GET RESOURCES Marker commemorates Antioch Baptist’s 158-year history AdminAugust 7, 2024065 views Home » Marker commemorates Antioch Baptist’s 158-year history By Sherry Hamilton on August 7, 2024 LARRY CHOWNING / SOUTHSIDE SENTINEL A Virginia state historical marker was unveiled on Saturday honoring Antioch Baptist Church in Saluda. Among those participating in the ceremonies were, from left, the Rev. Fred D. Holmes Jr., Antioch pastor; Bessida Cauthorne White, chair of the marker dedication program and member of the Middlesex County Museum and Historical Society; Marilyn South, president of MCMHS; Joell Gilbert, great-great-great-granddaughter of the Rev. William Thornton, Antioch’s first minister; Joan Gilbert, Thornton’s great-great-granddaughter; Dorothy Carter, co-chair of Antioch’s board of deacons; LaToya Gray-Sparks, community outreach coordinator for the Virginia Department of Historic Resources; keynote speaker Dr. Leonard L. Edloe, founding pastor of New Hope Fellowship in Hartfield; Reynold Trotman, chair of Antioch’s board of trustees; and, in front, Hallie J. Holmes, member of the marker dedication planning committee. Below, the interior of the church during the dedication ceremony. Members of Antioch Baptist Church in Saluda gathered with state and county officials on Saturday to dedicate a state highway marker commemorating the church’s 158-year history.Bessida Cauthorne White, chair of the marker research team and dedication planning committee, welcomed guests, and Don R. Harris, chairman of the Middlesex County Board of Supervisors, gave greetings. LaToya Gray-Sparks, community outreach coordinator for the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, provided information about the Historical Marker Program. Sparks also thanked White for her “commitment to telling the whole story of Virginia’s past.”Keynote speaker the Rev. Dr. Leonard L. Edloe, pastor of New Hope Fellowship in Hartfield, spoke of the many changes that have occurred since the church’s founding in 1866, when black churches were not allowed to have black preachers and “a lot of sermons were about being a good slave.”He spoke of “very dark days,” including “the dark nights of the KKK” and the Gre… To view the rest of this article, you must log in. If you do not have an account with us, please subscribe here. Source link
By Sherry Hamilton on August 7, 2024 LARRY CHOWNING / SOUTHSIDE SENTINEL A Virginia state historical marker was unveiled on Saturday honoring Antioch Baptist Church in Saluda. Among those participating in the ceremonies were, from left, the Rev. Fred D. Holmes Jr., Antioch pastor; Bessida Cauthorne White, chair of the marker dedication program and member of the Middlesex County Museum and Historical Society; Marilyn South, president of MCMHS; Joell Gilbert, great-great-great-granddaughter of the Rev. William Thornton, Antioch’s first minister; Joan Gilbert, Thornton’s great-great-granddaughter; Dorothy Carter, co-chair of Antioch’s board of deacons; LaToya Gray-Sparks, community outreach coordinator for the Virginia Department of Historic Resources; keynote speaker Dr. Leonard L. Edloe, founding pastor of New Hope Fellowship in Hartfield; Reynold Trotman, chair of Antioch’s board of trustees; and, in front, Hallie J. Holmes, member of the marker dedication planning committee. Below, the interior of the church during the dedication ceremony. Members of Antioch Baptist Church in Saluda gathered with state and county officials on Saturday to dedicate a state highway marker commemorating the church’s 158-year history.Bessida Cauthorne White, chair of the marker research team and dedication planning committee, welcomed guests, and Don R. Harris, chairman of the Middlesex County Board of Supervisors, gave greetings. LaToya Gray-Sparks, community outreach coordinator for the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, provided information about the Historical Marker Program. Sparks also thanked White for her “commitment to telling the whole story of Virginia’s past.”Keynote speaker the Rev. Dr. Leonard L. Edloe, pastor of New Hope Fellowship in Hartfield, spoke of the many changes that have occurred since the church’s founding in 1866, when black churches were not allowed to have black preachers and “a lot of sermons were about being a good slave.”He spoke of “very dark days,” including “the dark nights of the KKK” and the Gre… To view the rest of this article, you must log in. If you do not have an account with us, please subscribe here.