The story of this church begins on a cold day in November, 1935, when we arrived in Celina late in the afternoon and registered at the hotel for the night. A Christian medical man had suggested that I locate here, and it so happened in God's providence that we formed the nucleus of a new church. The introduction we gave to the truth in this community was at first entirely passive, in that we simply kept our office closed on Sabbath. This soon aroused interest and inquiry, and gave us an opportunity to distribute our good literature and explain some of the principles for which we stand. As soon as we felt we needed help, we appealed to the conference president, and almost immediate assistance came in the form of an evangelistic effort.
On our first Sabbath in Celina we held Sabbath school with three members present—Mrs. Ewart, Jimmie, and myself. We knew there were none of our faith for many miles in every direction, and we felt rather lonesome, for we had been members of large churches most of our lives. About six months later, Junior Ewart joined the family, and the Sabbath school now had three divisions—senior, kindergarten, and cradle roll. This was our first increase in membership. To give you a picture of how we frequently spent the Sabbath in those first lonely days, I have copied a page from my diary:
"April 15, 1936. Drove out into the country and found a beautiful, quiet spot in a dry creek bed sheltered by leafy trees arching over from both sides, forming a beautiful and natural sanctuary. Here we held our Sabbath school. First, we reviewed Jimmie's lesson, and while he played about, we had our lesson."
"May 30, 1936, our Sabbath school membership increased to five when a young woman joined us to assist me in the office. She helped to make our small Sabbath school a greater success."
Early in 1937, Brother Irville T. Rush came to us in response to a petition to the president of the Kentucky-Tennessee Conference, to hold an effort here. Through the kindness of the town officials, he was given permission to hold his meetings in the courthouse auditorium. About fifty were present on the opening night, when he spoke on Daniel 2. The attendance kept up well through the series of meetings. One night a week I gave an illustrated lecture on "Christian Standards of Living" in diet and dress, stressing the evils of tobacco and alcoholic liquors.
At the close of the effort, several were very much interested, and one entire family took their stand for the Sabbath. How our hearts rejoiced when this brother, his wife, and their four children met with us the following Sabbath. Our Sabbath school membership had now doubled itself, jumping from six to twelve, with a children's division.
One day while I was making a call on Baptist Ridge, ten miles from Celina, I was told of a merchant who was keeping the seventh-day Sabbath. On the following Sabbath, Brother Rush and I called on this brother, and after visiting in his home, we were not only happily surprised, but were convinced that he was well established in the Sabbath truth, as well as in nearly all of the essential doctrines. He had discovered all this from a prayerful study of the Bible, never having contacted any Sabbathkeepers before.
Soon after this we established a branch Sabbath school not far from this brother's home, and his influence did much toward the success of the undertaking. On the first Sabbath, eight were present. On the second Sabbath twenty were in attendance, and the membership grew steadily until sixty-five were in attendance on our banner Sabbath.
Again, in response to a plea to the conference, a tent effort was held in Celina, and six adults accepted the truth. This brought our church membership up to twelve, and that of our Sabbath school to twenty-nine.
A church can thrive and enjoy a normal growth only as proper attention is given the children and youth; so plans for a church school were early considered by the newly organized church. When it was time for our school to open, with an enrollment of eight, we had no teacher. But the Lord helped us in securing one, and we have been rejoicing ever since, for nothing is more important than the spiritual guidance and instruction of our children.
As we met in September, 1940, for our first prayer meeting, there were twenty-eight in attendance. It became quite evident that our next great need was a house of worship, for our present meeting place in the homes would hardly allow for any further increase in membership, toward which we were all striving. We realized that putting up a church building would be a great undertaking, but after the lot was selected, each member did all he could to help. And with contributions from friends far and near, the building was completed and dedicated about a year after it was started. The membership is growing, and each new member, with his first love for the truth burning in his heart, takes an active part in the work.
I feel that a wonderful field of activity in soul winning stretches out before the consecrated physician in his dual ministry to body and soul. One family, now in the truth, made the statement that prayer at the bedside of one of their members during a serious illness, created a favorable attitude toward the truth. The Lord has blessed our efforts far more than we could hope for, but much more could have been accomplished for the truth had we followed more closely the footprints of the Great Physician who went about doing good.
