The Mississippi enterprise. (Jackson, Miss.) 1938-current, 1946-05-04
Negro Church
South of Town
lis Dedicated

The colored congregation OF the
Sand Hill Baptist church near Bran
don last Sunday dedicated their
new building with prayer, praise
and worship, with songs from the
heart, with honest and human pride
in good work accomplished, and
with dinner on the grounds.
There we're five colored preach
ers present. A white minister de-
livered a brief sermon. But it was
the congregation that truly dedi-
Gated the new and cleaning church
with song and worship, which was
as it should have been, for that
church is the work of their own
hands, the fruit of their faith, the
product of their sweat and labor
and sacrifice.
It CLEANS on the hillside. grey and
white, built of concrete blocks and
| wood, cream walls and glistening
white ceilings inside, woodwork
stained, and crisp white curtains in
| the windows. 1t seats about 1870. And
from the small wooden cross on the
cupola to the lowest stone in the
foundation, it is the work of the
congregation.
The concrete blocks and some ma
terials had to be bought. But most
! of the church is the work of the
hands of the men,. No labor was
hired, and what could be made was
not bought. The stained benches
the altar and rail, the floors and
woodwork, the members made all
these, even as the women made the
crisp white curtains.
About $1,000 is all that church
cost in money. But men and women
and children donated hundreds OF
| hours of labor. They have been
working on that church full year,
| working full five hours every Sat
urday, regardless of other jobs, re-
| fusing on that day to work any
where else for wages. Many of them
donated $50 hours or more of la
Dor.
The Building Committee was in
| charge, and it was Building Com
mittee" in fact as well as in name
The members were chosen for their
1 skill and influence. They worked
/ with their hands and they showed
| others how to work.
Louis Jones, Eugene Jones, Johr
Carter, Bonnie Coleman, Jim Car.
ter. Ed Kelly, Lester Mike, John.
ME Thompson; these were the
Building Committee" And Satur
day after Saturday the womer
worked along with the men, sal
vaging nails from the old church
/ performing other tasks, and cook
ing big dinners to sustain the work
ers and to attract others.
/ The congregation thus butt ihe
| church and the congregation las
| Sunday dedicated it in :all-day ser
! vices. Rev. M. H. Calhoun, n.oder.
ator Of the county, was in charge
with Rev. Sam Kimble. the pastor
! assisting. Willie Marshall, young
woman school teacher, directed the
/ program. Preaching and singing
| lasted all day, with an early after
noon intermission for dinner on the
! grounds, an abundance of chicken
pork, beef, dressing, pies and cakes
Rev. E. N. Sullivan, pastor IF tie
! Brandon Baptist church. by invita-
ton, preached brief and APP opri-
ate sermon, and group of invited
white friends attended part Of the
services. But it was the congrega.
ton that dedicated the church they
had built
Dressed in their Sunday best from
grannies to TITS, they listened, wor-
shipped and sang all day. Worship
ping in their own church, rejoicing
in completion Of a year OF work
proud and happy, they sang. not as
colored choirs sometimes sing when
on exhibition before strangers, but
without pose or restraint. They 'sans
from the heart. without the aid OF