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The
remaining members climb the 14 steps to the front door of Isola
United Methodist Church for the last service. As they participate in
the Order for the Leave-Taking of a Church Building, a flood gate of
emotion bursts open.
The
church has been a part of Isola since 1902 when the first Methodist
congregation was organized. At the turn of the century, Mr. and Mrs.
F.H. Hutson donated the land for the church. At the time, the town
was known as Lake Dawson and was part of Washington County. Soon
after a plain, white frame building was built. Eventually, in 1919
the town became known as Isola and was part of the newly formed
Humphreys County. The congregation had bigger plans for their church
and in 1926 under the direction of B.A. Wright, J.Q. Smith, J.E.
Herron and R.H. Hooker, the current building was constructed. This
was quite a feat for the day as the people of Isola were of modest
means and the congregation was small but faithful.
This
leap of faith resulted in the beautiful structure that sits today at
the corner of Edna and Baird Streets. The two-story building
consists of a basement which houses the kitchen, nursery, restrooms
and the fellowship hall. The second story not only holds
two classrooms but the large sanctuary. This sanctuary has always
been the heart of the church with its colorful, towering
stained-glass windows that were added in the early 1960’s.
The building overlooks the town and has presided over many milestones
within the congregation.
The
year after the completion of the building, the Mississippi River
overran the levees and the entire delta flooded. The muddy waters
engulfed the town of Isola. The basement of the church filled with
water but the sanctuary, perched high above the crest of the flood,
stayed dry. Months later when the flood waters
receded, the congregation resumed services.
In the
early years in an ecumenical move, the towns people rotated from
church to church to worship together despite their doctrinal
differences. The first and third Sundays they worshiped with the
Methodists; the second and fourth Sundays were reserved for the
Baptist Church; and one Sunday a month they worshiped at the
Presbyterian Church. Bobby Ann Castle once commented, “When
people ask me if I’m Methodist, I tell
them I’m Methodist, Baptist, and
Presbyterian!” Eventually that practice
ended and each congregation met at their own church.
The
membership of the church never grew very large but as the Bible
states “where two or three are gathered together in My name, there
am I with them.” The church was vital to
Isola and extremely active for its size. Because of it’s small
size, everyone had to play a role in the church.
The
men of the church were community leaders not just in Isola, but the
county as well. They included farmers, merchants, bankers and
lawyers to name a few. As far back as I can recall, Billy Garrard
led the adults of the church in Sunday school until he succumbed to a
brain tumor. At that point, his brother and my father, John Garrard
took over the adult teaching duties.
The
church was also blessed with wonderful female leaders and teachers.
When we were children, Virginia Tirey kept us in the nursery in the
basement. There was a large sand-box style table in the room that
held all the hand-me-down toys with which we played. In addition to
our lessons, Ms. Tirey read wonderful books to us that exhibited
unconditional Christ-like love including The
Velveteen Rabbit and The
Giving Tree. Whenever I see
these books today, I am immediately taken back to those halcyon days
in the nursery.
Pauline
McMath taught the elementary school children. She was a faithful
teacher and provided a lesson every Sunday even if only one student
was in class. In our later years, we were lead in Sunday school by
Kathryn Garrard and Mary Ann Sory. They provided us with wonderful
Christian insights. Kathryn, a life-long school teacher, tried her
best to get us to memorize the books of the Bible but I’m not
certain she succeeded with any of us. Mary Ann was always
approachable as a teacher which was important during those awkward
teenage years.
Along
with weekly Sunday school for our small youth population, Methodist
Youth Fellowship was held every Wednesday during the school year and
was open to all youth, whether members of the Methodist Church or
not. We hopped
off the school bus at the McMath house for snacks and playtime before
participating in an informal Bible study meticulously prepared each
week by Pauline McMath.
Other
contributions by the ladies of the congregation included the
Missionary Society. This group met monthly
and presented programs on Methodist missionaries in the field and
oftentimes raised money to support them.
The ladies of the church also cooked and
served lunch to the all male membership of the Isola Lions Club which
held its monthly meetings in the basement fellowship hall.
The
building was always teeming with activity. There were weddings and
funerals held there not to mention piano recitals, Easter egg hunts,
Christmas pageants, town meetings, class reunions and innumerable
pot-luck dinners. At one such dinner, the
pastor at the time enjoyed the rum balls so much that he had to be
sobered up before he could drive back to the parsonage!
Being
a small congregation lent itself to many other funny and unusual
moments within the church. Former member Jennie McMath Jackson
laughs as she recalls the uncomfortable silence that fell over their
Sunday school class when they asked their teacher, Willie Belle
Castle, what adultery was. Another former
member recollects B.A. Wright, Chairman of the Deacons, contacting
members if they fell behind paying into the church treasury. Mr.
Wright even went so far as to show up at the members’ homes
to collect, but it was noted he always brought vegetables as a gift.
Janice
Bearden’s fondest memories revolve around Tim Beard, the pastor of
the church from 1992 to 2002. “Mine and Spooky’s marriage was
performed by Tim Beard and was the last marriage at the church,”
explains Janice. She also laughs about the time Pastor Tim went on a
diet. She and Spooky had arrived early for church one Sunday.
Carolyn Garrard and Walker Sory were practicing on the piano and
organ while Pastor Tim was getting ready for communion. He bent over
to pick something up and his pants fell off. Everyone, including
Pastor Tim, had a big chuckle over the incident.
Longtime
member Carolyn Garrard’s favorite memories revolve around the
numerous times members’ dogs sneaked
through the doors of the sanctuary to sit with their owners. No one
so much as batted an eye at the pooches perched under the pews.
Carolyn is convinced that Dwen Stevens’s dog was very religious
since he was so well-behaved. Spooky and Janice Bearden’s dog
could have been a member of the choir with his tail keeping perfect
rhythm to the hymns.
The
most prolific memory relates to the music in the church, especially
Margaret Hutson’s piano playing. As
Virginia Tirey recalls, Margaret loved to “put in the extra notes!”
Sometimes it felt more like a honky-tonk than church. Her
boogey-woogie style of playing, all by ear, definitely livened up
Sunday services. The congregation was also immensely blessed to have
Esther Sory as its organist and pianist. She was an accomplished
musician who taught most of the town’s
children how to play piano. Ms. Sory also led the church choir which
made a joyful, if somewhat off-key, noise to the Lord every Sunday.
I can still picture Gladys Pittman being front and center as the
choir belted out Surely
Goodness and Mercy.
Time
has taken a toll on both the members and the building. Several of
the members are unable to make their way up the steps to attend
services. The old, majestic building is expensive and difficult to
maintain.
“To every
thing there is a season . . .a time to keep and a time to cast away”
and in November the congregation made the agonizing decision to close
the church. But in a progressive move, they decided to give the
building to the Pilgrim’s Rest Baptist Church congregation as long
as it is utilized as a place of worship.
The
congregation works their way through the Litany of Thanksgiving and
Declaration of Deconsecration. As a final act, the Order of
Disbanding the Congregation is issued. The alter items - the brass
cross, candlesticks and offering plates are removed. The tears flow
freely as the recessional hymn is sung:
When
darkness appears and the night draws near
And the day is past and gone
At the river I stand
Guide my feet, hold my hand
Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home.
