THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL THE COLLECTION OF NORTH CAROLINIANA PRESENTED BY NCC Gift Fund C285.09 M464f UNIVERSITY OF N.C. AT CHAPEL HILL 00043135776 FOR USE ONLY IN THE NORTH CAROLINA COLLECTION mteb irrre ms m%$ 3 S^S^^ii \\yY-K ^f-l[-J v5-'-?'>Sf ? HISTORY OF THE FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH Maxton, North Caroliua "KNOW YE THAT THE LORD HE IS GOD: IT IS HE THAT HATH MADE US, AND NOT WE OURSELVES; WE ARE HIS PEOPLE, AND THE SHEEP OF HIS PASTURE. ENTER INTO HIS GATES WITH THANKSGIVING, AND INTO HIS COURTS ." WITH PRAISE . —Psalm 100 Page l HFP*' 2&m* -**- *• IS7S PREPARED FOR THE EIGHTIETH ANNIVERSARY MOMECOMING CELEBRATION OCTOBER 19, 1958 Page 2 "ENTER INTO HIS GATES" History of the First Presbyterian Church Maxton, North Carolina 1958 By EDWARD M. LaMOTTE and the HOMECOMING HISTORICAL COMMITTEE: R. Fairley Morris, Chairman John B. McCallum G. P. Henderson Mrs. McBryde Austin Mrs. Lacy Williams Page 3 FOREWORD... ." "Enter into His Gates with Thanksgiving . The miracle of God's Church is ever witnessing to us. Through years of persecution and apathy His Church has stood. Earth's mightiest forces, her Kings and Empires, have faded. For almost two thousand years the Church of Jesus Christ has stood, spreading the seeds of eternity from the quiet Judean hillside to the teeming twentieth-century metropolis. "0 where are kings and empires now Of old that went and came? But, Lord, Thy Church is praying yet, A thousand years the same." As voices sing of the glory and triumph of the Universal Church, our faith is strengthened. God is at work in history. His Spirit is at work in the great city cathedral, in the far-flung missionary frontier, and in the small village church. Jesus said, "I am with you always, even until the end of the world." He is working through the hands and feet, the minds and voices of His people—and this is the miracle of God's Church: He is closer than hands and feet, He is in our hearts. This history will tell a human story: the dreams and faith of men and women, the warmth of friendships. It may recall to mind the sweet anthem of a choir, the joy of a wedding, the hope and sadness at a graveside, the thrilling influences of belonging to the eternal fellowship of God. It will tell a victorious story, for the Church is Christ—seeking, challenging, comforting His people through the years. The history of the First Presbyterian Church of Maxton becomes a part of the greatest story ever told, because it reveals the Power and Love of God, working through human clay. He is the Saviour of the past, the present, and the future. The Eternal King is leading on. Let us pause, then, to draw from the refreshing waters of the past. Let us see that this ground with which we have become so familiar is HOLY ground. "Be thankful unto Him, and bless His Name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting; And His truth endureth to all generations." EDWARD LaMOTTE August, 1958 Page 1 GREETINGS... THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN THE UNITED STATES Phillip F. Howerton — Moderator 1958-1959 P. 0. Box 839 Charlotte 1, N. C. September 5, 1958 The First Presbyterian Church Maxton North Carolina My dear fellow-Presbyterians: What an honor it is to be asked to express a word of greeting to your great church on the occasion of your eightieth anniversary! In this word of greeting I speak for the entire Presbyterian Church in the United States. It has been my privilege to know something of your church for many years, as three of your former pastors are close friends of mine, James Appleby, John McKinnon, and our present beloved pastor here, Lee Stoffel. Also, I have known of your former distinguished pastor, Dr. Halbert G. Hill, a former Moderator of the General Assembly and a friend of my father. For some years, it has been my pleasure to have business connections in Laurinburg, Maxton, Fayetteville, and Lumberton, and my judgment is that the Presbyterians of your area are indeed the "Select of the Elect." May I wish for your church many years of service in advancing the Kingdom of our Saviour on earth. The example you have set for the brethren throughout the Southern Church is indeed inspiring and one that many other churches could well emulate. You have honored our Master in carrying on the great Scottish tradition of which you are the beneficiaries. May God's richest blessings be upon each member during this happy and momentous occasion. Fraternally yours, PHILIP F. HOWERTON, Moderator 98th General Assembly Presbyterian Church in the U. S. Page 5 UNION THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY Richmond 27, Virginia Office of the President September 8, 1958 To the Members The First Presbyterian Church Maxton, North Carolina My dear Friends: It is always a significant time when a Church is aware of the excellence of its history. Certainly, by this occasion which celebrates the eightieth anniversary of the First Presbyterian Church of Maxton you will appreci- ate again that "goodness and mercy" have followed the Church during all these years. Everyone who is concerned for the effectiveness of the Church's witness to the grace of God and the privilege of Christian discipleship is grateful for the splendid record of the Maxton Church. Occupying a place of distinction in a community associated with Presbyterianism over many years, the work of that Church has reached out through its sons and daughters who have given themselves to service in this country and overseas, and through your prayers, and the loyalty of the members of the Church who have supported our denomination in its efforts to obey the Command of Christ. Union Theological Seminary is grateful for the comradeship which it has had with the First Presbyterian Church of Maxton, and extends most cordial and prayerful good wishes upon the occasion of this anniversary. May the splendor of the Church increase and enable the Church to progress and accomplish a ministry that is even more excellent in the years that lie ahead. Sincerely, JAS. A. JONES, President Page 6 THE HIGHLANDERS... "The Hielanders! Oh! dinna ye hear The slogan far awa? . .Oh! I ken it weel; It's the grandest o' them a'! 'God bless the bonny Hielanders! We're saved! we're saved!' she cried And fell on her knees; and thanks to God Flowed forth like a full flood-tide. It was the pipes of the Highlanders! And now they played Auld Lang Syne. It came to our men like the voice of God, And they shouted along the line." —Robert Lowell In 1560 John Knox brought Presbyterianism to Scotland. After five years studying with John Calvin in Geneva, this religious reformer returned to his beloved homeland, preaching the sweeping doctrines of Calvinism. Seldom has a man so imprinted himself upon a nation as did Knox upon the people of Scotland. Deeply sincere, yet harsh anl dogmatic, he carried the Sword of Truth through the Moors and Glens and "neither flattered nor feared any flesh." Long after his death, Presbyterianism continued to be the creed of the "established kirk" and the mold of Scotch character. The reforming light that Knox raised in Scotland shines today wherever the Gospel is perached; it glimmers in the cathedrals of Edinburgh or the First Presbyterian Church of Maxton, through the hearts of the sons and daughters of Knox, wherever they have the Faith of their Fathers. One hundred and eighty-five years after John Knox introduced Presbyterianism to Scotland, a large migration began from the "heather and Lochs" to the flatlands of the Carolinas. During the intervening years, several significant actions had taken place which caused this migration. In 1685 James II, of the Scotland Stuarts, had become King of England and Scotland. James adopted the viewpoint that a King could make and unmake the law by his own will. By his actions, James, a Roman Catholic, threatened the monopoly of the established Church of England. In 1688 a son was born to James II and baptized into the Catholic faith. The possibility of an indefinite line of Catholic rulers in England caused the country's leaders to unite in opposition against their stern and forbidding King. James II was forced to flee to France, where he died in 1701. William and Mary, sympathetic with English liberties, came to the throne, and the "Glorious Revolution" of 1688, with its limited monarchy, Parlimentary supremacy, Constitu- tionalism, and toleration of dissenting Protestants, was accomplished. Yet, after 1688, sections of England and Scotland chafed under the new regime. A minority of the wealthy soon began to control the Parliament of England. The Scots particularly were critical of the mounting national debt and were dissatisfied with the oppressing rule by the great noblemen and big businessmen. Casting about for some solution, many Scots centered their hopes in a restoration of the exiled Stuart Kings. The son of James II, who had been born in 1688, was now living in France. Hailing him as "James III", his followers felt he could become the King if he would only give up his Catholic religion. In 1715, James the Pretender decided to take matters into his own hands. Returning from France, he invaded England, gathering Page 7 help from the Highlanders. However, when it came to a showdown, the memories of Stuart oppression before 1688 seemed worse than the strong rule of Parliament. The rebellion of 1715 failed because of this lack of solid support.