When my automobile rested under the oak trees at Antioch Baptist Church in Charlotte County, Va., it was pelted with giant acorns. They rained like bullets and a person had to run fast to avoid a crack on the head. It is no wonder that the place on the map is called Red Oak. Inside the old church the visitor was treated to a better reception!
The occasion was an old-fashioned homecoming and it was doubly special because the church also has been celebrating its 175th anniversary. Pastor Jane Lyon wrote the following homecoming message in the bulletin: “Welcome Home! There are so many things we enjoy that we did not create. Such is the case with the ‘church gathered at Antioch.’ As declared by our forefathers and mothers, we are ‘one body, under one head [Jesus Christ], jointly to live and act as a church.’ God remains the foundation and life of Antioch today and forever!”
Fred Anderson
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Jane Lyon has been pastor for about three years and it is obvious that she is loved and respected. The church folks patiently waited turns to embrace her and whisper some message, whether need or thanksgiving. If by some miracle her 42 predecessors returned, I suspect it would not be long before they would be enamored with her sweet smile, gracious ways and even her pulpit presence. Some of the sainted men of the long ago might want to listen to what a graduate of Duke Divinity School has to say.
And those preachers from the long ago might be very surprised to see that tobacco is no longer the cash crop for the region. The times indeed are a’ changin’ even in rural Virginia.
In the summer of 1834 tobacco was king and it helped finance many a Baptist church. Gilbert Mason, one of the capable ministers of the times, was pastor of several churches in the area, including Ash Camp and Shiloh, and he called for constituting a new Baptist church at Shiloh’s preaching station already known as Antioch. The church began with six members, three men and three women.
About 10 years later, under the pastoral leadership of Samuel Griffin Mason (a kinsman of the first pastor) a new meeting house was erected. The building had a debt; and although it was completed, it was not immediately occupied. A peculiar deacon known as Capt. Jeffress maintained that a Christian house of worship should not be occupied until it was “paid for.” He convinced his fellow members to be patient, to pray and to pay! It was not long before the debt was removed.
Antioch Baptist Church
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It was a time of protracted meetings; and at least one was led by the famous Abram Poindexter who came from the area. He was one of the most effective evangelists of his age. The meeting truly became
became protracted and stretched out for three weeks and many were added to the church.
Samuel Griffin Mason may not have had the “burning eloquence” of Poindexter but he had his own personal style. He could explain the great truths of the gospel in a clear manner that a child could understand. “His pulpit power was increased by his gift of song,” wrote George Braxton Taylor in his biographical sketch of Mason. “Many a time a whole congregation would be melted down as by himself he would sing: ‘What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul,’ or ‘O trust Him yet this one time more,’ or ‘O tell me no more of this world’s vain store.’ ” Mason truly was a gospel proclaimer!
Gerald Gilliam is a local historian who treasures Antioch and he wrote a history of the old church. He told about the successive changes to the building which was erected just prior to the Civil War. A hundred years later the building was hidden behind a brick façade and modernization made the building more comfortable and useful. The historian shares that a baptistery was placed under the floorboards sometime around 1870 and “frogs would gather in it during the warm months and join in the sounds of all worship services much to the amusement of the congregation.”
Homecoming in October 2010 had continuity with homecomings across the years. There were fall flowers to decorate the church. There was a “dinner-on-the-grounds,” although it was held indoors in the church’s fellowship hall. The “groaning board” of extended tables was laden with all manner of good food. Someone made certain that the guest speaker got a piece of someone’s famous homemade chocolate meringue pie. My hostess, Mary Ellen Hall, even made certain that I had three plates full of a dessert assortment. It is a good thing that I traveled without my wife!
Gerald Gilliam was among those present for Homecoming. In his published history, he wrote: “One success [of the church] is found in the community of Red Oak. The neighborhood is an attractive and safe place to live because of the people. Many residents are kind, friendly and willing to help when the need arises. Antioch has had an influence on Red Oak. The church still has a future in this community. Antioch is challenged to reach out and to make a difference in Red Oak. This church is ready and willing to face the future.”
During the dinner hour conversation, this columnist learned that the larger neighborhood stretching down to Buggs Island Lake is receiving many new residents. Some are “come heres” even from the north who have discovered an affordable and attractive community for their retirement years. Perhaps the old church and the newcomers will find each other. There is room for everyone beneath the oaks at Antioch Baptist Church.
Note: Dear Reader — If you missed Homecoming, you can visit Antioch any Sunday. You might not receive a piece of that great chocolate meringue pie, but you will receive a handshake and a warm greeting from good folks. You will hear a gospel message. You will find a congregation of devoted Christians worshipping beneath the oaks. To reach Antioch from Richmond take Highway 360, pass Keysville and begin to look for Highway 15 and turn south, pass Wylliesburg and Barnes Junction and soon you come to Red Oak. Antioch remains where it has been for so long on Highway 15.
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.