Antioch Cumberland Presbyterian Church

The Antioch Cumberland Presbyterian Church was organized in 1819 in a log building previously used as a camp site meeting. The present building is the third to be occupied at the same place.
The first congregation was a member of the Logan Presbytery. Subsequent Presbyteries have been Anderson, Davis and Princeton.
The earliest records are sketchy and practically illegible.
The present building was literally constructed by the congregation, and dedicated October 1,1876. The sills and joists are hand hewn. The nails are forged iron. The laths are of hand riven oak and the shingles of the original roof were split by hand at the site of construction. Plane marks are visible on the benches which are made of solid boards of leaf pine.
The cemetery, located a short distance from the Church House has about 176 marked graves and the earliest ones are marked by native sand rocks. The earliest legible birth date on a tomb stone is 1775.
Photostatic copies of the records of the Church are stored in the archives at the Seminary in Memphis, Tennessee.

Family Histories of Christian County 1797-1986
Reprinted with permission ©1986 Christian County Genealogical Society
©William Turner  ©Jim Killibrew

Bainbridge Grove
    On August 18, 1909, at the residence of H. E. Woosley, a meeting was held to organize a Baptist Church.  J. T. Cunningham of Eddy Creek Church, J. E. Richey of Princeton Church, and T. T. Peircy of Pleasant Grove Church were present to help with the organization.
    Those present at this first meeting who joined by letter from other churches were Joel Hopson, Fannie Hopson, Cora P'Pool, Ora P'Pool, Zula P'Pool, Annie James, J. A. James, E. C. Fowler, R. C. Hopson, E. H. Bryant, T. A. Owens, Bettie Owens, Amelia Woosley, Burnia P'Pool, and Mary McCargo.
    After selecting a name and adopting articles of faith and covenant from Pendleton's Manual, a building committee was appointed.
    At the church's second meeting, August 28, 1909, Rev. Owen Williams was called to be the first pastor.  Later, the church voted to pay the pastor an annual salary of $60.
    It was further agreed that, "until a building could be erected, regular church services would be held at the home of E. H. Bryant on Saturday night before the second Sunday in each month".  A building was completed and dedicated in August, 1910.
    The church's first revival meeting held in July, 1910, was a tremendous success with thirty-seven additions--bringing the total membership to fifty-nine.
    At the time of organization, Bainbridge Grove was in the Little River Baptist Association, but it joined the Christian County Baptist Association in 1924.
    In 1961, the original building was torn down and a new building erected at the same location.
    Growth has been steady; from its original 18 members to its present membership of 126 (in 1973); from services once a month to a full time church program;  from no regular mission program to monthly contributions to the Cooperative Program; and a substantial gift each year to the Baptist orphans homes.
    The present pastor, Rev. Marvin Stinson (in 1973), has been with the church for nearly one-third of the church's sixty four years.

Pastors since 1924: