HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE ROCK CREEK PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

 

In December 1907 Mr. Thomas B. Gibbs, a member of the Presbyterian Church of Burnsville, NC, came to Rock Creek and bought twenty-one acres of land on which stood a dwelling house and a vacant saloon building. Soon after his arrival he inquired about the nearest Presbyterian Church, and found that there was one in Erwin. But the county school at Rock Creek was used for church and any minister or Christian worker was welcome to serve. Mr. Dillard Honeycutt taught this school in 1908 and 1909.

 

Mr. Cal Jackson, a baptist, was the Sunday School superintendent when the Gibbs family arrived at Rock Creek. In 1909, Mr. Thomas Gibbs was elected superintendent of the Sunday School which convened in the afternoon. Some of the people also attended church in Erwin for the morning services. In the latter part of the year the school building burned down. Mr. Gibbs decided at once that the saloon building could be converted into a useful place for worship. Seats were built, windows and floors scrubbed, and soon the spacious storage room was ready to be used as an auditorium. Two smaller rooms, the bar room and the office, were converted into class rooms. All the friends and neighbors came out to see this new and interesting church.

 

Mr. J.H. Wallen was often a weekend guest at the Gibbs home as he and Mr. Gibbs were great friends. At that time, Mr. Wallen traveled to Erwin by train, there being no busses or cars. On one of these weekends in 1909 a Presbyterian Church School was organized and Presbyterian literature was ordered. Mr. Thomas Gibbs remained the superintendent. Among the first members at this time were Mrs. Retta Haun, Mr. & Mrs. J.K. Miller, and Mr. & Mrs. Dillard L. Honeycutt. Mr. R.F. Johnstone, the pastor of the Erwin Presbyterian Church, with the assistance of Mr. Wallen, conducted a series of meetings. New members were received and their names were enrolled on the church book in Erwin. Thus the work at Rock Creek became a mission of the Erwin Presbyterian Church.

 

Mr. Gibbs said that he would donate the former saloon on his property to help build a new church, if the people would assist in tearing it down and rebuilding. This was agreed upon at once. A suitable building site was the next thing considered. A committee of three, Mr. J.H. Wallen, Mr. Thomas Gibbs, and Mr. D.L. Honeycutt chose the lot and visited the owner, Mr. Bill McNabb.  Mr. McNabb gladly donated the lot for church purposes. Construction began at once, and when the building was finished, Mr. Thomas Gibbs named the work "Wallen's Chapel".

 

Mr. Wallen faithfully served until he retired. During his time he arranged for the coming of Miss Elizabeth G. Brown who served at Rock Creek a few years and then went to Flag Pond. During this time the county school board secured the adjoining lot and constructed a school building. Mr. McCalister, the next minister, organized the first summer Bible School. Later when the community had outgrown the school building a new school was built some distance away. Since the church also was now too small, the old school building was bought and the adjoining lot secured.

 

During these years a number of superintendents served the church school. They were Mr. Thomas Gibbs, Mr. D.L. Honeycutt, Mr. R.C. Honeycutt, Mr. Fred D. Booth, Professor Dunbar, Mr. H.K. Boone, and Mr. John K. Miller. Mr. Miller served the longest and continued to guide the church school until his health declined.

 

Miss M. Kate Schoenhals came to Rock Creek in 1937 or 1938. She was a retired school teacher from Michigan and did much good work on a voluntary basis, extending her activities even to Red Fork. She asked Mr. W.B. Overton, an elder of the Erwin Presbyterian Church, to help at Rock Creek as church school superintendent. Mr. Overton has served in this capacity for nearly twenty years, faithfully fulfilling his duties as superintendent, assisting in the administration of the Lord's Supper, and the weekly prayer meeting. Miss Schoenhals organized the first women's work on April 6, 1941. Miss Hovey succeeded Miss Schoenhals in either 1944 or 1945, but served only a short time before she was married. The next parish worker was Miss Friedda Hughes, starting her work at Rock Creek in 1947.

 

During all these years the pastors of the Erwin Presbyterian Church preached occasionally at Rock Creek. The Reverend & Mrs. Carl S. Miller visited Rock Creek more often than any others since he was the pastor in Erwin for seventeen years. Mr. Carl Miller became interested in constructing a new church building at Rock Creek. Under his leadership meeting were held to plan for the much-needed edifice. Members of the Erwin Church who attended these meetings were Mrs. Carl Miller, Mr. W.B. Overton, Mr. Frank T. Gentry, and Dr. & Mrs. J.R. Moody. During the latter part of the ministry of Mr. Miller at Erwin, the Reverend Allan F. Vinton often preached at Rock Creek, traveling from the Greeneville, Tennessee area.

 

Mr. Vinton conducted a denominational-preference survey of every home in Rock Creek. When Mr. Robert S. Williamson arrived as pastor, Mr. Vinton placed in his hands the results of his house-to-house survey.

 

Mr. Williamson preached his first sermon at Rock Creek on the Sunday morning of June 22, 1947. During the first two weeks of July a Bible School and revival meeting were conducted, with Mr. Vinton, Miss Betty Vinton, and Mr. Miller helping the new pastor. With the coming of Mr. Williamson and Miss Hughes the mission has had a weekly preaching service and prayer meeting, weekday religious instruction for the boys and girls, women's work, Summer Bible School, and organized recreation. Through the past years the women of the Erwin Presbyterian Auxiliary have continued their strong interest and financial support on behalf of the new church and building at Rock Creek. Mrs. Edith Aller, sister of Miss Hughes, reorganized the women's work at Rock Creek and served faithfully during her brief stay in 1948 and 1949.

 

Contacts with an architect on behalf of a new church building were completed. The plans were drawen up for two new units, a church school and sanctuary, to be colonial in style, and constructed of cinder block and red brick.

 

In the fall of 1949 the old mission building was torn down and part of the foundation for the new building was laid. Since then services have been conducted in the Rock Creek school. In November 1949, the people nominated elders, deacons, and junior deacons, looking forward to the organization of the mission into a church. In early December 1950, thirteen months later, these officers were re-nominated and additional officers nominated by the congregation, their names to be held in nomination until election on the day of organization.

 

                                                                                                                     by

                                                                                                            Mrs. Retta Haun

                                                                                                            Mrs. D.L. Honeycutt

                                                                                                            Mrs. John K. Miller