Abingdon has long been regarded as one of the most charming towns in Virginia. It sits near the end of the long ribbon of highway known as I-81 and just above Bristol. It is known for historic buildings and houses, for “the Martha”—the old inn which commands a large tract along Main Street — for the Barter Theater, and — at least among Virginia Baptists — the Abingdon Baptist Church, which this fall marked its centennial under the theme of “Celebrate the Journey.”
Fred Anderson
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The first meeting of the church was held on Oct. 23, 1910. Along the way the building has been changed, altered, renovated and enlarged. When their next door neighbor, the Ford dealership, relocated, the church bought the property and creatively turned the space into a fellowship hall. Another improvement was a façade with large columns which gives the church a face on Main Street. Today the church is constructing a covered side portico and a new entrance which will include an elevator.
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In the 1840s and ’50s, there were attempts at beginning a Baptist church for the town. The Goshen Baptist Association in Central Virginia had its own missionary-sending board and it appointed Noah Baldwin, a Southwest Virginia pioneer preacher, to labor in Abingdon. In 1852 he wrote: “This is the first house of worship the Baptists have ever built in this town. Long have we neglected this place; but I trust for the future that we shall pay more attention.” The building was encumbered with a debt of $900 and the 14 members were considered “a feeble band” with all “in moderate circumstances, so far as worldly goods is concerned.” The early church plant withered and died.
The centennial quilt was created by Nadine Culberson.
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By reaching the century mark, the present-day Abingdon Baptist Church has survived the test of time. It is a solid congregation composed of people who understand the nature of church. The church has benefitted from several lengthy and strong pastorates including those of E. Malcolm Collier, Larry Pace and, since 1998, Steven W. Pollard.
There is a member of the church who has met every pastor in the church’s century! And remarkably, at age 101, he still lives alone with assistance from his daughters. Luther Johnson’s parents moved to Abingdon from Salem in 1917 and the family lived in the next block from the church. “Daddy traded that place for a farm,” remembered Johnson, “and when my Daddy bought a T-model Ford in ‘24, we came back.”
Jack Lowe (standing) and Luther Johnson traded stories about Abingdon’s history.
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Luther Johnson knew a life of hard work. “When weather conditions made work on the farm impossible, we were sent to the woods with a crosscut saw. I have worked all my life. I know what it is. My Daddy was in the building business.” Indeed Johnson Brothers Builders put the handsome front on the church. Abingdon and the Baptist church have played a large part in his life. “I met my wife here. We got married in the Depression in ’31.” He still remembers a revival held some 60 years ago in which the family’s lumber yard supplied lumber for seating. “More people came to the Lord that one day of the revival than I had ever seen.”
Luther Johnson and so many others in the Abingdon Church represent the spirit and spunk which helped the church reach its century mark. Nadine Culberson, a gifted textile artist, created a centennial quilt which offers a representation of the church and its people.
She shared with the congregation the symbolic meaning within the quilt’s design. She explained that she employed the “Tree of Life” pattern, using the shape of a pine tree set on a diagonal, “pointing up to symbolize the movement of the church.” The different colors and textiles incorporated into the design were “to represent the hundreds of men and women, boys and girls in the church’s first century.” Some tree leaves spilled across the quilt borders “for celebration, much like confetti.” She sewed Scripture verses around the edges. Pastor Steven Pollard called the quilt “stunning” and so it is!
The church observed its centennial weekend in a grand fashion. A banquet was held at the local community college and a musical extravaganza was offered by the church’s own talented musicians under the direction of Parke Deans, minister of music. There even was an appearance by this columnist in the disguise of Noah Baldwin, the feisty old 19th-century preacher. The centennial Sunday included the presentation of the quilt, a video remembrance by Luther Johnson, and additional emphasis upon heritage. On the next day, the Virginia Baptist Male Chorale performed in concert for the church and community at the Barter Theater just down the street. For the Baptists of Abingdon there were many ways to celebrate the journey to the century mark.
Fred Anderson is executive director of the Virginia Baptist Historical Society and the Center for Baptist Heritage and Studies, located on the campus of the University of Richmond. He may be contacted at [email protected] or at P.O. Box 34, University of Richmond, VA 23173.