Muhlenberg County Kentucky

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Hazel Creek Baptist Church

Hazel Creek Baptist Church turns 200

The church's early dress code included rules on the type of cloth from which garments could be made.

Belton - Nearly 200 years ago, while the nation was still young and Kentucky was in its infancy, a group of five settlers organized a church near what is now the Belton area in Muhlenberg County.

Now known as Hazel Creek Missionary Baptist Church, it is the second-oldest church in the state. Its 200-plus members celebrate the bicentennial of their shouse of worship this weekend.

Myrtle Heltsley, a lifelong member of the church, said some of her best memories have been made at Hazel Creek.

“I have a lot of memories about the church over the years,” Heltsley said. ”We've always had wonderful revivals, services and singings. I'm very proud of the church. We've been blessed in many ways.”

Heltsley said one of her fondest memories of the church and her experiences in it is Nov. 12, 1923, when she was baptized along with nine other people.

“They baptized us in Belton Pond,” she said, “and the water was just like ice. That's one of my best memories.”

Heltsley said time has brought many changes to the church that she holds near and dear to her heart.

“I think in the older days of the church, people were extreme in their ways with things like the dress code, but I remember when women only wore dresses or skirts to church.”

Saying the church's early dress code was extreme could be a bit of an understatement. The church set forth guidelines about the type of cloth from which garments could be made, what kind of attire was considered appropriate for each season, how women could wear their hair and what styles of hats were acceptable.

According to “History of Hazel Creek Baptist Church,” written by William J. Johnson in 1898, the church passed an act in March 1819 against ruffles on men's clothing and also against toy games. At its next meeting it excluded two members for “playing thimble and wearing unnecessary ornaments.”

Through the years, Hazel Creek Church has managed to keep detailed records of its history as well as some church fixtures that tell a great deal about the life and times of the church's earliest members.

A style block carved of stone in 1859 and used by ladies exiting carriages is still in place in the church yard. A communion table built in 1802 by church member David Rhodes at a cost of $5 sits in the church foyer along with two of the original pulpit chairs.

The Rev. Don Piper, who has served as pastor at Hazel Creek for two years, said the secret to the church's success is the faith of its members. “We're as spiritual a church as there is in this county,” he said.

Piper said the church members' devotion to missionary work and their willingness to bring the word of God to others has played a large role in the church's longevity.

“That's what being a Christian is all about,” Piper said. “Truly the people at our church are biblically stable and we believe that the Bible teaches missions, community concern and reaching out to people, so that's what we do.”

Piper said the backbone of the church has been there through the years, and although it has experienced its ups and downs, belief in the scripture has kept the church alive for 200 years.

“We have pride in what we do, but we don't do it braggingly,” Piper said. “After all, it's not what we have done, but what the Lord's done through us. It's God's amazing grace that has made this possible.”

Hazel Creek's Colorful History

Source: Hutchison, Slone. “Hazel Creek Baptist Church turns 200.” Messenger-Inquirer [Owensboro, KY], 21 Sept 1997, pp. 1C & 4C.

Updated July 24, 2022