Local church to celebrate 200 years of ministry

Event Kick off Saturday, August 2 with meal

by MATT HUGHES

J-E News Editor

Two hundred years of history will be celebrated at a small country church on the outskirts of Providence over the next two weeks.

When Green Grove Missionary Baptist Church was organized in 1814, the Commonwealth of Kentucky was only 22 years old, Providence was still 26 years away from being established and Webster County itself wouldn’t be founded for another 46 years.

Church members say that as far as they have been able to determine, Green Grove is the oldest church in Webster County and quite possibly the whole region. Although I was unable to confirm that fact with 100% certainty, officials with Little Bethel Baptist Association said they could find no evidence to prove otherwise.

Through the church’s two centuries in existence it has inhabited four separate structures in three different locations, all within a few miles of the little community of Green Grove.

The original church building was a one room log structure that stood on the side of Hoket Hollow, the hillside near what is today commonly known as Wynn Cemetery. The church did not have a chimney and was lit by grease lamps. The floor was dirt and the church pews were wood planks.

Years later church members would build a second church on what was then called Jericho Road, which we now call Highway 120. On October 10, 1871, while in the second building, Green Grove Baptist Church joined with what was then called the Little Bethel Association of United Baptist. 

On November 28, 1899 Reverend C. F. Stuart donated land for the third structure that would house Green Grove Baptist Church. Church members and residents of the community sawed the trees that would be used for construction of the building, hauled them to the saw mill and then worked to build the structure. In all, only $138.00 was spent on construction of the church, and that went to purchase nails and windows.

Although the church moved to it’s current location in 1975, the fourth church building stood until only a few years ago.

The church will celebrate their bicentennial with two events. On Saturday, August 2, 2014 they will hold a meal starting at 4:00 p.m. with singing and guest speakers to follow at 5:30 p.m. Then, on Sunday, August 10, 2014 the church will hold their annual homecoming service. James Kelley will be the special guest speaker for the event.