant in a like 
 capacity. 
 
 Only seven deacons have served the church. Until May 3, 
 1874, the church had no deacons, the work of the deacons being 
 performed by the elders, trustees, and sometimes by committees. 
 On May 3, 1874, three deacons were elected, viz : J. L. Smith, 
 G. D. Elliot, and J. M. Hodges, all of whom survive after forty- 
 two years, two of them still holding the office of deacon, the last 
 named having been transferred to the eldership. Since the elec- 
 tion of the original board of deacons, the following have been 
 elected deacons: John Williams, J. M. Davis, W. M. Walker, 
 and Jonathan Elliot. 
 
 Sardis has always been a small church in membership. No 
 record in existence shows a membership of more than seventy, 
 and it is almost certain that the membership never exceeded that 
 number at any one time. The church has exerted an influence 
 in the past out of all proportion to its numbers. 
 
 Two things in the history of the church deserve special 
 mention : 
 
 1. The care the session of the church has always taken in 
 seeing that the youth of the congregation had proper religious 
 instruction. One of the very first things that the session did was 
 to organize the young people of the congregation into special 
 classes for the study of the Catechism and Scripture, assigning 
 tasks, and directing the pastor to make the examinations and 
 report back to session. On the day previous to the day set for 
 the examinations the session again reminded the pastor of the 
 examinations. The pastor at a later date reported that the exam- 
 
 Pa^ Eleven 
 
inations had been eminently satisfactory. On March 21, 1834, 
 during the pastorate of Rev. Allan McDougald, the Sardis Sun- 
 day School Society was formed. The object of the society was 
 the study of the Bible. Any one paying ten cents could become 
 a member. The money thus collected was used in purchasing a 
 library to aid in the work of the society. There was a president, 
 vice-president, secretary and treasurer. The president was to act 
 as superintendent, the vice-president as assistant superintendent, 
 the secretary as librarian, and the treasurer was to take charge 
 of all funds. John C. Williams was elected president; John 
 Thompson, vice-president, Joel Williams, secretary, and Henry 
 Elliot, treasurer. And from that day to this the session of the 
 church has carefully provided for the religious instruction of the 
 youth of the congregation. 
 
 2. The other matter of note was the interest the session of 
 the church always took in the slaves. On October 6, 1817, just 
 a year after the church was organized, the question of masters 
 presenting their infant slaves for baptism having been raised, 
 the following action was taken : "Resolved, That in relation 
 to this subject, the Moderator be, and hereby is, authorized to 
 adopt such measures as his own discretion may point out to him, 
 and he is hereby required, at some future meeting of the session, 
 to make report of the success of such measures as he may think 
 proper to adopt/' In this case the theory was that the master 
 stood in the place of a father to his infant slaves, and should 
 present them for baptism. On March 1, 1818, Mr. Mclver re- 
 ported that owing to his limited means of mingling with the peo- 
 ple, that he had accomplished little. The session granted him 
 more time and again directed him to report. On March 7, 1819, 
 we find the following record : "Resolved unanimously, That this 
 session will exert themselves with the utmost vigilance to dis- 
 countenance and prevent every species of cruelty to those held in 
 servitude by the members of this church ; and to put the discipline 
 of this church rigorously in force against all offenders of this 
 description." Nothing could have been more creditable than this 
 action. At a very early period a Sunday School for the instruc- 
 tion of the negroes was established. The original roll and the 
 rules governing the school, in the handwriting of Mr. Henry 
 Elliot, has come down to us, and is in the hands of Mr. W. L. 
 Williams, an honored elder in this church. Provision was always 
 
 Page Twelve 
 
made in the church for the slaves, and they were encouraged to 
 connect themselves with the church. When they came before 
 the session, master and slave stood exactly on the same footing. 
 A single extract from the minutes will show this. October 21, 
 i860: "Col. Alexander Elliot, Calvin, Henry and Charles, ser- 
 vants of Col. Kenneth Murchison ; Amy and Flora, servants of 
 the heirs of Wm. T. Smith ; Sophia, servant of Peter McLean ; 
 and Henderson, servant of J. P. Hodges, were examined and 
 received into the church." 
 
 No history of Sardis Church would be complete without some 
 notice of the church buildings occupied by the congregation. 
 Sardis Church has occupied three church buildings in the past 
 century. The first church was across the ravine from what is 
 now Old Sardis Church, about a quarter of a mile. This building, 
 erected largely by slave labor, near the bridge across Little River, 
 so as to be convenient to both sides of the river, was originally 
 known as Hodges' Meeting House, because it was located on the 
 land and near the home of Mr. Philemon Hodges. Many people 
 suppose that this church was built of logs, but that is hardly prob- 
 able. The people! were building frame houses for themselves, 
 and it is hardly probable that they would have built a log house 
 to the name of the Lord their God. Furthermore, an incident 
 that has come down to us from the early days proves that the 
 church had glass windows. If it had been a log church, it would 
 have had board shutters. The date of the erection of this first 
 house of worship is perhaps lost for all time. It was clearly 
 built long before the church was organized. Just one year after 
 the organization of the church the session took note of the de- 
 cayed condition of the church, and passed an order directing the 
 Moderator to consult Messrs. Munroe and Phillips, styled by 
 the session "approved architects, " about the necessary repairs. 
 Whether the contemplated repairs were made or not there is no 
 record to show. 
 
 The second church is what we now know as Old Sardis. It 
 was probably erected about the year 1830, perhaps a few years 
 later, during the pastorate of Rev. Allan McDougald. Dr. John 
 A. McKay, who was born in 1828, probably the only man now 
 living who knew personally and heard preach the two first pastors 
 of Sardis Church, says that he remembers attending worship at 
 Sardis with his mother in the large new church when Allan 
 
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McDougald was pastor. It is to this old building that most 
 memories cling, in which most of the souls entering the kingdom 
 through Sardis Church were born. Xo wonder the hearts of 
 the people turn to the old church ! 
 
 The third building is the beautiful new structure in which 
 we are assembled today, and which on the morrow we hope to 
 dedicate to God. In the erection of this house most of the 
 members have wrought nobly and unselfishly, making many sac- 
 rifices to build this house to the glory of God. But, while all 
 have done well, special mention should be made of and special 
 credit bestowed upon two, Mr. J. M. Hodges and Mr. John 
 Williams, the active members of the building committee, who 
 bore the burden of building and did most of the work. 
 
 Yesterday Sardis Church closed a hundred years of life and 
 service. God grant that she may continue to live through the 
 coming century and have a fuller life and do a nobler work ! 
 
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