The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1911-10-13
GAvEL FROM OLD
HISTORIC PISGAH
CHURCH PRESENTED
THE FIRST METHODIST EDlFICE
SOUTH OF DUCK RIVER FUR
NISHES WOOD.
ACCEPTED B. BISHOP KLGO
Speech of Presentation is Made by J.
|. Finney, Editor of The Herald
Will Be Placed in Archives of the
Tennessee Conference.

An interesting event or the morn
ing session of the Methodist Confer
ence today was the presentation OF
gavel from the first Methodist
church building ever erected south
of Duck river. The gavel was made
from a piece of timber from the
church at old Pisgah near Hampshire
which was founded by John Akin in
/ 1907.
The gavel was presented by j. l.
Finney, editor of The Herald, and
was accepted by Bishop Kilgo in be-
half of the conference in a feeling
response.
The gavel was fashioned from the
timber by the Vaughan Manufautur-
ing Company of this city. In pre-
senting the gavel, Mr.. Finney said:
When the hardy pioneers blazed
pathway through the trackless will
derness from the Appalachian noun
tains westward there accompanied
them often with rifle in one hand and
Bible In the other, the Methodist
preachers. They were frequently the
first and always among the first spir-
itual comforters of the new settlers.
No hardships were too great to deter
them no privations so severe that
they were not overcome in their zeal
to carry the gospel to every corner
of the new and wonderful land.
Too much could not be said in
praise of the hardy Methodist pioneer
preachers who braved every danger
and willingly submitted to every sac
rifice that the cause of Christ should
triumph in the new world The
church had it's birth in humble sur
roundings. It's first successful ap-
peals were to the lonely and the op-
pressed and it is not strange there
fore that its message should have
taken strong and deep hold upon the
brave and simple men who settled
this country. In the early days of
this territory Methodism literally
spread like wild fire, and converts
were made wherever the smoke
marked a new clearing. OF intense
loyalty, great bravery, and simple
faith the founders of Methodism in
the wilderness were fit leaders Of a
great people, people who were to
leave their impress forever upon the
history of splendid land.
First among this devoted band to |
come to the country South of Luck
river was John Akin whose religious
Pervor and deep devotion led him to
leave his comfortable Carolina home
that he might bring the comfort of
his faith to the settlements in What |
are now Maury Lawrence, Lewis and .
Wayne counties. Early in the last
century he began his ministrations
hat were destined to result in the es-
of the first church Oh his
'aith in all this section. One hun
lred and three years ago a bard of
levout followers of the great Wesley,
by the simple eloquence of
Akin and moved by the intense relig-
GUS fervor characteristic of the time,
assembled at Pisgah Hill on the
Western borders of this county, where
he hills catch the last rays Of the
setting sun, and there erected and
orever dedicated to Almighty God, a
church, and for more than
century that church has proven
blessing to the community and ben
,diction and means of salvation to
he hundreds who have lived within
he sphere of its influence. In1nity
lone can measure the great harvest
,ternal that has been gathered
through the fundamentally of that
nan and his great labors.
'The people of that community
ow, decades after his ashes have
Mingled with the dust whera he
reached, reflect in their lives the
over of his work. No where in all
his land is there to be found a citi-
enship of superior worth, Of more
oyal devotion to civic righteousness,
f truer faith or greater fidelity to
ruth and honor than live within the
phere of influence of old Pisgah
hurch. 1t is a God fearing, God
CRYING community A community
here the people read their Bible and
elieve its divine message; where
hey go to church and make an hon.
st effort to do justice to their fell "
wv man; where the people share
ithout complaint the burdens of cit
.enship, obey the law and grateful
acknowledge the supremacy on the