Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1921-10-11

! congregation Until MT. deHlpHlll
visit in 1895.
The pastorate of Rev. John Hemp
hill began in the fall of 1875 and last
ed until the 30th day Of May, 1880
when he died.
| During Mr.. Hemphill's pastorate in
the year 1900 the second house of
worship was built. 1t was brick
structure forty by fifty feet, hipped
rooted, walls plastered, floors Of brick
with gallery on the sides reached
by stairway from the outside-the
pulpit was elevated about six feet and
iEclosed with a balustrade. 1t was
reached by a narrow stairway. Over
head was sounding board. The seats
were very close together with high
straight backs and the aisles narrow.
| There was no way OF heating the
building, although there was a small
one room house near the church call
ed the session house in which was a
fire place and on cold mornings a log
| fire at which ladies with small chill
dren. could warm after probably riding
four or five miles to church horseback.
Hopewell on the death of Mr.. Hemp
hill May, 1880, was for the second
time without a pastor. In November,
1882, Rev. Warren Flenniken was in
stalled pastor of Hopewell and Union.
New Hope having formed a union with
the Brick church in Fairfield county
and called Rev. Jas. Boyce as pastor.
Mr.. Flenniken continued to preach at
Hopewell three-fourths of his time
until 1889 when Union united with
Tirzah in York county and became
the pastorate Of Rev. L. Mcdonald,
Hopewell taking all the time of Mr..
F'lenniken.
During the pastorage of Mr. Flen-
niken Hopewell passed through q
critical period. The slavery question
and the doctrine Of millification began
to be agitated, neighbor was arrayed
against neighbor, family against fam
lily and in some cases individuals in
the same family-this started a tide
Of emigration west and in little over
year seventy-fiv members left and
went west.
In 1S49 Mr.. Flenniken Identified his
pastorate and on May 31st, 1850, Rev.
r. w. Brice was installed pastor Of
Hopewell.
During the time between the resig-
nation of Mr.. Flenniken and the In
stallation OF Mr.. Brice the congre-
CATION was supplied by Rev. Thos.
Kitchin. He never let anything pre-
vent him from filling his appointments
and was always at the church whether
wet or cold on the day he was 70
preach and rarely preached sermon
under an hour long.
When Mr.. Brice commenced his
pastorate, all the difference among
members, which had existed in the
latter part of Mr.. Hemphill's time and
during all of Mr.. F'lenniken's had
completely passed away and peace and
harmony prevailed throughout the
congregation. In 1854 a new house Of
worship was erected and furnished in
good style This Is the third house
erected since the organization Of the
congregation. It,is a frame building
fifty by seventy feet with comfortable
seats and we'll arranged for heating.
The pastorage of Mr.. Brice lasted un-
til March, 1878, when he died. Dur
ing the ministry of Mr.. Brice probably
fifty colored people were members in
good standing in the church. All of
these after the close of the Civil war
drifted away to churches of their own.
Also during the Civil war great many
of the young men of Hopewell were
either killed in battle, or died in hos
pitals from wounds or disease. The
first member killed in battle was Will
liam McDill. He fell at the battle Of
Dranesville, December 20, 1861.
In March 1879, one year after the
death of Mr.. Brice. Rev John A. White
was installed pastor and continued to
preach faithfully and acceptab!y to the
people of Hopewell until May, 1911,
when death suddenly ended his faith
full services. After his death J. Lewis
White, a son of Rev. John White, a
student in the Due West Theological
seminary, supplied the church. The
congregation had extended a call to
him, but on account of his health he
was never installed, dying.
There have gone out from this con-
gregation reared either partly or in
whole within its fold 22 young men
who became preachers of the ever
lasting gospel and now after nearly
one hundred and fifty years Hopewell
is still in a fourishing condition.
All the foregoing pastors are bur-
led in the adjoining graveyard.
s B. Latham,