Leland, Mississippi Combined Parish Profiles 2020 Table of Contents I. Our Greater Community (Page 3) II. The City of Indianola (Page 5) III. The Town of Leland (Page 8) IV. St. Stephen’s History (Page 15) V. St. John’s History (Page 17) VI. St. Stephen’s Parish and St. John’s Mission (Page 18) VII. Skills and Talents Desired in a Rector (Page 25) VIII. St. Stephen’s Parish Survey 2020 (Page 26) IX. St. John’s Parish Survey 2020 (Page 36) Search Committee David Allen, Sr. Warden (St. Stephen’s) Frank Howell, Sr. Warden (St. John’s) Raymond Woo, Jr. Warden (St. Stephen’s) Woods Eastland, Search Committee Chair Rebecca Barrett Frederick Barrier Susan Lee Seldon Van Cleve Elizabeth Veazey Parish Profile 2020 Page 2 Our Greater Community Before we discuss our city of Indianola, we would porting agriculture. One thing is certain, there will like to describe one of the characteristics that makes always be talented and hard working people farming this area and thus Indianola, unique. Indianola is in this land, because a good living can be made due to almost the exact center of the east part of a geo- its productivity. logical area called The Delta which lies east of the Mississippi River. On the west side, the west part Many people as they ride down our highways encompasses parts of Louisiana, Arkansas, and Mis- don’t realize the value of the land’s productivity: souri. This is a misnomer, because they just notice pretty crops with- it is not a delta of the Mississippi out realizing their significance. River, but an inland flood plain of When Alan Greenspan was the Mississippi River and some of Chairman of the Federal Reserve, its tributaries. In Mississippi this he often stated that the greatest ‘delta’ encompasses an area about example of productivity increas- 200 miles north to south and at es in American was American its widest about sixty-five miles agriculture. Yet this has a down- wide. The Mississippi Delta con- side too. What most people see tains about six million acres and when they ride through the area is home to about 300,000 people. are some towns emptying and a few maintaining their own or The entire area appears almost prospering. That’s a result of these flat to the human eye. From its productivity increases. The econ- north to its south end [roughly omist Joseph Schumpeter coined 200 miles], the slope to the south the phrase ‘creative destruction,’ is about 1/2 foot per mile. About to describe the process by which 3.5 million acres of this area is technology driven productivity cultivated land, cultivated be- increases changed the economic cause the rich alluvial soils were landscape. This is certainly true of built up from thousands of years American and the Delta’s agri- of overflow from the Mississippi River, continuing cultural industry. Up until about 70 years ago the until levees to stop the flooding were completed population of the Delta exceeded 500,000 people. during the last decades of the 19th century. It also is That explains why some towns have practically dis- blessed to have an underground aquifer from which appeared why others have not. Fortunately, Indiano- irrigation water is available. la is one that is prevailing. Because of these good fortunes, the Delta on However, one result of the topographical similar- both sides of the Mississippi combined, is one of ity of this large area, and the fact that production the greatest areas of agricultural production in the agriculture is the driving economic engine, is that world. It is one of five large areas in the United in many ways the central delta, in which Indiano- States, and about 25 large areas in the world, that la is the geographical center, is like one dispersed the human race depends on for its food and fiber. community. About 2/3 of the Delta’s population Thus the industry of the Delta is overwhelming- lives with 25 miles or so of highway 82, the main ly agricultural production and the infrastructure east- west artery through the Delta. Indianola is the necessary to support this production. There are county seat of Sunflower County, right in the mid- roughly 50,000 jobs in farming and allied businesses dle. About 125,000 people live within 35 miles or so in the Delta, and of these only about 7,500 are on of Indianola. The largest city within this area has a the farm, and 42,500 are in the infrastructure sup- population of 31,900 people, and so you can see that Parish Profile 2020 Page 3 the population truly is dispersed. The effect is that friendships and thus social life are formed across the area. Within this radius are two state universities, a state junior college, and one of the largest agri- cultural experiment stations in the world, with 200 PhD’s and administrative staff and 400 research and support staff. It is like a third university, only one without students. Sunflower County Courthouse Grammy Museum Within this radius also are two first class muse- ums and numerous small ones. The Grammy Mu- seum is the first satellite of the Grammy Museum established outside of Los Angeles. It was built in the Delta of Mississippi because on a per capita basis more Grammy awards have been won by Mis- sissippians than any other state, and within Missis- We could go on telling the story of our home. The sippi, these recipients are disproportionately from point is that ‘our homes’ are Indianola and Leland, the Delta. In Indianola, the BB King Museum and of course, but also encompasses all that this area Delta Interpretive Center tells the story of the life offers within essentially a 35 minute drive. That is of BB King, whose hometown was Indianola, from good restaurants, good entertainment, stimulating boyhood and early career in the segregated south, cultural education, and most importantly, good, the civil rights struggles, and of course his promi- nence as one of the most talented, if not the most talented, blues guitarist and performers of all time. Lost Pizza Company Parish Profile 2020 Page 4 The City of Indianola friendly people. plcotn Warehouses, Irrigation Equipment, and Wade Inc. serve as examples of Agriculture based Welcome to the City of Indianola, a city with a industries. Major distribution centers such as Dollar population of approximately 9,250 people, located General and Supervalue Lewis Grocery division are at the crossroads of the Mississippi Delta. Indiano- located in the city due to the great location and ac- la was incorporated in 1886 and now serves as the cess to major highways. Indianola is located halfway County Seat of Sunflower County. In Indianola, you between Memphis and Jackson making it an easy will find friendly people that have been willing to day drive to many places in Tennessee, Alabama, help the area and their fellow citizens for years. Arkansas, and Louisiana. In addition to the friendly hospitality, you will also Some of the most respected businesses in the find historic Delta Blues sites such as Club Ebony state are located in Indianola. Gresham Petroleum, and Blues trail markers for BB and Albert King on founded in 1920, is an Indianola business that historic Church Street and the new state-of-the-art has flourished over the years. Today Gresham is a BB King museum. significant supplier of propane, gas, and diesel fuels Indianola has several elements that make it a to residential and commercial customers throughout special place to be. The blues, history, food, and, the Mississippi Delta and southeast Arkansas. most importantly, the people of the community who Double Quick, Inc. is have worked together for many years, make this an a very successful conve- attractive place to live. nience store brand with Downtown Indiano- headquarters in Indianola, la is home to charming MS. Double Quick was shops, art galleries, and founded in 1983 with restaurants. In the early the opening of its first 1900s, Front Street was Mississippi stores in Greenville, Indianola, and Ru- home to the pharma- leville. In 1984 Double Quick acquired sixteen for- cy of the first African mer “Mr. Quick” stores. It overnight became a factor American pharmacist in in the Mississippi Delta convenience store market. Mississippi. Hollywood Over a period of the last thirty (30) years, Double invaded Indianola in 1995 Quick has continued to grow and today operates to film scenes of “The 60 stores, 39 restaurants, and deli operations. It has Chamber,” a movie based grown to over 1,000 employees. Refuel, a South on John Grisham’s novel Carolina based Company, recently acquired Double of the same name. The opening scene features the Quick. With this acquisition, Refuel operates over Planters Bank clock tower, which was built in 1905, 100 stores in South Carolina, Arkansas, and Missis- while the Sunflower County Courthouse is featured sippi. Refuel plans to keep prominently in the movie. the name Double Quick and continue business Agriculture and its supporting infrastructure con- operations in the area. tinue to be the leading industry in Indianola. Crops such as cotton, corn, rice, and soybeans continue to Planters Bank head- thrive in the fertile delta soils common throughout quarters are located in this region. Catfish farming and processing also Indianola and known serve to boost the area economy. Delta Western, throughout the region as one of the most well-re- Farmers Grain Terminal, Consolidated Fish, Sta- spected sub-regional banks in the South. Planters Bank was established in 1920 and has experienced Parish Profile 2020 Page 5 a significant growth spurt over the last 25 years.