The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-05-17
A GREAT DAY At
RAINBOW CHURCH
Portraits of Three Methodist
Preachers Born There.
FURNISHES II PREACHERS
FURNISHES IL PREACHERS
DR.. T. d. Jordan Writes an Interesting
Historical Sketch.
REys. HOOKER, cUsNlpGGlM AND GIBBONS
Portraits of These Three Well Known Methodist
Ministers, Presented by Their Families,
Unveiled in Presencs Of Over
1000 People.

Last Sunday memorial exercises were
held at Rainbow Methodist church, Greene
county, when the portraits of Rev. Nathan
Hooker, Rev. Jesse A. Cunninggim. d. d..
and Rev. Henry H. Gibbons were unveiled
1t was a great occasion and at least 1000
people were present. DR.. Swindell preach
ed in the morning In the afternoon DR..
T. NJ. Jordan, of Raleigh, formerly citi-
zen of that community, speaking for the
donors, unveiled the portraits and deliv-
cred an historical address on Primitive
Methodism as Applied to Rainbow Church
DR.. Jordan said:
Ladies and Gentlemen: Losing nothing
of interest in the people of the county
of my first adopted home and their insti-
tutions, it occurred to me that on this
occasion, fraught with so many fiIial af-
fections and family ties, that the few
"reminiscences that / have been able to
gather together in regard to Rainbow
church and the congregation that has wor-
shipped here for century or more. might
be interesting and instructive to this
twentieth century assembly.
In human life, a century is a period that
lew people have been SO fortunate as to
observe the changes which occur therein.
Yet we are permitted in this paper to
possess some facts obtained from a
former member of this congregation, now
more than three score and ten years of
age, and who is at present the oldest man
living among you. / refer to my esteemed
friend, W. T. Dixon, now in his seventy
1w4h ox1A f,.lI -
all his mental faculties, and full of hope
for the brightest jewels when he crosses
the river to participate in the precious
promises of those who keep the faith to
the end. Born in sight of where we stand
today, of a parentage that was devout,
he no doubt was a member of this con-
gregation in his earliest childhood, aud
from his first recollection, there was a
place of worship at this point. That was
early in the nineteenth century. Just the
exact date, we have been unable to leara,
but from the fact that his father, Wash
ington Dixon, a local preacher who was
accustomed to preach and worship here
it is no stretch of imagination when we
conclude that as early as 1878, the date
of the first regular conference of the
American Methodist preachers held IN
Philadelphia in July of that year, that
some one of them had preached at Rain
bow. We are confirmed in the belief that
worship was held here as soon, il not
prior to that time, for we learn that vii
liam Ormond who, himself, was a preach
er and was a neiehbor of this point, down
ing the estate around Ormond's chapel
which church Is named in his honor, and
to build the church formerly there, be
provided in his will, having previously
decided the land thereto He died at the
early age of 33 in 1903.
Aunt Polly Lane, of this community,
long since removed to haven of rest from
among you, at the ripe old age OF 99.z
years. heard the first sermon preached at
Ormond's chapel in her young womanhood,
and even then she, according to her state
ment. was a regular attendant upon pub
lie worship at Rainbow. She was born
the latter part of the eighteenth century
as nearly as we can ascertain, In 1891
and from her it was learned that the
first Methodist preacher ever heard of in
Greene county, preached in barn on
what is now the property of Samuel C.
Sugg, and spent the night with Samuel
Hooker, her father, the grandfather OF
Rev. Nathan Hooker.
When we note the fact of the first con-
ference of Methodist ministers In 1773,
late in the eighteenth century, and re-
member that Rev. William Ormond was
born before that date and that Aunt
Polly Lane, whom many of you knew IN
person, was then attending public wor-
snip here early in the nineteenth century,
we feel doubly assured that church SER
wee was held here. prior to the first con-
ference of the Methodist Ministers in AM
erica. And several years prior to an indie
pendent organization of the Methodist
Episcopal church in America, Rainbow was
one or the societies we read of having
been formed by the pioneers of Methodisin
In America, but no doubt before those
recorded by Moore in his Pioneers OF
Metnodlsm, for to Rev. Robt. williams
he ascrlbes the credit of forming the first
Methodist societies in North Carolina. We
find Rev. Williams in 1873 in Petersburg.
Va. There, procuring a horse, he pushed
on into North Carolina; but four wears
prior to that, in 1863, we have the date
of the birth of William Ormond in what
was then known as Dobbs county near
Kinston. We know that the estate upon
which he was born was near this place
Indeed. it embraced that land about Or
mond's chapel, not far from this point.
And the influence of his parents no doubt.
reached out into this community and was
reeiprocated by the influence of the pa
rents of Rev. William H. Cunninggim,
whose name and face you still SO rever-