Wolf Creek Church of Christ
by Floyd Chappelear
via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 16 No. 4, December 31, 1990
From the Belmont Bible Banner. Paul Caldwell, editor, November 19, 1974, we reprint the following:
"'For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called' (I Corinthians 1:26). Based on this statement I have often asked the question: How many mighty men such as Generals of the army, Admirals of the Navy or scientists do you know who are members of the Lord’s church? Certainly ’not many’ would have to be the answer. When teaching children, I usually ask, what one President of the United States was a member of the Lord’s church? Most have long forgotten that James A. Garfield was credited as a faithful member, preacher, and elder in the Lord’s church.
"Recently, I was engaged in a meeting with the Wolf Creek Church of Christ, near Malta, Ohio, where I learned, to my surprise, that this was one of the places where James A. Garfield once preached. Later the same day I learned that the home of Elder Donald Sands where I was staying was where Garfield slept while at Wolf Creek.
"According to the best information available a Sands owned and lived in the home at that time. Elder Edd Thomas related to me that it had been handed down to him by John R. Sands: During the time of Garfield’s preaching at Wolf Creek, he was teaching in a Muskingum County, Ohio school. He would ride a train from Zanesville, Ohio, to Malta (Wolf Creek), spend the night, preach on Sunday, and walk back fifteen miles across country in order to be back home for his school teaching appointment on Monday.
"From history, there are two outstanding statements attributed to Garfield which are real gems in my own estimation. While the quotes may not be direct as I remember them, I believe they are accurate enough to convey the idea and thought. At Garfield’s Presidential inauguration address, he said: ’I step down from my highly esteemed office as an elder and preacher to accept the presidency of the United States.’ On another occasion, while he was President, one Lord’s day morning, Garfield was urged to meet with an important group, and the importance of the meeting could not be overstressed. He informed them that he already had an appointment that he must keep. When asked what appointment could possibly be more important than this, Garfield replied, ’ My appointment with my Lord is far more important than with anyone on earth.’
"I would that every member of the Lord’s church might grow to attain such an attitude and place importance in its proper perspective where meeting and worshipping the Lord is concerned.
"While President James A. Garfield was killed with an assassin’s bullet, who knows, perhaps if he had remained in his office as an elder and preacher, he might well have lived out his day in productivity! Elders and preachers take note if you are planning on stepping down from the God ordained office you are now privileged to function in, perhaps you will want to reconsider!"
From childhood, I have heard of the Wolf Creek Church of Christ. It is located less than ten miles from the East Branch church of Christ, where my ancestors worshipped and where my grandmother Chappelear is buried. However, I had never worshipped with them until last year when I met with them while on a brief vacation. Since that time, I have preached a gospel meeting there. Frankly, with no intent on putting down any other group of saints anywhere in the world with which I have labored, it was the most fascinating meeting I have ever held, principally because of all the relatives that I met while there. I met cousins in their eighties that I never knew I had, as well as many other kinfolk much younger than that. Additionally, while there, I got to do a little research into family history as well as the history of the Wolf Creek church. For the balance of this article, I would like to tell you a little about the Wolf Creek Church of Christ.
The Oldest Church in America?
This congregation may well be the oldest faithful congregation in the United States, if not the world. While there, I carefully examined the tombstones of those buried there. I found one grave which seemed to bear a date of 1803. Of course, the stone may have pre-existed the church itself, or I may have misread the date. However, a board was removed while remodeling the present structure, which bears an inscription from 1827. What is not known is whether or not the date is from the first building or the rebuilding of the current structure.
Therefore, at best, the congregation dates from 1828 (perhaps earlier). Uniquely, for a congregation of its age, it is still a conservative, dedicated, active, and growing church of Christ. (Like most rural churches, it suffers terrible attrition due to people moving away when they reach maturity.) The church is made up of older faithful saints as well as new converts. Remarkable.
To confirm the report about James A. Garfield, we present a statement from The History of Morgan County, p. 321:
"The first building where the church met was a log structure and was situated across the road from the present building on the ground that is now a part of the Wolf Creek Cemetery...
"In June 1875, there was a four-week meeting held in the grove behind the building, with 1500 people in attendance. There were 100 baptisms. The preacher was John F. Rowe...
"It is reported that future President James A. Garfield preached at Wolf Creek before the Civil War. He came by train on Saturday and spent the night at the house behind the meeting house, where Donald Sands now lives. After dinner on Sunday, Garfield would walk home to Eagleport, where he taught school."
A newspaper article in The Times Recorder. Muskingum County, Ohio, confirms Garfield’s teaching close to Wolf Creek (Jan. 25, 1973): "I heard that President James Garfield taught school in Muskingum County. Is this true?... Yes. He taught one term in a log cabin school in Harrison township in 1851."
Garfield and Rowe were not the only preachers of note to labor with that church. Alexander Campbell had been asked to preach a gospel meeting there as well. From the Millennial Harbinger of October 1850, we reproduce the following:
"It is a matter much to be regretted that you could not attend the appointments made at McConnellsville and Wolf Creek. The interest excited to hear you was intense, and the preparations made worthy of a visit. The Presbyterian meeting house had been obtained in McConnellsville without difficulty. At the appointed hour, the town was thronged with people. At Wolf Creek, a large tent had been erected, calculated to cover 4,000 people; and although intimations had been circulated that your attendance was somewhat doubtful, owing to feeble health, the tent was crowded, and a large number of people were on the outskirts. I have never witnessed a people more ready to hear; and the number convened in the midst of the hills of Morgan, was a matter of much surprise as well as pleasure....Under these circumstances, I was called upon and delivered four discourses, which proved very acceptable to the brotherhood...C. D. Hurlbutt."
In 1869, Daniel Sweeney, of Sistersville, West Virginia, reported in the Millennial Harbinger:
"The first meeting I held since I left home was with the Wolf Creek church....The immediate result of the meeting was forty-two additions; one from the Baptists, one from the Presbyterians, nine from the Methodists, a few reclaimed, and the rest from the world."
In the February issue of that paper, J. V. Conn said of the work of Sweeney at Wolf Creek:
"Our brother Elder Daniel Sweeney has been laboring with the brethren at Wolf Creek, Morgan County, over two Lord’s days, with very encouraging success. I have heard indirectly that there have been some 44 additions. There seems to be an increasing interest in the Christian cause in this section of the County."
One particularly interesting report was given in The Buckeye Disciples, p. 148, a publication of the Christian Board of Publication, St. Louis, Missouri, about a well-attended meeting which preceded the invitation extended to Campbell in 1850. Read with interest:
"The Morgan County yearly meeting was held in September, 1847, at the Wolf Creek church near McConnellsville. The meetinghouse, much too small for the huge gathering, was reserved for the women. Alexander Hall reported that besides the women, there were thirty-seven infants in the place. The presence of so many babies seemed to impress him! Most of the congregation assembled in a large tent pitched near the front door of the meetinghouse, so speakers could be heard in both places."
Although the meeting house was pretty well full, we didn’t begin to approach the crowds that were seen in the mid-1800s. Interest in the gospel is not as high in Morgan County today as it was then.
Other Notes of Interest
Refreshingly, brethren in the 19th century did not regard baptism as a "church ordinance." They did not feel that one had to be baptized by a church of Christ preacher in order to be saved. Therefore, when one claimed to be a Christian and wanted to join himself to the saints, brethren did not feel the need to rebaptize such people.
The journal of the Wolf Creek church notes that practice among them. You will note in the illustration that Christina Lukens was received "from Methodists," whereas Eli A. Raney was received "by immersion." This does not say that Lukens was not baptized, but baptism was not regarded as a church ordinance.
In the same journal, the church recorded acts of discipline. In rather strong language, Rebecca Keiley was "disowned." Happily, she was later restored before her death. A member whose last name was Hess was "removed." There was no explanation, but she was removed nonetheless. Others are similarly listed as "dismissed," "disowned," or merely "removed."
Singing School
Of particular interest to me was a photograph shown to me, which was taken at the Wolf Creek singing convention in 1916. The picture had been carried in the Morgan County Herald in 1977. While looking at it, I wondered if anyone in the picture was still alive. Sure enough, one young lady, fourth from the left in the third row, Anna Davis, is still living. She is ninety-three years old. I called her and talked to her about the singing convention. Oh yes, she is my Aunt Anna Beard of Zanesville, Ohio.
The first person on that same row (third) is the father of my Grandmother Chappelear, Carl Gladden. I don’t recall ever seeing a picture of him before. Sadly, this one isn’t very good, but it does give evidence of my family's roots in Christ back in Ohio.
If you are ever in the vicinity of Malta, Ohio, let me encourage you to worship with the warm and endearing saints who worship there. You will enjoy the trip immensely. The building is located on the crest of a hill on Route 78 between Malta and Ringgold, Ohio. Oh yes, if you wait about twenty years to make the trip, be sure to stop by and visit. I have some property just down from Ringgold and plan to move there someday. Hope to see you.
