Star Hope Baptist Church History

1867 – 2020

The organization of this body was Saturday on May 18, 1867, in the Reid’s School House with 9 constituting members: Marcellus Sobeski Whiteside, and second wife Mary Ann (Johns), David P. and Virginia Gilliland, Lucy and John McClellen, Elizabeth Hopkins, Nancy Bell and John William Morten Palmer. William Luck preached the sermon after which the church adopted a covenant, rules of order and articles of faith. In June the church called one of its members, M. S. Whiteside, to serve as quarter-time pastor (preaching the first Sunday of each month). Gilliland was elected deacon and clerk. They affiliated with the Salt River Association in 1867 and then left to join Cuivre Association in 1893 (currently Twin Rivers Assoc.) and have remained there since. In June 1870 a Sunday School program was organized. The pastor’s (annual) salary was established at $125, preaching once a month. They went to half-time preaching in 1941 and to full-time in 1950. Since its organization Star Hope has had 41 pastors. The present pastor is Dr. Roger Briggs.

Francis Worthington gave the land for the church in January 1868. Soon after, a building committee was appointed, and a 30 x 50ft house of worship was completed that spring. In October 1868 the building was dedicated; J.F. Smith preached the dedication sermon. The original building was 30 x 50ft and cost $1,500.00. In 1900 it was remodeled. However, a year later it was destroyed by fire. A new 30 x 50ft building was built on the same site and was dedicated August 27, 1901. (That building cost $1,391.22). In 1947 a basement was placed under it. The back section was added in 1954 for 6 additional classrooms. The front was added in 1959 for 4 additional rooms. The kitchen and restrooms were added on the north basement in 1967. The church built a Parsonage in 1973. Additional Sunday School rooms were added over the kitchen area in 1983.

The present Sunday School was organized in 1927, with Lyman Burger as director. Prior to this as far back as 1860 they tried having Sunday School, but leadership was difficult to find and often they had it only four to eight months a year if at all. The first Vacation Bible School was held in 1949.

The first WMU work was organized in 1903. Currently mission groups at Star Hope include Girls in Action and Royal Ambassadors. The Brotherhood organization was started in 1955 with Laverne Watts as president.

The church had no music instruments until they purchased an organ sometime after 1867. Then in 1923 it was replaced with a piano. In 1956 a piano and electric organ were purchased. The first choir director was elected in 1954.

The church has always responded to the mission causes locally and around the world. It has given to the association, state, home, and foreign mission causes. The first record of giving to the Cooperative Program was noted in 1931 with $40.00 going to that cause. In 2016, they gave 20% to the Cooperative Program and 5% to Twin Rivers Baptist Association. An additional $19,224 was given to help directly support 2 missionaries in the field as well as Annie Armstrong, and Lottie Moon missions offerings.

The first person the church baptized was Mrs. McClellen in 1868.  Since then Star Hope has baptized around 1,200 people in their 150 years of existence.

They have ordained to the ministry Richard Dismuke in 1947, Roy Mayfield in 1951, and Dennis Woodman in 1981.

Information as collected and recorded by Martha Ellen Wayman, 1983.
Information cited from “The History of Salt River Association, Missouri”, 1909, pg 237-238.
Information cited from “A Century of Faith” by Douglas McLaughlin. Pg 130-132.