Last week this column shared some of the history of Straightstone Baptist Church in Pittsylvania County. When the church recently celebrated its 200th anniversary, Rolen C. Bailey, a former pastor, was among those who returned to Straightstone. He served as the church's pastor from 1955-60.
Bailey first arrived on the Straightstone scene in 1955 when he was 28 years old. He had graduated from Mars Hill College and the University of Richmond and already had some pastoral experience in several rural churches. He also had taken a bride, Frances Stuart, whom he had married in 1952. The couple came to the church with a young daughter, Patricia Lee, who today is known as Patty.
These were heady days for a young ministerial couple. There were new church families to meet and new challenges to master. Straightstone was tucked in the deep countryside and there were no nearby city facilities. The pastor and his young wife had to be fairly self sufficient and to be focused on the people and the mission.
It was a progressive period for the pastor and the church. During his pastorate, he led in a building program to add educational space to the old building. He even drew the floor plans and gave muscle to the construction crew.
There were other signs of progress for the country church. A youth choir shared about once a month in the worship services. In further inter-generational work, a “junior” usher board was added for the younger folks to work along with the senior ushers. A unified budget envelope system was adopted. The Baptist Training Union (remember the BTU?) was graded and the people were learning about Baptist heritage and principles and good churchmanship.
Bailey also became enamored with the history of the old church. He plodded through the old minute books kept by church clerks and compiled an impressive history from 1806-1956. The mimeographed history remains the definitive story of Straightstone.
In 1956, for the church's 150th anniversary, the local newspaper, The Altavista Journal, ran excerpts from the history. Included in the newspaper was a photograph of the Bailey family with 2-year-old Patty in her father's arms. When they returned to Straightstone for the 200th anniversary, the family posed on the steps in the exact spot where the newspaper photo had been snapped a half-century earlier.
The last half-century has been eventful for the Baileys. They left the country church for Cave Spring Baptist Church in Roanoke and a pastorate which lasted from 1960-74.
Rolen became active in the Roanoke Valley Baptist Association, serving as moderator in the late '60s. In 1974 he became the first executive director of the large Roanoke Valley Association, a post he held for the next 15 years.
In their personal journey, the couple had two more children: Nancy, who died in infancy, and John Stuart. They filled their days with happy projects and family activities. They participated in nearly every phase of Virginia Baptist life. They became cheerleaders for the importance of Eagle Eyrie Baptist Conference Center and participated in many workshops and events on the mountaintop. They were key players in the recent 50th anniversary of the assembly grounds. Everywhere they served, the Baileys worked hard.
Rolen Bailey was never a stranger to work. He was a paperboy and even a grocery store meat cutter in his hometown of Pulaski. When the family moved to Bassett in Henry County, he worked as a clerk in the local hardware store. He was ordained by the Pocahontas Bassett Baptist Church and preached his first sermon there in the summer of '45. He even preached the baccalaureate sermon for his high school graduating class.
While students at Southern Seminary, Rolen and his sister, Kathryn, served a summer as student associational missionaries in the Strawberry Baptist Association. They were engaged in revivals and Bible schools. The summer experiences were prelude to long and useful service. Kathryn Bailey Bradley became the music director for Virginia Baptists.
The return to Straightstone produced a flood of memories for the couple who had left the country church a half-century earlier. They remembered and they gave thanks for all the ways in which the Lord has guided their paths.
Fred Anderson is executive director of the Virginia Baptist Historical Society and the Center for Baptist Heritage and Studies. He may be contacted at P.O. Box 34, University of Richmond, VA 23173.