History

Pastor: Richard Jackson

6800 Arabia Rd

Lumber Bridge, NC 28357

Corner of Arabia Rd and Old Wire Rd in Hoke County

History of Sandy Grove United Methodist Church

V      Church formed before Civil War-Sandy Run 1857

We know there was a Methodist Church on the grounds of the present church before the Civil War, and that the old structure contained an upstairs balcony for the slaves to attend services.  The Church was originally known as Sandy Run.  There is a story that the Yankees camped up the road in front of the Church when they came through here on one of their raids.  Some believe this may have been a part of Sherman’s Army, however, we have no concrete evidence of this.  We know that the Church was situated in a very strategic location being centered in the forks of the Camden and Bethel Roads.  A Mrs. Nelson operated the stage coach stop “just beyond the Church”, probably somewhere between our Church and Davis’ Bridge, and one of the Davis drove the stage coach on the run through here from Fayetteville to Raeford, Red Springs and other points.

The first Sandy Grove Methodist Church was located in front of the present structure, possibly about where the fellowship hall is today.  It was a large two story frame building, which was never completely finished on the inside.  It was designed along the same lines as the Church at Antioch.  Large crowds would attend services, and there would be buggies and wagons hitched to every available tree in the Church yard.  Preaching was held every first and third Sunday.  Revivals were held regularly in the summertime.  There would be services during the revival twice a day, and huge crowds would pack the Church for each service.

V      1883: Cornerstone dates (Sept. 14, 1883 to Sept 14, 1908)

11/1883 S.P. Klarpp & wife(Sarah A. E. Klarpp) to Trustees: Daniel Biggs, Neill C. Graham, Alexander Tyner, John W. Adcox and Sidney P. Klarpp convey to the parties and their successors in office forever trust and the said premises shall be used and kept and maintained as a place of Divine worship for the use of the ministry and memebership of the Methodist Episcopal containing 3 acres.  12/13/1883 executed, 4/29/1884 registered 3,D page 322 Robeson County, Corrected 10/27/1956 Hoke County.

V      Sept. 14, 1908

In 1908 the congregation decided to build a new, but smaller, Church.  The old Church was torn down, and the lumber sold to Mr. Chess  Adcox, and he built a house with the lumber.  Many years later, while Mr. and Mrs. E.. T. Traywick were living in the house, it burned to the ground.

When the new Church was built in 1908 , Mr Jimmy Jones, father of Mr. J. A. Jones, was one of the leaders in the Church; and he together with many others, including the family of Archie K. and Cornelia Jane McFadyen, the family of John Adcox, the family of Fred and Lina MacDonald, the family of John and Carrie Black, and the family of Evander and Sophronia McMillan, Daniel M. & Sarah L. McKenzie, parents of Anna Belle Hendrix, Mary Adams, the Chasons, Clellan McKenzie’s family and the Bristows worked together to build our Church in a time when money was hard to come by and funds hard to raise.    Most of the labor was contributed by the members.  Many of the descendants of these families who built our Church are members of Sandy Grove today.  The minister at the time was Mr. T. H. Sutton.  It is said that Mrs. John Adcox, who lived nearby, would come to the Church eery Sunday morning before the services and sweep the entire building with a straw broom.  The Adcox family had three sons, and they all worked in the Church.  The McFadyen family had thirteen children, and we are happy to have two of thsoe children with us today, Mrs. Gladys Bostic and Mrs. Ella Trywick.  Although another daugher still survives, Mrs. Elma Morman, she resides in Georgia and longer attends Sandy Grove.  Mr James Hendrix fondly remembers that the favorite hymn of Mr. Jimmy Jones was No. 10, “ I Must Tell Jesus”, and that whenever hymns would requested that this Christian gentleman would request this hyms and that he would sing it with a special smile on his face.  Fred and Lina MacDonald had three daughters, and one of them, Mrs. Gladys Glisson, is still worshipping regularly with us.  The other daughters, Mrs. Maggie ( James) Hendrix, and Miss Addie MacDonald no lonbger attend our Church but do return to visit Sandy Grove on special occasions.  Several of the children of John and Carrie Black are active members today, and in fact, the children of John D. Balck are carrying on the tradition of their forefathers by attending Church each and every Sunday.  Two of our most active members, Mrs. Bonnie Davis and Mrs. Florence McGougan, are the grand daughters of Evander and Sophronia McMillian.  No mention has been made of Mrs. Anna Belle Davis Adcox, but she is an old and faithful member.  She attended Church here with her husband, Mr. Davis, and brought her children to Sunday School and Church here. Her sons, Ernest and Frank Davis, are today, and have been for many years, quite active members.  There are probably many people here today who are descendants of the members who built this Church, and you may know something of the history of our church. If so, we would appreciate your writing down your memories and handling them to our minister, Gordon Ruggles, or to Nan Hayward, in order that we may incorporate those facts into the next writing of our history. 

Back in 1908 when our Church was completed, it was all one large room, the sanctuary.  It was heated with two large wood heaters.  It was lighted with oil lamps.  Later Aladdin lamps replaced the oil lamps, and one particularly beautiful Aladdin lamp hung over the choir.  This lamp was stolen by vandals, and the same culprits cut the bottoms from the straw collection plates and tore up the song books.  The pews, the pulpit chairs, and the pulpit were purchased from a Baptist Church near Wagram.  Some of the men in the community went after them in wagons.  One the way back to Sandy Grove, the rain began to fall on them, and one good Methodist brother said that he knew it would have to rain and sprinkle these pews before they could go into a Methodist Church.

Mrs. Lillie McFayden McDougald, who was an accomplished musician played the organ for all the services.  As her little sisters came along, they, too, began to assist her with the music, and her sister, Gladys Bostic, began to play the organ when she could barely reach the pedals.  Gladys was 15 years old then, and she played the organ and piano for the Church for more than 50 years.  Gladys had a special touch on those keys, and it was a joy for the congregation to sing with her as she accompanied them.  No longer does Gladys play for us, and she is certainly missed by all who enjoyed her music those many long years. 

During the Christmas Season, 1919, the Hendrix family moved to this neighborhood, and to what was know as the Old Harris Place.  This is the house in which Dewey and Belle Hendrix now reside.  Those people were powerful Methodist and they moved right into the community and into Sandy Grove and began working for the Lord.  We are fortunate today to have the sons, grandchildren, and great grandchildren of this family in our Church and just as their parents before them, they believe in the Lord and Sandy Grove.

Sandy Grove was on a charge, and the minister assigned to this charge and five churches to pastor.  The minister lived at Parkton.  Sometime during the years all the Church records and rolls were lost in a fire.  Therefore, most of what you are reading here today is not recorded, but has simply been handed down form mouth to mouth through the lifetime of Sandy Grove.  Sandy Grove has always been in the Fayetteville District, and it was not until recent years that it was placed on the charge with Parkers. Some of the ministers remembered are C. T. Thrift, R. G. L. Edwards, W. L. Manness, I. J. Strawbridge, N. P. Edens, C. B. Long, J. J. Boone, P. O. Lee, O. V. Elkins, Rev. Buttroof, Berry Barbour, and our present minister Gordon Ruggles.  R. G. L. Edwards was the minister when Bobby Bostic was baptised, and this occasion is well remembered for his father, Clifford Bostic, was baptised at the same time.

As the years went by, the membership dwindled, some members died and others moved away.  No longer could diminished the spirit off the Christians who remained, and Sandy Grove remained a live and vital church.

Mr. T. C. Jones moved into our community and he began attending services at Sandy Grove, and he was moving influence among its members.  Later, he and his wife, Mary, moved their membership to Sandy Grove.  To this date, Mr. Jones remains a faithful and hard working member.  He and  Mary were both good singers and they, along with others members of the Church, would sing on all special occasions.  It is said that many a good “singing” has been held at Sandy Grove. 

V      1956

In 1956, the Church members decided that they should remodel their Church, and the back of the Church was closed in and Sunday School classrooms were built from this space.  The Church was replastered to some extent, and Clifford Bostic and some of the other men would go back and forth working on the Church.  The wood stoves were removed and the furnaces were installed, and the ceiling to the sanctuary was lowered in order that the church could be properly heated.  Worship services were held during this remodeling period, and the congregation stood for the entire service, the pews having been moved out of the building in order that the building could be renovated. Doesn’t that fact tell something about the Christian spirit which prevailed among our members? 

 Later, the hut was built to provide much needed Sunday School space and a fellowship hall.  This hut was built largely due to the efforts of Leonard McFayden and others.

Much happiness, goodness and sadness can be remembered in our Church, as in our lives.  So many saints have passed on, but we thank God that other people have moved in to carry on the work of our Church.  There is Kathy Hendrix at the piano today, ever loyal to us in every phrase of work in the Church.  She and Jane Ruggles have labored together to make our choir one of the best little choirs around.   In the past two years, we have raised funds to purchase new hymals and choir robes, both of which greatly enhance our worship services.

At District Conference in December 1974, I was a speaker on the program to tell of the accomplishments of our choir.  Jimmy Miller was D. S. and I was a newly certified Lay Speaker.  He was most complimentary of our choir and Parkers.

We are filled with humble pride that today we worship in a beautiful sanctuary, which has been newly redecorated and repaired.  We look forward to next summer when the Church will be cooled by central air, and already we are talking of new pews and new carpet to cover the entire floor.  The classrooms are being painted by members, and the hut is being repaired and painted.  We feel good.  We look to the future with great expectations.  We thank God for the leaders which he has provided us in the past, and for our present leaders and members.  Again, our attendance is increasing and we feel that one day soon we will again have the Church packed as it was one hundred years ago.  Looking to the future, may our humble prayer be, “ Not for us, Lord, but for thee”.

A new roof on the sanctuary, the classrooms upstairs were finished by Tom Hoogerland and with help from Robert Bostic in wiring, lighing, etc, and Roy Hayward and Tom H. installed the carpet.  Pews, altar and communion rail & table, registers table, and carpet in sanctuary, central heat and air were added when Charles Litzenberger was here.  Intercom when Tom was here.  Organ & siding on Church when Knowles here.  Also, kitchen at hut updated.  The hanging cross is in memory of Ernest Davis, the altar candlesticks David Hendrix, and the offering plate, Clifford Bostic. The new communion set also was given by Anna Belle Davis Adcox family, I believe.

V      1-23-87

Hope this makes sense.  Others will remember things I’ve left out.  The original manuscript was told to Nan Hayward by Gladys Bostic.  She loved to sing, “Others, Lord, Yes Others”, and this song truly reflects her life. 

This text was edited from the original manuscript and was told to Nan Hayward by Gladys Bostic and researched by Nan Hayward.

V       In 1992, the hut was taken away and a new fellowship hall was attached to the church and was dedicated in Jan. 1993.  Larry Patrick was pastor.

V      Remodel 1999 to restore original look of sanctuary, add pastor’s office and correct structural problems.  Donald Shields was pastor.