Bucklesberry, Back in the Day: Hickory Grove Church (21)
Dr. Joe Sutton
FIRMLY METHODIST (Cont.)
A significant turning point in the life of Hickory Grove Church was the December 1884 pastoral call to Rev. William Ellis Swain of the Methodist Protestant Church (M.P.C.) Conference. In his 1929 book that traced the history of the M.P.C. Conference, Dr. Olin B. Michael, Th.D. affirmed, "The Hickory Grove people had come to us [the M.P.C. Conference], under W. E. Swain's pastorate."
After a unanimous church vote in the spring of 1885, Hickory Grove formally aligned with the M.P.C. Conference. Documented by news reporter Samuel Ivey Sutton, the historical decision permanently sealed the Church's Methodist affiliation to the present day. It further ended any possibility they would return to their previous Baptist affiliation or Free Will Baptist origins:
1885, April 8: "A resolution was introduced and adopted, without a dissenting voice, that the [Hickory Grove] Church adopt the discipline and form of church government of the Methodist Protestant Church, and elected delegates to represent them in the next Quarterly Conference of that church. It will be remembered that the Church at Hickory Grove, sometime during last year, severed its connection with the [Union Baptist] Association to which it was then attached, and became an independent church organization, since which time it has been without pastor or church affiliation. It had become evident to a large majority of the members that the condition of the Church required some action, and a church meeting was called, with the result before stated. The Church is located in one of the best sections of this County, the citizens are among the most independent, and we hope to see the Church in a prosperous condition." (The Daily Journal, New Bern)
Hickory Grove's decision to become an M.P.C. Conference church was probably unexpected to many in the onlooking community. Just one year earlier, Hickory Grove appeared to be leaning toward the Methodist Episcopal Church, South (M.E.C.S.) Conference when it called M.E.C.S. preacher Rev. James D. Carpenter to co-pastor with Baptist preacher Rev. James D. Cavanaugh.
Evidently, Hickory Grove Church weighed the differences between the M.E.C.S. and the M.P.C. Conferences during the seven-month period when they operated as an independent church after formally separating from the Union Baptist Association. Under the M.P.C. umbrella, they found the right denominational fit that effectively allowed them to retain their independence as an affiliate church.
Organized in 1830 as a split from the older Methodist Episcopal Church (M.E.C.) Conference, the M.P.C. Conference emphasized local church independence and congregational self-governance. The M.E.C.S. Conference, on the other hand, offered little autonomy for member churches. Formed later in 1844 as a second split from the older M.E.C. Conference, the M.E.C.S. Conference retained the belief and practice that bishops must exercise supervision over pastors and congregations.
Next month's article will discuss Hickory Grove's transition to the Methodist denomination. Interested readers may enjoy a previously published Bucklesberry article titled "Expert Farmers" available at https://bit.ly/4cIz6HY.
