Seminole Sentinel (Seminole, Tex.), Vol. 97, No. 4, Ed. 1 Sunday, October 23, 2005 Page: 16 of 20
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Terry Jefferies 1996-1998
R«y Saldana 1997-prsseat
Buddy Gerber 1998
Kannath Newcomb 1998*8000 %
Mika Cartar 1998-8008
Hobart Alvarado, Jr. I999-200JI
Ray Kenner 1999-prseT v-|r
Tammy dark 1999-8008
Mika Lord 2001 prsesnt . '
Julian Gomoc 2002-present,
PAGE 4B, Seminole (Texas) Sentinel, Sunday, October 23,2005
By Dorthy Decker Foote
Special to the Sentinel
The very earliest settlement in
Gaines County was Caput, just a small
community located on the hill just north
of what is presently the Gaines County
Cemetery.
It was here that W.B. and Emma
Austin operated the General Store
before Seminole's and Gaines County’s
Founding
In the earliest times, pioneers
gathered on occasion at Hackberry
Grove, which is located in the draw just
south of Seminole on U.S. Highway
385. The gatherings, although not
frequent, were wonderful experiences
that included picnicing, great social
times and church gatherings.
It was at Hackberry Grove where
the Methodist and Presbyterians
organized their churches in 1905.
The Baptists, although not
formally organized, were offered a
home for their services in the upstairs
area of the Austin's general store,
where early Gaines County Baptists
began the process of organizing their
own church.
An avid Baptist missionary, Rev.
G.C. Berryman, gathered with the
interested folks, until the fall of 1906.
It was at that time that the Baptist
group met in the office of County Judge
A H. Webb, where they organized.
Charter familes of the First Baptist
Church included Mr. and Mrs. Dan
Cobb, Mr. and Mrs. F.W. Denham,
mr. and Mrs. Robert Malone, Mr. and
Mrs. A.F. Lord, Mrs. T.L. Lord and Mr.
Milton Roach. '
Shortly following the founding
of the church, Cobb met with the
Commissioners Court of Gaines
County, where he asked for permission
for the newly formed church to meet in
the Courthouse.
The church's request was granted,
and the Baptists met for their church
gatherings at the facility for the next
16 years.
Plans for the church's permanent
home were not drawn up until the early
1920s , and wasn't fully constructed
until 1922, under the direction of L.
McHann, who served as pastor during
that time. Construction was done by
Cobb and several of his employees.
The 1930s gave the church an
even brighter outlook, as the church
adopted to have an annual budget of
$1,200 in September of 1937, where
a full time paster was paid a salary of
$40 a month. *
Prior to that, church pastors
scheduled meeting on the second and
fourth Sundays of the month and paid
$30 a month.
During the first 25 years of the
church s life, 12 different pastors served
#•••
History of Local Churches
• • • •
the church.
Growing continued for the
church folllbwing WW11. More space
for the church was needed so, the
church bought two army surplus
barracks from the U.S. Military
Rase in Hobbs, N.M , and were
transported to the church lot.
Members of the church worked
on them and turned them into
Sunday School classrooms.
In 1944, a building fund was
set up by the church, where money
was set aside by the church for the
construction of a bri£k and/or brick
and tile church building.
That church building was built
three blocks east of the 1922 building,
where the present day church stands.
Construction was completed in 1950,
at a total cost of $125,000.
In 1945, a great deal of division
in the church came to surface, and a
group of church members withdrew
from the fellowship and organized the
South Side Baptist Church, which is
now known as South Seminole
Baptist Church.
South Seminole was fully
organized in 1948.
Seminole had boomed in the
1950's with the oil production,
which helped increase the church's
population.
Several other projects took place
at the church, including the paving of
the church’s parking lots to the west
of the church, as well as the church's
parsonage on SW 14th Street.
In 1970, the original windows
of the sanctuary were in bad shape
and were replaced with newer plexi-
glass.
Renovations were slow made in
the 1970s and 1990s, including the
construction of a two-story addition
in 1976 on the northwest comer of
the building, as well as a total remodel
of the church, minus the sanctuary,
in 1997.
Currently, the church has a
present membership of 350 resident
members, a far larger number' than
the 10 founding members of the
church.
they would be able to stand through the
troubles and trials of life.
The church met in various resi-
dences for approximately six weeks,
before moving into a vacated church
building at the corner of SW 13th and
SW Aue C •_
Dayspring Church
It's among one of the newer
churches in town, but has been a
staple in Seminole since 1985.
Dayspring Church was formed
in September of 1985 with a small
group of people, who met in a local
residence with a vision to help raise
people up and establish a relation-
ship with Jesus and His Word that
Dayspring eventually purchased
.the building and made it their home
from the remainder of the 1985 calen-
dar year until May of 1996.
In 1986, the church established
the Covenant Christian Academy, a
Christian school that met at the church.
That academy is no longer in function
for local residents.
It was in 1996 that the church
moved to their present location at 1701
Hobbs Highway, where the church is
presently located today.
The name Dayspring came from,
a message in Luke's Gospel from a
prophecy given to Zachariah in refer-
ence to the life of his unborn son John
the Baptist.
"Jesus Christ is the Dayspring from
on High who has come to save us," says
the passage. "When we receive His life,
He gives light to us who are in darkness
and the shadow of death and guides our
feet into the way of peace.
Freda Tankersley Jones, the cur-
rent pastor of the church, is also the
founding pastor of the church.
Elders for the church include Pas-
tor Mark Jones, Pastor Teresa Sims,
Danny Curtis, Wendell Griffin and Ola
Griffin.
Curtis leads the men’s ministry,
which meets every other week at 6:30
p.m.'on Saturday nights, while Sims
leads the women's ministry, which is
held monthly for worship service and
hosts a speaker each Saturday morning
at 10 a.m.
Th6 Youth Ministry is lead by Ber-
nadette Granger and meets every other
Sunday evening at 6:00 p.m., while the
Children's Ministry is led by.Tonya Cur-
tis and Kendral Davis.
Worship team fot the church in-
cludes Pastor Mark Jones, Adrian Car-.
roll, Michael Curtis, A1 Carroll, Ola Grif-
fin, Mary Arrambide, Joyce Martinez,
Shawnta Griffin, Bernadette Granger,
Tonya Curtis Jean Luckey and Altha
Carroll.
Services are held at 10 a.m.
on Sunday mornings and 7 p.m. on
Wednesdays. Special monthly services
are also held at the Memorial Nursing
Home monthly.
Westside Church of
Christ
Since 1959, the Westside Church
of Christ has been serving Seminole
and the surrounding area. ,
On August 15, 1959, members
of the Westside Church of Christ met
for the first time at the Gaines County
Courthouse, and according to church
Charles Adams, Clay Mimms, Don
Fleming, Joe Harber, Bill Grissom, Ray
Dawin, Colquitt Nash, Will Westersby,
Abe Lincoln, Randy Harris, James T.
Smith, and David Williams. Spanish
ministers include Abraham Olivera and
Fhen Emerson -
records, approximately 52 members
were present and sixteen familes
were represented in the first organized
meeting of the church.
At the time, Brother Hugh
Rhodes, who was from Lubbock,
came down to Seminole each Sunday
and preached for the congregation.
Rhodes was the Athletic Director and a
coach at Lubbock Christian College.
In September of 1959, the
church family began hosting services
at the. Seminole Funeral Home
Chapel, while Bible classes were held
in member's homes.
Early elders who served the
church included Virgil Keyes, Joe
McKinney and Walter Woods.
Just a few weeks later, in
February of 19607 the church broke
ground for a new church hortie, after
purchasing some land in Seminole
near the Denver City Highway,
where the church made their home
until 1979.
Two years earlier, 1977, the
congregation purchase 8.7 acres on
NW 23rd Street, with plans in building
a new church home.
• Construction began in early
1979 and the first meeting at the
newly constructed building was held
on September 30, 1979.
The church grew even larger in
July of 2002, as the Westside Church
of Christ and the 7th Street Church
of Christ were joined together as one
church.
The church conducts devotionals
at the Assisted Living Center and
Nursing Home, and offers a Spanish
speaking church (207 NW 7th), as
well as other ministries both locally
and abroad.
Other elders who have served
the chuch include Jim Kennedy, Bill
Brown, Don Fleming, Joe Smith,
Alton Hill, Charles Stennett, Dwight
Franklin, Athen Lbwrie, Ted Jackson,
Abe Lincoln, Glen Reming, and Hugh
McGuire.
Currently, Melvin Caffey, Bob
Clark, Leo Copeland, Barry McConal,
Leslie Rich and Kerry Williams serve
as elders for the church.
Jason Moore and Leo Copeland
both serve the church behind the
pulpit.
Past church ministers include:
Hugh Rhodes, William Cunningham,
Past youth minsters include Har-
old McSweeney, Phil Gold and Barry
Boverie..
and Mrs. Shell became officers. The
other charter members were Mr. and
Mrs. Walden and Mrs. Ed Ramsey."
The first church sanctuary (the first
church building erected in Seminole)
was a small frame building with a belfry
built in 1907 north of Southwest Ave.
C., across the street from what is now
the present day sanctuary building.
Except for a tiny foyer under the
belfry, the sanrti lary consisted of one
Presbyti
mbers of th
tenan
Members of the First United
Presbyterian Church of Seminole
have already celebrated their 100th
founding anniversary, with a special
weekend ceremony held at the facility
in late July.
The church, which played one of
the most important founding roles for
Gaines County, was first organized on
July 19, 1905, after a Gaines County
pioneer, Mrs. Emma J. Austin, insisted
that the church be organized following
a July 1904 church service, produced
by Presbyterian Evangelist O.G. Jones
of Big Spring.
Jones preached to Gaines County
residents from a tent at Cottonwood
Wells (also known as Hackberry Grove),
located a few miles south of present day
Seminole.
The Presbyterian teaching moved
into unorganized Gaines County no
later than 1902, and spread among the
land hungry couples and bachelors who
came to settle this land.
A letter to Mrs. W. G. Gibbs of
Seminole from Jones dated February
9, 1934 states:
'The following summer, 1905, a
committee of men from Gaines County
requested that I hold another series of
services. They even sent two big freight
wagons seventy-five miles to get my
tent, chairs, lamps, etc. When l arrived
at the camp, I found my tent up and
the Methodist presiding elder together
with four other Methodist ministers in
charge. For days, the Elder had me take
my turn in preaching with him and the
other local preachers in Jhis, my own
meeting. The action provoked some of
the cowboys very much, and I found
difficulty in keeping them cool. I felt that
nothing should be done that hurt the
effect of the meeting. Within that week,
I got sick and for three days, suffered
much. When I was able to preach by
leaning on the pulpit, I sent word to the
Elder that I would take complete charge
of the meeting.
On Sunday, July 19, 1905, at
Cottonwood Wells, I organized the
Seminole Presbyterian Church with
F.O. Aiken, as elder. Later Mr. Yates
room that was about 40 feet square.
Two sections of curved, wooden
pews with an aisle down the middle,
plus a few short straight pews, served
as seating for the sanctuary.
For the construction of the first
church building, the congregation
borrowed $700 for financing.
The original bell from the first
building is still used by the church,
having it installed in a modest bell
tower on the north side of the present
day sanctuary.
Several hackberry trees on the
south side of the present day church
came from the Hackberry Grove
area and are a pleasant reminder to
the congregation of the founding of
the church in Hackberry Grove 100
years ago.
A second church building was
constructed on the same site as the
first structure in 1941, and was a T-
shaped stucco structure that housed
a sanctuary, Sunday school rooms, a
fellowship hall, kitchen, restrooms and
the pastor's living quarters.
The present brick and steel
A-frame sanctuary^building was
completed and dedicated in 1955, and
the present fellowship hall and Sunday
school classrooms were completed and
dedicated in 1963.
Both buildings underwent major
renovations in 1978-79.
The current manse, located at
206 SW Ave. C,. was constructed in
1960 and was extensively refurbished
in 1992. Seven of the church’s pastors
have occupied the residence. ,
An earlier manse was built in 1950
and was located on the same site. It was
used by four of the church's ministers,
while the original manse, built in 1910,
was a small two-story frame house that
was torn down in 1941.
In October of 2004, the church
again saw the beginning of a complete
renovation, which was completed
in May of 2005, and was done in
anticipation of (he church’s 100th
anniversary.
During the past 95 years, 15
regularly installed pastors have lead
the chujch, two of whom had long
pastorates of 13 and 16 years.
They include JiO. Needham
See Page 5B
L
MUNICIPAL JUDGES
Lorane Basham 1965-1978
Fronla Cox 1979-1989
Cindy Spcnca 1989-1993
Jack Stem 1993-1993
William C Curry 1993-1999
Michael Don Shaln 1999-1999
Lance Celander 1999-preeent
POLICE CHIEFS
L.R. Caddie 1954-1964
Shorty Blackmon 1965-1985.
James Clark 1986-1990
Mickey Browne 1990i>reseat
Cm. ADMINISTRATORS
Mike McGregor 1978-1983
Mumy Lambert 1983-1986 -
Thomas Adame 1986*1992
MAYORS
CCCoathes 1936-1
FD Stark 1937-1
Finley Moore 1940-1946
DH Starling 1946-1952
WE Denton 1952-1958
DA Richardson 1958-1966
CO Wright 1966-1976
Bob Clark 1976-1980
Mickey Ray 1980-1982
Jameil "Dink” Aryain 1982-1988
Bob Cosby 1988-1992
Wayne Mixon 1992*1998
Pete McCleskey 1998-1998
BIO Prince 1998-2004
Mike Carter 2004-present
CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS
FD Stark 1936-1938
AA Kinney 1986-1938
JW Childrm 1938-1940
Morris Stark 1938*1940
WE Cox, Jr. 1938-1940
AC Glddinge 1940-1944
Tommy PhttUpe
Tumbow 1944*1946
m
Foster 1944-1
Conte 1946-1950
Bill Cravy 1952-1953
Earl Denton 1952-1952
Marion Brown 1952-1955
HB Patterson 1953-1959
CO Wright 1954-1956
Dave Henderson 1960-1962
NC Steger 1957-1961
JB Curry 1955-1963
Loyd Johnson 1959-1961
JA Stickland 1959-1963
J. Bart Walden 1966-1976
Ed Pul lam 1969-1971
Joe Smith 1963-1965
Charley Benson 1963-, 1980-1989
James Kidd 1963-1965
Bill Webb 1966-1976
Raymond Patton 1967-1969
Karl Don Hughes, 1967-1969
Wesley Barnes 1963-1980
Tommy Jacobs 1979-1980
Jerry Cox 1979-1981
Jamiei ”Dink”Aryein 1976*1982
Jerry Hewstt 1980-1987
Fisher 1982-1986,1988-1990
Braun 1983-1987
1983-1987
Robert "Bob” Cosby 1987-1988
Carl Bennett 1987-1992 -
Weldon Jenkins 1987-1995
Roger Pool 1987-1992
Bill Prince 1989-1994, 1995-1998
Curtis Brown 1990-1992
Charlie Jones 1990-1992
Craig Wilson 1992-1994
Jerry Norman 1992-1993
Eldon Whitaker 1992-1998
Diann Anderson 1993-1995
Newell Bowen 1994-1998
Dan Yates 1994-1996 “
Pete McCleskey 1995-1997 V i
Blanche McWhorta 1995-1997,1998-
City of Seminole..,
Looking Into the Future While Keeping
An Eye on the Past!
V .. ■< ^ '' . ■ % A."; ■ _ ,
* ’ ,• V
J
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Wright, Dustin. Seminole Sentinel (Seminole, Tex.), Vol. 97, No. 4, Ed. 1 Sunday, October 23, 2005, newspaper, October 23, 2005; Seminole, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth824950/m1/16/?rotate=180: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Gaines County Library.