Church History - Revised 1998

A revised history of Walker United Methodist Church by Mildred Bryan

Church Historian

Dedicated To:

Those who came before us leaving us a legacy and heritage of love and service to God and to those who in love and service to God seek to honor them and pass it on to those who will come after us.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a crowd of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the pioneer and perfector of our faith.

From Hebrews 12:1-2

June 7, 1998  

FOREWORD

The two histories of Walker Church that have been written, one in 1952 by the late Mrs. Mary Askew and one in 1994 by the present Historian, Mildred Bryan was based on records and resources available at the times these histories were written. Continuing research has brought other facts and information to light that somewhat alters the account of Walker’s history in some instances. It is possible that as more research is made this document could change also; but for now the events and facts on the following pages are as accurate as can be obtained for the present.

The reader will notice that there are periods of time of which no mention is made. That is because no records are available for these periods. Research continues and new information and events will be added as they are found.

Even though this document may contain some errors, it is certain that Walker United Methodist Church has a glorious past that is the heritage of the present generation. The unfolding history of today will bind future generations to us just as we are bound to the past in a bond of love and gratitude. It is a wondrous blessing God has bestowed upon us that we can know and enjoy the fruits of the labor of those who have gone before us. May they who come after us be able to say the same.

HOW METHODISM CAME TO WALKER UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

  In order to understand how and why Walker United Methodist Church came to be, it will be well to know how and why Methodism came to America for we are closely related to the beginning of the Methodist Church.

  The first Methodists in America were in fact members of the Church of England or the Anglican Church as it is commonly called. Charles Wesley, son of an Anglican priest, was a student at Oxford University. He believed the Anglican Church had lost its spirituality and was no longer meeting the needs of the people, especially the poor and those who had no connection with the church.

  He with a few other Oxford students began a religious society known as the Holy Club with the hope of restoring the Anglican Church to its former discipline and piety. The members of the club disciplined themselves by following a strict method of Bible reading, prayer, fasting, receiving of the sacraments and serving the needs of the poor. So persistent were they, the other students ridiculed them and called them Methodists. The club considered the name an honor and they named themselves Methodists.

  Later John Wesley, brother of Charles came to Oxford as a graduate student and joined the club. John Wesley was already an ordained Anglican priest and well versed in language and theology. He was an instant asset to the club, which began to attract more followers. Even so, the club never gained more than thirty members and often many of them were absent from the meetings.

  Even though John Wesley was highly educated in the scriptures and academics of the day, he was not satisfied with his own religious faith. After six years at Oxford, he decided to come to America as a missionary to the Indians. In 1735 Wesley came to Savannah, Georgia. General James Oglethorpe needed a chaplain for his colonists and offered the position to Wesley. He accepted it at a salary of fifty pounds a year.

  Wesley spent two years in Georgia, which he thought was a miserable failure. The Indians were not receptive to the Christian gospel as he had been led to believe and the colonists who were struggling to make a life for themselves in a new world did not understand the formal rituals of the Anglican Church of which Wesley insisted. His troubles were further complicated by a love affair that ended when he procrastinated about marriage too long. The lady married someone else.

  Wesley decided he was no longer needed in Georgia and feeling he had lost his faith, he returned to England. He never returned to America. As we know, all was not lost. John Wesley had brought Methodism to American!

  On board the ship that brought Wesley to America he met a group of Moravians. He was very impressed with their piety and upon his return to England, he began to worship with them at every chance.

   On May 24, 1738 at a prayer meeting on Aldersgate Street in London, Wesley had a great spiritual awakening. Describing it in his own words, Wesley said, “I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ alone for salvation; and an assurance was given me that He had taken away my sin, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.

  From then on, John Wesley preached with a new energy and vitality still hoping the Anglican Church would listen, but opposition grew stronger as he spoke of his new found faith and the need for all people to seek the same forgiveness and assurance he had experienced. As a result most of the doors of the Anglican Church were closed to him. He began preaching in the outdoors to the coal miners, the poor and those whom the church had neglected. He drew large crowds, many of whom became his converts.

  As the number of his converts increased, Wesley organized them into local societies with lay people as leaders and preachers. Within the societies classes of about twelve people were formed with a “class leader” who in our time is probably a lay leader. Wesley and other preachers would visit the societies on circuits; thus the “circuit system” for which the Methodist Church is famous was organized.

  Wesley also held annual conferences to which he chose the preachers to attend. In 1784 he appointed one hundred permanent members to the conference who were to gain control of the societies properties after his death.

  Meanwhile the Methodist movement was growing in America. By 1780 there were 14,000 Methodist in America. Wesley had appointed Thomas Rankin as superintendent of all the Methodist work in America. In 1733 Rankin conducted the first annual conference in America.

  By the time the Revolutionary War ended, nearly all of the Anglican priests and the Methodist preachers in America, most of them British sympathizers, had returned to England, leaving no one to offer the sacraments.

  The situation having reached the crisis stage, Wesley decided that the movement in American should become an independent church. In 1784, Wesley, against the doctrines of the Anglican Church, ordained Dr. Thomas Coke as superintendent and Thomas Vasey and Richard Whatcoat as ministers and sent them to America. Dr. Coke was to obtain Francis Asbury, who was already in America. They brought with them instructions from Wesley on the structure of the new church.

  A conference was called on December 24, 1784 at Lovely Lane Chapel in Baltimore, Maryland. John Dickens, a member of the conference, made a motion to form the Methodist Episcopal Church. The motion was approved.

  On Christmas Day, Francis Asbury was ordained a deacon. The next day he was ordained an elder and the third day he was ordained a bishop.

  The Methodist Church as we know it today was born at this famous Christmas Conference, not in England, but in America!

  Bishop Asbury was a fiery and eloquent preacher. He traveled thousands of miles to frontier churches. He once said he had preached in every county in America. Some think he preached to the Walker congregation, others think not, but given the territory he covered and his desire to visit every congregation, it is possible that he did.

  As the new Methodist Episcopal Church grew by leaps and bounds, it reached Georgia and Greene County and the community we know as Walker.

  From the few records available it was during this time the first congregation later know as Walker Church was formed. The earliest records show the circuit riders to be in Greene County in 1798. Some think Walker dates back to 1790 or 1791, but these dates have not been confirmed. Even so, the date 1798 places Walker as a congregation during the presidency of Thomas Jefferson and within fourteen years of the founding of the Methodist Church.

  Through the years, Walker, along with all Methodist churches, have undergone the changes that have come about, but always faithful to the Christian gospel and the Methodist tradition.

  During the Civil War the church was divided over the question of slavery. Finally the church came to a parting of the ways. The southern churches formed a new church….The Methodist Episcopal Church South.

  It was not until 1939 that the Methodist Episcopal Church South was reunited with the Methodist Episcopal Church from who it had been so long separated. The Methodist Protestant Church also joined them and the three churches became the Methodist Church.

  In 1968 the Methodist Church merged with the Evangelical Brethren Church and became The United Methodist Church.

  Thus Walker United Methodist Church has been a part of the history of the mighty movement begun by John Wesley and known as Methodism, bestowing a glorious heritage upon those of us who are called Methodists.

BUILDING A SANCTUARY

  The account of the first church building known as Walker comes from the writings of The Reverend John W. Talley, who was one of the earliest Methodist ministers in Georgia. He was the step-grandson of Captain William Walker who founded Walker. This account is taken from “Historical Highlights”, a publication of the Commission On Archives and History of the South Georgia Conference of The United Methodist Church. A similar article appeared in The Greensboro Herald Journal dated August 26, 1875.

Walker Church and Reminiscences

By Rev. J. W. Talley

  “Two miles south of Greensboro, Greene County, Georgia stood an old log house known as Walker’s Church which was superseded by a frame house of commodious dimensions built in 1805 adjacent to the old log house which in 1806 was appropriated to school purposes.

  The church was one of the churches of the Appalachee Circuit of the South Carolina Conference. Walker was a colony church of the Lincolnton Methodist Church. At that time the Revs. Joseph Tarpley and Lovice Pierce were the preachers.

  When Walker was organized, I have no means of knowing, but the following circumstances lead me to believe that it must have been between the years 1790 and 1800. I was born on December 5, 1800 about one mile south of Greensboro. My parents were members of Walker’s Church. My father died in 1803 and in 1805 my mother married Mr. John Walker, son of Captain William Walker who was the leading spirit in the church and from whom it took its name. I was sent to school in the old log building, which had formerly been used as a church. This was in 1806.

  I often played in a grove near several springs where the old log house stood. There was a stand and some logs prepared for rude seats and where services had often been held.

  From the circumstances related, I conclude Walker’s Church was organized not long after the adoption of the Federal Constitution.”

  This area was heavily population and most of the families belonged to Walker’s Church. The church flourished for some years; then the population began to decline because some members moved away or died and other churches were organized.

  Most of the members and congregation lived south of the church. In 1819 they decided to move the church five miles further south, where most of the people lived. The church building was taken down and moved to its present location.

  The first trustees of whom we have a record was in 1826. They were John Walker, Ambrose Hutcheson, Nathan Wingfield and George W. Foster.

  The church was located on three acres of land. The lumber needed to complete the building was cut from the trees growing on the property. Later John Walker gave five more acres to the church and still later, Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Walker, parents of Deleon Walker, gave two more acres. In 1997 Jamie Reynolds, Jr. gave the church the plot of land where the new parking lot is now located.

  The church again prospered for a while; but emigration and death once again took its toll and the church again met with difficulties and often was without a pastor. However, there were a faithful few who refused to give up and the church gradually began to improve in membership and resources.

Here again Rev. Talley recounts the renovation of the church in about 1871:

“Changes have come over the old society as well as the old church. The membership has been enlarged and the old house has been stripped and new weatherboarding put on. The frame has been found as sound as it was in 1805. The frame has been newly clothed from sills; an organ has been bought. It is adorned with a recessed pulpit and, after the modern style, glass windows, sealed and painted inside and out. It is an ornament in the community and a bond between the past and present generations, looking as if it could stand as a monument of the Christian heroes who have passed away as well as evidence of the sure anchor of the present generation.”

  So far as can be determined no further changes were made in the sanctuary except necessary repairs until 1948. At that time a vestibule was added to the front of the church. About that time also, electricity came to the Walker community. Up until then kerosene lamps along the walls gave light, the wood-burning heater in the center front gave a semblance of heat. The restroom was the outhouse located back of the church. When the cord electric lights were put in the sanctuary, Walker, as in 1872, felt as though it had arrived at the modern age. Later a merchant in Greensboro, Seaborn Ashley, who was remodeling his store, gave the light fixtures he had removed to Walker and they were used until the present renovation of the sanctuary.

  In 1954 the first Sunday School classrooms were added to the back of the sanctuary. W. A. Tyson, Jr. was the pastor. Walker had already decided to build the classrooms and one night at revival a call was made to the congregation for a contribution to build the rooms. W. H. McCommons, the father of Steve McCommons of Greensboro and a Baptist, was the first to respond with a gift of twenty-five dollars. The necessary amount was raised and the first Sunday School classrooms were built. Later one of the classrooms was converted to restrooms, the first indoor plumbing.

  The next major addition to the sanctuary was the fellowship hall built by the men of the church. It was dedicated on May 24, 1981 and named Jackson Hall for the Reverend Lloyd Jackson, who was the pastor at that time.

  After Walker became a full time church, a parsonage was needed for the pastor.

   Deleon and Elizabeth Walker gave an acre of land on which to build it. Again the church was blessed by the many financial contributions by the members and friends of the church and community. The men set to work under the supervision of Terry Burnette to construct the parsonage. The parsonage was dedicated on February 24, 1985. Rod Crawford and his wife, Kathy, were the first occupants. Their son, Samuel, was born while they lived there.

  The memorial stained glass windows in the sanctuary were installed the same year and were dedicated December 1, 1985.

  In 1989 the church offices and five additional Sunday School classrooms, two restrooms and the basement were built. The building is called the “Burnette Building” in memory of Sam and Lorene Burnette, longtime and faithful members of the church. They were the parents of Terry Burnette. Bishop Earnest Fitzgerald consecrated the building at Homecoming in 1989.

  The front of the sanctuary was renovated in 1996. The old vestibule was replaced by the beautiful narthex and porch of today. A former member, Geraldine Johnson, headed the decorating committee and chose the style and furnishings of the narthex.

  The renovation of the sanctuary and fellowship hall is the most recent project. The renovation began in 1996 and 1997. The work was completed only recently. The grounds have been landscaped and the parking lot paved.

  Over the years, besides the major additions and renovations many amenities were added to the sanctuary. A heating and cooling system has been installed, replacing the first gas space heaters and window air conditioners. Pew cushions, carpet, the church steeple, choir seats and numerous other items for comfort, beauty and convenience of the church have been added, mostly gifts from the members and friends of the church.

  Walker now enjoys a beautiful place in which to worship. God has blessed us beyond measure.

THE MINISTRY OF WALKER

  There is no way of knowing the full ministry of Walker. Most of the early records have been lost, but since the church is still active, it is certain that the present ministry is the fruit of the dedicated Christian men and women of the past.

  Quoting from Dr. Talley again, “in the year 1875 the church had a large membership and a flourishing Sunday School”.

  It is not known when Walker left the South Carolina Conference but on March 19, 1836 “Quarterly Meeting” of the Greensboro Circuit was held at Walker. The churches on the circuit were “Greensborough”, Burk, Ridge Grove, Union Point, White Plains, St. Johns, Liberty and Walker.

  In the early minutes Walker is sometimes referred to as Walker Meeting House, Walker Society and Walker Chapel.

  At the above Quarterly Meeting, three members from each church were appointed to meet in Greensboro to make plans to build a parsonage for the preacher of their charge. It is known the parsonage was built in Greensboro and later torn down.

  At the Quarterly Meeting held at Walker May 16, 1840, New Salem and Fork Chapel were new churches on the circuit. Many of these churches are now closed. It is also noted that Walker always paid her “collections” at these meetings.

  Not much is known about Walker after 1841. The Civil War began and it is possible that Walker did not have a pastor, since no Annual Conferences were held during the war, but in 1930 Walker and Greensboro were placed on a charge together. The Greensboro pastor held services once a month in the afternoons at Walker.

  It is not known when the Sunday School at Walker was discontinued, but in 1945 the Sunday School was reorganized. Reverend W. M. Barnett was the pastor. He and his wife gave much time and inspiration to the new Sunday School ministry. Mrs. Barnett taught small children. There were no classrooms at the time. If the weather was good she would take the children outside. In rainy weather she often put them in her car. Sometimes she would hold class in one corner of the sanctuary while the young people and adults had their class in the front part of the sanctuary.

  In 1941 the church decided it could afford to have two services a month, still in the afternoons on the first and third Sundays. In 1963, the pastor Worthy Lunceford said he would preach every Sunday afternoon because the church had “more religion than faith and needed more preaching at”. When Reverend Lloyd Jackson came he volunteered to preach every Sunday morning at 10:00. It was at this time the church began to take on new life. The congregation liked the morning service. Attendance and interest increased. Often times at the afternoon service only ten or twelve people attended. Still as of old these faithful few held on and the church has continued to survive.

  In 1981 the church reached another crisis. The Reverend Jerry Newsome was appointed to the Greensboro Charge. A 10:00 worship service created a conflict with his plan of ministry. In the end, both Walker and Greensboro decided that in the best interest of both churches Walker should be removed from the charge. Walker made the decision to “go it alone”, proving to be a very wise decision. An Emory Seminary student, David Jones, was the first pastor. He began his pastorate on October 4, 1981 and remained until his graduation in 1984. Shortly before he left Walker he married one of the members, Laura Willis. The ceremony was performed in the sanctuary.

  Then came another student pastor, Robert “Robby” D. Crawford, who remained until his graduation and then was appointed pastor at Walker at Annual Conference. During his pastorate the church progressed well enough to build the new classrooms previously mentioned. He also married the former Kathy Smith while he was pastor.

  The next pastor was James Wayne Monroe who led the church well. He was the most experienced pastor the church had. He brought the church together in a closer fellowship, which still continues. He also married Nancy Martin while he was here. We gained the reputation of finding wives for our preachers.

  After Reverend Monroe left the next pastor appointed is still with us, Earl “Rick” F. Maeser, Jr. He, with his wife, Nell, and his daughter, Lydia, have worked tirelessly to continue the progress of the church.

  Walker is once again a prosperous church and on the move. An 8:30 a.m. worship service was begun September 11, 1988. Other ministries of the church include Sunday School, United Methodist Women, United Methodist Men, Youth Group, a Children’s and Adult Choir, and Adult Ministries program and most recently the Wednesday Night Fellowship Dinner and Bible Study. The mission program includes a food bank, clothes closet and a project for providing coats and warm clothing for needy children. In addition the church meets all of its district and conference requirements. It has a paid staff of five employees…Music Director, Pianist, Youth Director, Secretary and Custodian.

  This is not to say Walker has not had it problems. Financial difficulty, policy differences and all the decisions that have to be made have been experienced. By patience, faith, trust, prayer and dedication the church is fulfilling its purpose and tasks to serve God and man.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF EARLY LEADERS

CAPTAIN WILLIAM WALKER

  Very little is known about the early life of William Walker. From available information, he was a native of South Carolina and moved to Lincolnton, Georgia sometime before the Revolutionary War. Most of what is known about him comes from the writings of Rev. John W. Talley, his step-grandson. The following account is from the writing of Reverend Talley.

  At the beginning of the Revolutionary War, Captain Walker was living in Lincolnton, but moved his family back to South Carolina for safety. After getting them settled he joined the Whig army and served in the Northern Division.

  While on a scouting mission he and the small band of soldiers with him were attacked by the British. After a brave stand, they exhausted their supply of ammunition and surrendered.

  They were given as slaves to Indians who carried them to the Northern Lakes. There he was given to an old Indian woman who had lost her son. She treated him with kindness and he gained the confidence of all the Indians with whom he came in contact.

  After eighteen months of anxious waiting he had a chance to escape. He traveled by day guided by the moss on the trees and by the stars at night. He lived on roots and berries he found on the way until he finally reached the Whig army. For his bravery he was promoted to Captain, which rank he held until the end of the war.

  Reverend Talley recalls that with great excitement he listened to Captain Walker and his grandfather, Alexander Stewart, tell of their experiences in the war.

  After the war, Captain Walker moved his family back to Lincolnton and later moved to what is now Greene County and to the community now called Walker. He settled about one mile northeast of the site that became Walker Church.

Captain Walker was the first class leader at Walker and was one of the leading spirits in organizing the church. The Walker Church we know today was named after him.

It is not known when Captain Walker died or where he is buried. His wife and daughter are buried in an old cemetery near the site of the old log building that was the first sanctuary of Walker.

Walker owes a great debt of gratitude to this godly man who founded a church in the frontier wilds and still exists today.

MINISTERS OF WALKER UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

JUDGE AMBROSE HUTCHESON

(As told by E. H. Armour)

  Judge Ambrose Hutcheson was born on June 12, 1782. He lived on the Hudson Grove road about one and one-half miles from the present Hudson Grove Church.

  His wife, Rachel Robins Hutcheson, was the daughter of a doctor, who had a “rest home” on Wrightsville Church Road. She was born October 4, 1796 and died August 13, 1886.

  Judge Hutcheson was a judge of the Superior Court in Greensboro. How long he served in that position is unknown.

(From Old Minutes of Quarterly Meetings)

  In 1826 he was elected a trustee of Walker Methodist Church. He served as a trustee and steward at least until 1840. At Quarterly Meeting June 24, 1837 Judge Hutcheson was appointed Superintendent to direct the repair work at the campground (probably Hastens Camp Ground, which was in Siloam).

  From the resources available Judge Hutcheson was a loyal member of Walker and filled his responsibilities faithfully. The records show him as being present at every Quarterly Meeting while he was an official at Walker.

(From E. H. Armour)

  Judge Hutcheson had three sons and three daughters. One of his granddaughters was the grandmother of E. H. Armour.

  Judge Hutcheson’s brother, Tolliver, his wife, Virginia, and several other relatives are buried in the Walker cemetery.

  One of his daughters married into the Walker family of which Deleon Walker is a descendent.

  All of them were members at Walker. They give a glimpse of one family that are a part of Walker history.

BISHOP GEORGE FOSTER PIERCE

  Walker cannot rightly claim George Foster Pierce as one of its own, but he has such strong ties with Walker it is not amiss to claim him as a leader.

  Bishop Pierce was born February 3, 1811, the son of Reverend Lovick Pierce and Nancy Foster Pierce. Mrs. Pierce was the only daughter of Colonel George W. Foster, who was a trustee at Walker in 1826.

  In 1830 he became a minister, following in the footsteps of his father. Reverend M. H. Quillian, in writing to the Southern Christian Advocate (now The Wesleyan Christian Advocate) dated June 18, 1888 stated that Bishop Pierce began his ministry at Walker as an exhorter. According to the Southern Christian Advocate of 1872 he returned to Walker on March 24th to rededicate Walker Church, which presumably took place after the church was remodeled in 1870 or 1871.

  Twenty-two churches were in the first circuit he served. They included churches in Augusta, Savannah, Charleston and Columbus. In all he preached over ten thousand sermons.

  He was the first president of Wesleyan College in 1834. He was president of Emory University 1848 – 1854.

He was unsuccessful in defending Bishop James Q. Andrew at the General Conference held in New York in 1844. Bishop Andrew had inherited slaves through his second marriage. This event led to the separation of the northern churches and the southern churches. As a result, The Methodist Episcopal Church South was organized in Louisville, Kentucky in 1845.

  He was elected Bishop in 1854 in Columbus, Georgia. Bishop Pierce was a noted orator and writer. His ministry carried him through the hardships of the Civil War when many of the churches closed because no annual conferences were held.

  He died at his home in Sparta, Georgia in 1884 and is buried there.

THE REVEREND LOVICK PIERCE

  Lovick Pierce was another minister who we claim as an early leader because of his ministry and personal ties to Walker. As has been noted he was the Circuit Rider when Walker Church was founded by Captain William Walker about 1798. He married Nancy Foster, daughter of Colonel and Mrs. George Foster. All three were members of Walker Church.

  Doctor Pierce was born in one of the Carolinas but claimed Georgia as his adopted state after his marriage. He was a person of great personal charm and speech, thereby making friends easily. He impressed all by his piety. He moved to Greensboro a few years after his marriage, but continued to be close to Walker. He was the father of George Foster Pierce, who followed him into the ministry and became a bishop.

  Dr. Pierce was a convert of Bishop Francis Asbury. He was ordained an elder in our sister church, Liberty. His ministry carried all up and down the Atlantic coast and to the Allegheny Mountains. He has been called the “Father of Methodism in Georgia”.

  George W. Yarbrough, correspondent from Greensboro to the Southern Christian Advocate (now the Wesleyan Christian Advocate) in 1872 wrote an account of the re-dedication of Walker Church, which presumably took place after the church was remodeled.

  “Sunday, the 24th day of March was the birthday of Reverend Lovick Pierce of the South Georgia Conference. On this day he entered his eighty-eighth birthday. He was drawn to this old county to spend the day by the tender associations of his early manhood and ministry and by another day of interest, the re-dedication of Walker’s Church by Bishop Pierce. In his letter announcing his intention of visiting us he speaks of Walker as his wife’s old initiation church, where they “worshipped in love” previous to their residence in Greensboro.

  He arrived in Greensboro where he preached on Sunday, his birthday, and again on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. He went by buggy (one of modern style, no back) to visit his son, James, fourteen miles away.

  He took another buggy ride on Saturday to Walker where he filled the pulpit as forerunner to Bishop Pierce for about two hours.

  After the dedication of Walker by Bishop Pierce, he had the pleasure of hearing the Bishop announce the appointment of his grandson, Thomas, to an appointment in Greensboro, the first, second and third generation present for the re-dedication of the old family church and the Christian ministry represented by all three.

After the separation of the churches of the north and south, the Methodist Episcopal Church sought to maintain a fraternal relationship with the northern church. Accordingly when the new Methodist Episcopal Church South met in General Conference in Petersburg, Virginia in 1846, Dr. Pierce was appointed to head a fraternal delegation to the Northern General Conference in Pittsburgh in 1848. The Northern Church had not approved the separation of the churches and did not allow Dr. Pierce and his delegation to be seated.

Dr. Pierce, greatly disappointed sent word to the Northern General Conference that any further offer for a fraternal relationship would have to come from them. He sadly returned home.

In 1872 the Northern Methodist Church made the offer which the Southern Church gladly accepted. Dr. Pierce, the man who had previously been rejected as a delegate, was appointed to carry the letter of acceptance to the Northern General Conference. Dr. Pierce was now ninety-four years old. Friendly relations between the two churches continued, but it was not until 1939 that they were reunited.”

Dr. Pierce has descendants still living in Greene County. United Methodists owe a debt of gratitude to him.