Religion in the Con. 8 Community with Emphasis on the Community Friends Church
Source material for most of the community churches and Sunday schools is very sparse. There is a brief mention of those activities in the opening panel of this picture story. I do have some more material which will eventually be linked from that brief opening. But the Community Friends Church was the one with the best documented history. This was due to the efforts of Val and Carolyn Bridenstine and helpers who put together a “Scrapbook” at the time the church disbanded in 1980. I have used bits of that to piece together a story based on a few of the many pictures in that work. It may seem that the story I tell focuses too much on the physical developments whereas the true importance was in the spiritual realm; but surely that is true in all parts of my story of the community. But I feel those physical matters reflect to some extent the underlying spiritual story. For the churches this was in many ways a continuation of the Con. 8 Community Tradition that developed in the first half of the last century. In any case, this is a major resource for recalling and understanding community life after the school disbanded in 1957.
Churches Services Before 1950
In the early days, there were no churches built in the Con. 8 community. At almost any time, there were services held at the various schools in the community. A few general descriptions of those exist, and there are two pictures which perhaps give some impression of the Sunday Schools that operated in the very early schools: Shiloh Evergreen Union Sunday School and an apparent Sunday School at Con. 8 in the twenties (see below).
In the thirties, the Twin Mountain Baptist Church, 1 mile east and three miles south of Con. 8 school was attended by many of the families especially in the south part of the community, and the Mullins Church of Christ operated from about 1909 into the late forties serving also a few families of the Con. 8 Community. Churches across the river at Warren became more accessible after the better bridge was built in the late thirties. For others regular church affiliations were in surrounding communities; but the services, especially Sunday School held at the Con. 8 school at different times were well attended. These were hard to maintain on a continuing basis, as the organization was very informal and there was no pastor.
We have this picture, which is of the Shiloh Evergreen Union Sunday School. The picture is dated Oct 7, 1928.
The person seated front center is identified as the Superintendent D. O. Dean. The backdrop is Shiloh Mountain and the group is located just to the west of the Shiloh School, which was still operating as a wing school of Mullins Unified District #10.
This is another picture, which we can tell was taken on the west side of the old Con. 8 building (1912-1928). From incidental information on the source of the picture, the period is the early 1920’s. At first this was thought to be a regular school picture, but it fits better as a picture of a Sunday School which used the building as a meeting place, something we know to be commonly the case. The gentleman standing at the far left bears some resemblance to D. O. Dean.
The Beginning of the Con. 8 Community Friends Church
Val Bridenstine became the pastor of The Cold Springs Friends Church in 1943. Some in the community had associations with that church for many years and in the forties quite a number of Con. 8 families attended and joined that Church. There was so much interest that in 1949, Val Bridenstine and his wife Carolyn, began conducting services periodically at the Con. 8 school building in addition to the Cold Springs Services. Over the next year more interest developed, and a group of Con. 8 residents, organized the support necessary to provide a full time pastor for a community Church .
Val became the full time pastor for Con. 8 in September 1950. Services, Sunday school and Bible School activities were held in the Con. 8 school building, and Val, Carolyn, and sons, Stanley and Lester moved from the Cold Springs Parsonage to a house on the Peter Lanig farm at the site of the old “Frog Pond” school.
The pictures below serve to sketch out in part, the progress in the building of the physical structures that would house the church for another twenty five years. But those were the just the outward signs of a spiritual building that was the more permanent result. While all this was underway, the main activity of the church was conducted in the Con. 8 School Building.
The growth of interest during the first year lead to the beginning a plan for a “permanent work” – a church building. Val had a dream and a plan. The only fixed feature of the plan was, “It can be done! And pay as you build or build as you pay “.
The commitment was made and, a building committee was established. Aaron Jackson donated a plot of land across the road north of the Con. 8 school.
The survey committee saw to the layout of the plat. County Engineer , O. P. Wilson, and the survey committee, Coy Nichols, Dick Culvahouse, and Aaron Jackson–Spring 1952.
Funds for the initial stages of construction were pledged and more fund raising activities got underway.The building committee and other interested persons visited rural churches all over southwest Oklahoma, before they decided upon plans for the church.
Groundbreaking Ceremony, Friday, July 6, 1952
The way was cleared for the groundbreaking ceremony about noon on Friday, July 6, 1952. In the picture below taken looking to the west, most everybody is equipped to break that ground.
The people, as far as they have been identified, are:
(1) Unknown, (2) Janel Culvahouse, (3) Unknown, (4) Winefred Bock, (5) Mary Bock, (6) Walter Ankney, (7) Jewel Ankney, (8) Edgar Ankney, (9) Unknown, (10) Gerald Bock, (11) Unknown, (12) Marlene McClure, (13) Mae Ann Bolding ?, (14) Unknown, (15) Mrs. Roy Bolding, (16) Lillie Guy ?, (17) Mrs. Miers ?, (18) Blanche McClure, (19) Unknown, (20) Carolyn Bridenstine, (21) Unknown, (22) Unknown, (23) V. H. “Dick” Culvahouse, (24) Sybil Culvahouse, (25) Clara McClure, (26) Billy Jack Brock ?, (27) Unknown, (28) M. E. “Chuck” Miers, (29) Unknown, (30) Ruth L. Jackson ?, (31) Unknown, (32) Aaron Jackson ?, (33) Val Bridenstine, (34) Troy Guy, (35) Randy ?Jackson, (36) Unknown, (37) Stanley Bridenstine, (38) Unknown, (39) Unknown, (40) Lester Bridenstine ?, (41) Unknown, (42) (?) Jackson, (43) Joey Courtney ?, (44) Danny McClure.
The Builders Come Forward
With funds that were donated, brought in by sales and auctions held by the women of the Church, and with much donated labor the church building got underway immediately.
1952: The Building Goes Up
(1) Stanley, (2) Val, and (3) Lester Bridenstine. The left-handed sawer at right is (4) Henry Estoll. Henry was employed as lead carpenter to direct the work.
Val and others in the community were skilled carpenters. They, as well and others, contributed their varied skills, talents and energy.
Within a few months, the building was brought to a condition of near weather worthy. This was taken Oct. 12, 1952.
About the end of 1952, Joe Denham ran the road grader over the church grounds to prepare the way for landscaping and eventually concrete walks.
A More Urgent Need in 1953
It was to be nearly three years yet before the interior of the building would be finished so that the first services could be held. In the meantime there was a more urgent need.
As later pictures show, the school building provided satisfactory facilities for church services and outstanding ones for both the Sunday School classes and the Summer Bible Schools, but there was an urgent need for a parsonage on the church site.
Early in 1953, an old farm home was purchased and moved to the site. In this February 1953 picture, the old Bob Smith farmhouse located 2 miles south of the Church is up on blocks and ready to move. The front porch has been removed.
The house was moved onto a new foundation already poured and set about 100 feet east of the church building. Work began immediately on restoration. Here you can see the progress a few weeks later. Note that in the process the house is being enlarged by building rooms under the old porch overhang of the roof. The result was a very nice and quite large modern rural home.
So we come to a snowy Dec of 1954 or January of 1955 when the parsonage looks very snug and comfortable as viewed looking north from the east-west road in front of the church grounds.
To the right of the parsonage, and a few days later, the church building is now within a few months of being finished. The cement walkway from the parsonage to the church is shoveled clear.
By 1957 the Church Facilities Were Fully Functional
In this March 1959 photograph, the Church stands in silent witness to the final stages in the demolition of the old school.
The Church and the old school lunch room, which was kept as a community building, now became the focus and cohesive force for the Community.
The Bridenstines and the Community had built well, and the Bridenstines felt free to answer a call to meet another challenge. In 1960, the Bridenstines took up their work at a Friends Church in Topeka, Kansas.
Time For Church Summer 1970
In the nearly twenty years that Val and Carolyn had spent at Cold Springs and Con. 8, they had great influence for betterment of the spiritual lives of at least three generations.
On the firm foundations established, the Church continued to enjoy success as a sturdy member of the Kansas Quarterly Meeting of Friends. In the following years, the ministry changed periodically, but the strengths in the neighborhood and dedication of the ministers maintained a steady course, continuing to define a social as well as spiritual life and an identity for the community.
The ministry of the church was conducted by the following parsons over the years:
Val Bridenstine Sept.1950 — Aug. 1960
Ercil Craven Sept. 1960 — Aug. 1962
David Cox Sept. 1962 — Aug. 1964
Sylvan Mardock Sept. 1964 — Aug. 1966
Clifford Arndt Sept. 1966 — May 1967
Gerald Holden Aug. 1967 — June 1970
Loyd Fitzsimmons July 1970 — Mar. 1972 (Rev. Fitzsimmons suffered a heart attack on Friday and died the following Sunday, April 2, 1972)
Charles Cox Jr. June 1972 — June 1973
Joe Watkins April 1974 — June 1978
Val Bridenstine June 1978 — April 1981
Continuously, from 1960 to 1980, the number of people in the community declined. In 1978, Val and Carolyn who had retired a few years before agreed to come again as pastor and work with the people to see if the church could continue.
Val and Carolyn at the Church about Spring 1979 or 1980.
The hope that someway could be found to maintain the church was pursued with dedication, imagination and skill, but nothing could be done about the external factors that promised yet further depopulation of the area.
A Spiritual Foundation Laid. A Job Well Done.
By late 1980, the congregation had shrunk to 16 members some of whom were no longer living in the community and others could see that there would need for them to move to a less isolated area. With much sadness, the congregation voted to discontinue the Church. The last service was held March 22, 1981.
This story from the Hobart Democrat Chief at the time perhaps best describes the feelings, but also the thankfulness of the congregation as they moved on firm in the knowledge that they had done well.
