French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1916-1919, 1918-12-05
CHURCH THAT HAS MET
COMMUNITY NEEDS

Copeland community is nine mites
least of Athens, Ana, in Limestone,
tcounty. Some nine years ago this
place was known at "'Possum Trot"
and often referred to as ""The Dark
Corner of Limestone County" At the
suggestion OF a very sanity old WOm-
an the present pastor, Rev. Berry
Copeland, was urged to visit this place
and preach at the school house. The
preacher visited the community on 9
| Saturday night and gave them a SER
Imon, and was warned that probably
during the service the house would be
rocked by a gang Of boys. However,
the gang did not show up. lie preach
! ed for these people when he could do
so, which averaged about n service
a month for about four years, and IL
the summer of 1913 a series of wan
gelistic meetings were held and a
church organized. The next year an
other such meeting was held.
During the first year of church or
! ganiZatiOn, the congregation paid the
pastor $50 or $40 for his services and
gave $6 to benevOlences. During the
revival of 1914 the people not only
met there with their axes, saws and
hammers and teams 20 brill Il house
| Oh WOl SLIP .Il1S CLIul I'll IOL was G1SGl-
ed off, teams were busy hauling logs
10 the mill, and on the following Sat
urGay Il barbecue Vas given and come
S65 was cleared. With a generous
| grant from the Presbyterian Board OF
| Church Erection q beautiful church
was constructed. A Sunday school
was organized and they continued 20
haI" preaching only once i month fer
some two years, after which the prea-
cher's full time was given to the
work.
The social side Of this community
was IN the Anticipated stage Of dife.
The Illicit selling of Whiskey was not
an unusual thing. The people were
very poor and were ignorant CT ac-
count of their limited educational ac-
vantages, and their homes were oIG-
fashioned. The preacher began to
identify himself with his peonle, and,
securing their confidence, he preached
to them that DIETER things Were te-
fore them" The people saw the in
tcreSt of the preacher vas for heir
welfare and they began to WORK to-
gether, Methodist, Rarti4t, Disciples
land Presbyterians, and today the! are
a united people in one church. They
got behind the Sunday school and this
organization has done d great deal IL
developing the people. Through the
organized Bible class they obtained
their first vision in scientific farming
q plot of land planned IN cotton Was
worked by the class on Saturday af-
%ternOOns, the proceeds to 90 70 mis-
SiOns. The accomplishment was sue
cessfuI; but after all the biggest thing
was not the 500 which they gave to
missions. 1t brought the young peo-
pie together, and a social life was
kindled for nobler things.
The preacher not only preached a
deeper conservation, but he preached
better homes, better farming, better
stock, better roads, and a better citi-
| z%enship. While he preached these
things he was making the application
| in his own life and upon his own farm
and home.
The people had a very poor oppor-
; tunity for educating their children,
The old school building was a disgrace
to any community. They had from
three to five months school during
, the year. When the people began tC
Improve their hOmes.anA farms. they
wanted a better school building, and
the same spirit Of cooperation that
built the church vas in the building
of a modern four-rOom $1,000 school
building, which is a credit to any
community.
!, The first fruits Of the community
! federation was the organization Of q
community club which had as it's OBJ
!, lject the general betterment of the
community. A canning club was start
)