Matt Curl

Today is Cantata Sunday. For some of you, this is your first time attending worship at Paw Creek Presbyterian. To catch you up a little bit, 2009 marks the 200th anniversary of this congregation and we’ve been celebrating that rich history with “Memory Moments”.

I was introduced to Paw Creek Presbyterian three years ago when our music director, Sherry Blevins, called me and asked if I would play percussion. I prepared like I would for any other job, but I was not prepared for the overwhelming spiritual experience I would have in this sanctuary. I couldn’t stop thinking about how kind and welcoming everyone was to me. I received another call to return and play for the Easter Cantata. After that, I wanted to come here every Sunday.

Most of you have heard jokes about the hypocritical church-goer who loudly belts out “Onward Christian Soldier” only to go AWOL by Monday morning. Well, not so at Paw Creek.

Pastor Gary’s amazing sermons come alive in the daily work of the people here. As the Apostle Paul explained in 1 Corinthians, Chapter 12, Verses 4-7: “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” You can drive by Paw Creek Presbyterian and see Paul’s words in action on any day of the week: a child spending his evening with the homeless, a new skill taught by a patient Scout Master, a variety of Bible studies, a trip to fix-up someone’s house. . . the list literally goes on and on. There are so many things that get taken care of behind-the-scenes by people who purposefully avoid any recognition. Light bulbs are replaced, recordings are delivered to shut-ins, websites are maintained, power-point, et cetera.

To the members of Paw Creek: I will never be able to thank you enough. By living your faith, you have all been my mentors. To those visiting: This is a family bound by the blood of Christ Jesus. If you are still searching for a home, search no more. You will find the grace and peace of God Our Father in this sanctuary. I know I did.

Cody Joy

My name is Cody Joy and I have been in this church my whole life. I am one of the millions of Joys in this church. I would mention them all by name but no one would get to Sports Page until supper time. I just turned 18 so I don’t have as many years of memories as some of you have had. However, I do have a lot of good ones.

I remember many wonderful Sunday School Classes and teachers from early on and the teachers that made those classes so special. Ladies like Shelby Alexander and Libby Stogner have been definite influences on my life. There are many other teachers that are influential but there are too many to mention in a “memory moment.” I have many years of memories helping with the fish fry. Learning from the best group of fish fryers there are – Danny McClure, Eddie Chapman, David Turner, Eddie Todd, Philip McCord, Tim Sudderth, Todd and Ted Joy and my dad, Kevin. Although I say I learned everything about frying fish from this group, I actually taught them everything they know. I have also been influenced by many great people like Jim Stogner, Sarah Kendrick and Nan & Paw Kenley to name a few. Then there are others like Roger McNeill and, well, what else can you say…

My favorite memory, however, is centered around a very special man. Many of you were fortunate enough to know my grandpa, Ronnie Joy. Although I was only given 5 years with him, they were 5 great years. I knew he loved me and he made me a part of his everyday life. And church was no exception. You see he was responsible for ringing the church bell before and after Sunday School. As far back as I can remember until he passed away, he took me with him to ring the first bell. There’s nothing like holding the hand of your grandpa and ringing what seemed like the largest bell in the world, to make a 3 or 4 year old feel special.

I know there will be many more memories in my future here at Paw Creek, some will be happy and some will be sad. Either way I look forward to sharing all those times with my church family.

Eddie Crowe

I am sure that no one would ever suspect that my memory moment is to talk about Mission Trips, but believe or not it is. Mission trips were not always a part of my thing, so to speak. I heard about people going to remote parts of the world and doing Missions work but I have never been one to venture far from home. But in 1994 two years after Hurricane Andrew struck south Florida, and only after a group from the church came back from Homestead Florida and talked about the experience they had, I decided to give it a try.

Dottie, Kathy Boardman and I partnered with a small band of retirees and the DCE from Bethel Presbyterian and went to Homestead for a week.

During that week we worked on a house that had been basically gutted by Hurricane Andrew. Kathy and I spent the entire week working on the roof, while Dottie learned the art of operating a Hammer Drill. Later we were able to have Dottie join us on the roof, but before we covered the roof with roofing paper we wrote a prayer for the family, “May those who dwell beneath this roof be blessed by Jesus Christ.” That has always stuck with me, because I wonder has that family continued to realize the blessings of Jesus Christ.

This little tab is also a grim reminder of the hurricane; the code changed and we had to place one of these under every roofing nail 6 inches apart on the outside edges of every roll of paper and 12 inches apart on all inside sections.

Later in the week we went to the Haitian Children’s Center to read and play games. Everywhere we went we saw devastation to property and lives.

This started a burn inside of me, but it really didn’t get going again until 2004.

On a very cold Friday night and Saturday in Oct 2004 a group from the church went to Richwood, WV for the first time. Within the first two hours of arrival Dottie stepped off of the curb, fell, and we went to the Richwood ER. We had excellent service though, because there was NOBODY else there. The administrator actually came from the front of the hospital to the ER to do the paperwork because she didn’t have anything else to do.

On Saturday we were broken into teams by our new found friend, Harry Drake. The temperature didn’t get over 35 degrees all day, it rained, sleeted, and snowed but in that day we managed to haul wood, replace a hot water heater, fix floors, roof a generator building, paint a manse porch, install railings and handrails in the shelter, and do some other plumbing work.

That night a short conversation about what the needs in area were prompted what I believe to have really been a miracle moment. We talked about the music and arts programs having no money to continue, so any donations of instruments would help to continue those programs.

We came back and started inquiries about how to meet the need. We were able to get a list of what instruments were needed, and with that information, this church overwhelmingly delivered. This article and thank you card from the community, and children affected is overwhelming evidence of what your generosity means to people through missions work.  The instruments went to Troy Elementary School K-5. Some of the kids that worked very hard and were showing promise were allowed to carry the instruments forward as they moved through school and continued to play. Two of the kids that were 5th graders then, played the instruments in a concert on Memorial Day this year for the Governor of WV.

In 2005, we went back to Richwood, this time it was warmer, but there was much more work to be done. We worked on a bathroom remodeling; more floors needed repair, painting in the hospital, repairing windows, putting up molding and a host of other tasks. On this trip we met some fascinating people while working in their homes and I realized how so many needs still existed long after the media had left the flood areas and how much opportunity still remained for us to serve.

In 2006 after putting things together for the trip, I let the JOB get in the way and didn’t get to go to Colcorde, WV where the team completed all of the work necessary to allow a congregation to start worship in their church again after a long period of waiting. The church had been damaged by flooding and walls had to be rebuilt and major work had to be completed for this small group to get back into their church home.

In 2007 it was off to Gilbert, WV. There we met a family devastated by flooding, living by the Tug River. This family of a Mom, Dad and three small children touched all of our hearts. We worked very hard to virtually rebuild their mobile home so that it could be raised to a higher level, and hopefully out of harm’s way for another flood.

A lot of the work on the mobile home required relocation of sewer lines, Jerry Neal, Larry Ramsey and others spent many hours prepping everything for the cutover to the sewer system, but when Harry and I cut into the line and it sprayed us both from head down, it was not pretty. I couldn’t understand why everyone was hungry on the drive back to the shelter and I was not.

The youth that were on this trip, gave me one of the proudest moments of any Missions trip I have ever been on. Their diligence and hard work was awesome. They dug ditches, unloaded and poured concrete, whatever needed to be done they were ready and willing to get dirty and get working.

The last weekend of the trip, our kids had money for Pizza and a movie; instead they chose leftovers and Walmart to use their money to buy for the family we had worked for all week.

In 2008 we were off to Kopperston to work on the home of Maggie and Junior Gibson. This couple, both in bad health, had lost virtually everything to a house fire. Maggie and Junior not only kept us entertained with the funniest stories you ever heard, but boy did Maggie keep us fed on the job site. When we pulled in the drive every morning, Junior would say get the coffee on, they’re here and before we could start work he would have a hot cup of coffee in our hands. On this trip several of us got to experience putting on a tin roof, while others worked on siding, then we all moved inside to building walls and running electrical outlets.

We couldn’t finish it all, but a few weeks later I was able to get a little swat team together and we were able to go back for a day and get them into the dry for the winter.

In May of 2009 flooding hit the South West part of WV again. Maggie and Junior were two of the first responders to the Emergency Assistance Command Center to give help and give back. The family we had helped over by the Tug River was flooded again, so their tragedy of life started over again.

In August this year we went back to Kopperston. We were met with a new group of friends from Presbyterian Church of the Lakes out of Orlando, Florida. Several of us got to go visit Maggie and Junior in their completed home. It was beautiful, and the coffee was still good and hot.

This trip took us to two homes devastated by flooding. In one of the homes, the person who had been living there lost her life to illness while we were there working on her house. But a new baby only a few days old was brought by the house so the family could see the work being done to what would be their new home. Larry Ramsey and I had the pleasure of working with some of the Florida guys most of the week finishing a building for a Church that had been completely demolished by a land slide. The Minister and his wife that had built the Church with most of their own money and labor had built 75 feet up the mountain to avoid flood, but had no flood insurance. Insurance didn’t cover the loss because the slide was caused by a flash flood bringing the mountain down on top of the church.

During this week one thing I learned about Ken Lowrance is that he knows one line of probably every song written, but that’s all. He also is not real good with finding work sites, even when signs are posted “Ken Turn Here” But he sure can turn out some good work.

I can’t forget that no Mission trip is complete without Dottie’s meals and meal planning. You are guaranteed not to go hungry. I’ve even considered putting bunks in the house so that she thinks we are on a Missions trip just for the cooking.

The time you spend with other members of the church getting to know one another, the time you spend with the people we go to help, the feelings you get from what you witness and love you feel from everyone involved is so overwhelming that you just can’t put words to express the many emotions you feel from going on these trips. You also get into the stories of the lives of the people that you are there to help and in many ways inspired even more by what you hear from what they share with you.

I know these kinds of trips aren’t for everyone, but I certainly feel that I have received far more blessings than anything I can possibly have given through these Missions trips. Thank you.

Miriam Childress

Happy November 1st! I’m Miriam Childress—and it’s always a joy to be with you!

Drama is thought to be the earliest form of teaching in the church. In 1978, our Session and our minister, Jeff Aiken, felt the need for a drama group in our church and asked me to organize one. The aims? Good fellowship and the use of talents in presenting different types of plays. Enthusiasm in our church was marvelous and the Paw Creek Players came to life!

Our first play. ON THIS ROCK, (about Peter and the disciples) was given in 1980, in the sanctuary on a small, portable wooden stage. Somehow, Danny McClure rigged up lights and sound—and everything worked!

The next year a musical was performed in the present Scout Hut — on that same portable stage. Kay Rudisill and her committee created doors, arches and props for the scenes out of whatever. Betty Barnette had almost everyone singing or dancing — and some (like Bob Childress) doing both!

Of course, Betty had already done some fine musicals with the children. She and I also worked with the youth one summer on a musical drama, SELECTIONS FROM MATTHEW (a Biblical drama with music from GODSPELL). Kris, Gerri Ann, Ken Scott, Libby, Sammy — all of them — were so busy with summer jobs that we had one practice at 7 A.M. on a Saturday morning! When show time came, though, these young people sparkled!

From the beginning, the Paw Creek Players have included music & people of all ages (from age 5 to 85 — and even somewhat younger or older). However, our historical drama, A CORNER OF THE KINGDOM, (in 1984) was the first to include 3 generations: Blair, Joe and Eric Cathey. For that play, Peg Overbeck and her costume committee succeeded so well that it felt like a meeting of the 1800′s and 1900′s when we gathered for prayer before the play!

By 1989, we’d done 7 plays — on that portable stage. By 1990, we were in our brand new Fellowship Building — with a large, solid stage, proper curtains plus real stage lights and sound for Danny — and Bill! Even the possibility of a Dinner Theatre now existed. Thanks to Barbara Joy and others, Dinner Theatres became realities! (One time, thanks to Shannon, lovely lighted castles graced the tables, too!). Our first play on the new stage that year, SEPTEMBER SURPRISES, held an extra surprise. Six inches from the stage you couldn’t hear a word!  The sound panels recommended worked, though, and the performance went on, as scheduled.

Wonderful talents kept emerging in the folks working behind the scenes and those performing on stage!  We’ve done many kinds of plays — from Biblical dramas to melodramas to small slice-of-life dramas (like THE FRONT PORCH) to variety shows, fairy tales and musicals!  We’ve tried new things in all of them, too. Freeze the action when others speak? Clint, still as a statue, held his coffee cup in mid-air for minutes. Spearhead the creation of all four seasons on stage and sing in the play? Vernie did. Involve the choir? Involve the audience? Have a mime? See the Psalms interpreted? Yes to all. Create a bedroom, kitchen and front porch on a small stage? Ann and Tom Cashion and committee managed. Why, in TRIP OF A LIFETIME, it seemed we were actually visiting all those European cities — so well did the cast and committees do!

The Paw Creek Players are not only talented, but versatile, thoughtful and dependable, too — steadfast in times of personal and business concerns. Mary Ellen was on stage in spite of a job change. Kristen Turner did a whole play with her arm in a cast (Her mom, Karen, and the make-up committee made her and everyone look great, as always.) Jan Chapman finished a dance in spite of a costume malfunction. Larry phoned from his plane to say he would be at rehearsal (and he wasn’t even the king in that play). Of course, Ray Young started out as a poor lame man in the first play and ended up a king in a recent one! You just never know.

That Gary is an enthusiastic supporter of the plays, as are you — we so appreciate. I am immensely proud of the Paw Creek Players! They have presented 16 plays! Will all the Paw Creek Players please stand? As our granddaughter, Laura, would say, “You are amazing!” (Applause, please.) Thank you. I feel blessed to be a part of the Paw Creek Players and to be a part of you, my church family.

Grady Cathey

I am Grady Cathey, and I’m giving the memory moment for today. Jerry Smith said I could have as much time as I wanted – just make sure I did not go as long as Sam McCord, so I’ve still got 19 more minutes to go. Actually if I talk too much about my family, there will be one less Cathey in this church.

This is quite an honor to be giving the memory moment on Homecoming Day in our 200th celebration. It’s not easy going in October – a lot of the good memories have been taken. For many of you this is a homecoming, a chance to come back and see old friends and come back to a special place. For others like myself, it is quite simply “home” – and has been for quite a while. This place is as much a part of me as my brown eyes or my brown hair or my receding hairline.

When this church is called a “family” church, the Catheys are always mentioned, and I always wonder why that is. Besides my mom, my sister and my family there aren’t many Catheys around here, until I went back to the graveyard for the dedication of the slave graves – and then saw what seemed like hundreds of headstones with my name on it – and realized how much home this is for the Cathey family. I didn’t think I was kin to all of them until I started searching the internet on my family tree, and I am kin to most of them – they had big families back in the day.

I am fairly certain that my great-grandfather William Franklin Cathey and his wife Margaret Allen Hipp were lifelong members. Both they and their children are buried down there. They had 7 children, one of which was Alvin Cook Cathey, my grandfather, who married Hattie Ardella Hoover, both of whom were lifelong members. Both my grandfather and great grandfather were dairy farmers, as was my grandfather on my mother’s side of the family. In fact my grandmother, Hattie’s mother, was a Davenport, which was another lifelong family in this church – Plato Davenport Senior, Dottie Cathey and Rillma Huffstickler, etc. Hattie’s parents, Amzy Hoover and Elizabeth Davenport Hoover are also buried in the cemetery. If I am wrong on this, please wait until after the service to correct me. So it is true about everyone being kin to everyone if you grew up in the church.

I have a bulletin from February 1925, given to me by Steve Mewborn, a former member, which shows my grandmother Hattie was a Circle Leader.

My mother tells me that when my grandfather was getting older, he started having difficulty seeing, and one Sunday he saw a lady and told her “morning Miss Minnie” – he thought it was Ms. Minnie Campbell and admitted later that “danged if it wasn’t the madam”, which was his affectionate word for my grandmother.

Three of their children were lifelong members: Adrian Cathey, who was chairman of Sunday School for 32 years, Elsie Cox, Willis’s mother, and my dad, Blair Cathey. I have many memories of my father and nearly all of them center on his life in the church, because they were intertwined. His best friend was Paul McCord and both grew up at this church. Paul’s father was the church caretaker for years. Each Sunday night my dad studied his Sunday School lesson at the table with great intensity. Once he went to a cub scout organizational meeting and my mom asked him not to take on more responsibilities. He told her he wouldn’t, that he was just going to help them get organized. He came back as the Pack leader. I also remember that one week he spent countless hours parked at the church counting the number of cars coming through Kenstead Circle – I think the city was trying to make Kenstead a thoroughfare.

As a child my life centered around the church…Cub Scouts, Sunday School, pre-school here. Guess what? My best friend growing up was Phillip McCord and we spent a lot of time up here.

The boy scouts program was discontinued about the time I was old enough  to join which was about 12, and a new program was created which was called BeeGee crafters – it was really Boy Scouts lite. When we camped, the adults would cook the meals and set up tents. We just played – it was a great time. I don’t think we were equipped to handle the outdoors like today’s scouts but we had a lot of fun. We painted ceramics with Vickie Joy and Teresa Painter. My future father-in-law, Harold Caudill ”helped” me make a lamp when I could not come to the meeting – maybe that’s why I married his daughter.

As teenagers my best friends were my church buddies. We started the Haunted House, led by Chad McArver. The boys turned Jerry and Joan Neal’s carport on Kinderway into a Haunted House, and scared the junior high girls over and over again. We also turned the church bell over one day, while Hoyt Johnston watched us running from our “crime”. As young adults, our best friends were people at this church.

Just like my grandfather, I found someone special right here at church. I’m talking about Karen not Gary, but I think it is true that Gary married my grandparents. Karen Caudill and I were married here, had our kids baptized here and have raised our family here. I think this is a picture of our children at the annual Easter Egg hunt, and that’s Roger McNeill, the big rabbit and forever a child. I didn’t know that when we named our son William that he was sharing that name with both my great grandfather, William Franklin Cathey, and my great great grandfather, William Sample Cathey. And as maturing adults, this church is our home. Most of our best friends and most of our family, both the Caudills and Catheys, remain active or at least connected  to this church. It is a place where our family looks for spiritual guidance in this crazy world. And this church has been good to the Catheys, even if there is only a few of us left, and to all of the other old and new families as well. If I get a little nostalgic I know where they’re at.

In February of 1925, the church bulletin stated the Mission of this church is to bring people to Christ, to build people up in Christ, to send people out for Christ. Because this church is Christ’s church it has a right to your time, your abilities, your fellowship, your service, your money. Loyalty to Christ demands that you consecrate all of these to Him and use them through the church, presenting them as living sacrifices. And today in 2009, our church has the same mission.

Happy 200^th anniversary from the Catheys, Davenports, Hoovers, Caudills and all the families of this church. Amen.

Gerri Ann Shaw

Blessed Assurance, Jesus is mine…did it take your mind to a place or your heart to a feeling? A memory moment. The dictionary defines memory as “the mental capacity of retaining and reviving facts, events, impressions, etc., or of recalling or recognizing previous experiences”. We make memories through our senses (sight, sound, smell, taste, touch) and it’s through those same senses that we “trigger” these memories. Information flows from the outside world through our senses. Memory is simply ways we store and recall things we’ve sensed. It is God’s design. James M. Barrie said, “God gave us memories so we could have roses in December”.

I have watched and listened to the many memory moments over the year, each one bringing up memories of my own experience here at Paw Creek.

I have thought a lot about what I would say today. Which memory should I share? These memories make up my story – the story that was foretold before my birth.

When I began church here at 6 years old, Mr. Curlee was my principal and was also in the congregation each Sunday. What an impression that made. Blessed Assurance.

As a teen I was in youth group. Kathy, Sam, Ken, Sharon, Chris, Danny, Libby, Suzette, Jeff and many others who listened, loved and supported me and kept my secrets. Blessed Assurance.

As I finished college the only job I could find was in Manning, SC, which was near Sumter, SC. I was able to live near Jeff & Libby Aiken and see them each Sunday, and to have their support throughout my stay there. Blessed Assurance.

As I moved back to Charlotte, the situation in education for hiring teachers was much like it is now but thanks to Jane Scott, I got an interview…that’s all I needed…a step up. Blessed Assurance.

When Clint and I lost our first baby, the outpouring of notes, letters and cards from almost every woman in this church who had survived the same experience themselves assured me that I would too. Blessed Assurance.

I could go on and on…relationships…with all of you…never accidental…planned by our heavenly father for a purpose…Blessed Assurance that he is alive and knows we each need to be able to see, hear, touch, taste and smell him working in our lives.

John 15:12 – “I demand that you love each other.”

John 15:17-18 – “I demand that you love each other for you get enough hate in the world.”

Mark 12:31 – “You must love others as much as you love yourselves.”

Christians are supposed to love each other and it is easy because we are not really of this world. We have supernatural power in Christ to complete the task.

When I think about my church family I think about the Verizon commercials…a huge network that is behind you, supporting you wherever you go, whatever you need, sometimes before you know you need it, that was placed there by God to continue his work here in this place. Each of you has a place in the lives of each of us. It is God’s design. I love that this church has always been about serving God, caring, service, and support. Maybe we should make our own commercial: Paw Creek where there is love, care and support 24/7 no questions asked.

A quote by Wilber D. Nesbit says it best: “All to myself I think of you, think of the things you used to do, think of the things we used to say, think of each happy bygone day, sometimes I sigh and sometimes I smile but I keep each olden golden while…all to myself”.

Blessed assurance Jesus is mine…this is our story…

Jerry Neal

A history of this church, written by a church historical committee in 1959, gives the following account of our beginnings, which will take us today to the building of this sanctuary in 1882.

About a half mile south of this building there is a small stream flowing in a southwesterly direction toward the Catawba River.  The name of this stream is Paw Creek, named no doubt by the Indians, from the large number of Papaw trees growing upon its banks.  From this Papaw Creek the neighborhood took its name.  When our forefathers received authority from Concord Presbytery to organize themselves into a Presbyterian Church, they took the name Paw Creek.

On December 8, 1865, the name was changed by a vote of the congregation, from Paw Creek to Caldwell in memory of their first pastor, Samuel C. Caldwell.  The name was considered by some to be a misfit and was changed back to Paw Creek at the fall meeting of Mecklenburg Presbytery in 1882.

The original territory of Paw Creek extended from the Catawba River on the west to Chadwick Mill on the east and to the north to Hopewell and to the south to Steele Creek.  Paw Creek Church has helped in the startup of many other churches in this area, including Moore’s Chapel Methodist/Episcopal, in 1885; Mulberry Presbyterian, in 1888; Pleasant Grove Methodist/Episcopal in 1888; Cook’s Memorial Presbyterian in 1891; McGee Presbyterian in 1912; Thomasboro Presbyterian in 1921; and the Woodland Presbyterian in 1868.

In 1807 the people of Paw Creek decided to erect their own place of worship which was known as the “stand” or brush arbor, completed in 1808.  The Reverend Samuel C. Caldwell, pastor of Sugaw Creek Presbyterian, began preaching at Paw Creek.

In 1809, the people erected their first church building—a small structure built of logs.  It served the people as their place of worship until 1824.  It was built on three acres of land deeded to the church by Mr. Joseph Todd. The log building was used by the congregation and it was replaced by a large frame structure and dedicated by the Reverend John Williamson in the autumn of 1826.

Originally, the pews, large, square, high-backed affairs, were rented to the members of the congregation.  The one to the left of the pulpit was reserved for the minister’s family and was labeled “Parson’s Pew.”  A higher rental value was placed on the front and rear pews, being appraised at $5.50 each, while those intervening were held at $4.50 each.

In the summer of 1881, the congregation undertook the building of a third house of worship.  The work was not completed that summer and the walls were injured by the weather to such an extent that they had to be torn down.  By the spring of 1882 the present sanctuary was completed.  And we don’t charge for any of the pews, so you can put your wallets back in your pockets.

Ray Young

Stained Glass Windows at Paw Creek Presbyterian Church

In this place – on any given Sunday – or any other day, glance and look around you and you will visually see what brings us here. The stained glass windows give us a biblical history of Christ in a timeframe of this earthly mission.

Passages in our Bible refer to Jesus Christ as the light of the world. His ministry was transparent to those believers who dispelled the opaqueness of doubt with clear vision. The windows in our sanctuary, prior to the year 1967, were of opaque glass giving cloudy and dull light to the eye. The light restraining windows served well enough and represented the feasibility of an earlier time and were duly appreciated by church members of that era.

Today, we will review the eight window medallions here in the sanctuary as they are projected on the screen. (A medallion is an oval or circular shaped design or portrait used as a decorative form.) The sequence of order starts on your right front facing the choir – four on the right – then continues on your left – starting at the back and proceeding toward the front. Those in the choir will note starting on the left and continuing on their right.

1. Nativity – Luke Chapter 2 – Joseph and Mary traveled 100 miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem complying with a Roman decree. There being no room at the lodging place – Mary gave birth to the child in an area used for animals, thereby a feed tray was used as a cradle.
2. Jesus at age 10 in the temple – Luke Chapter 2 – Teachers and Scribes were amazed at his understanding and answer of questions of the day.
3. Sermon on the mount – Luke Chapter 6 – Taking a position above the crowd, Jesus delivers the beatitudes which give a matchless set of rules to live by.
4. Blessing little children – Mark Chapter 10 – Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it, and he took them in his arms and blessed them laying his hands upon them.
5. Gethsemane- in the garden of Gethsemane – Mark Chapter 14 – Jesus separated himself from the disciples and fell on the ground to pray. “Father, all things are possible to thee, remove this cup from me; yet not what I will, but what thou wilt.”
6. Crucifixion – John Chapter 19 – Pilate handed Jesus over to the Chief Priests and officers saying take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no crime in him. Pilate also wrote a title and put it on the cross; it read “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.”
7. Resurrection – Mark Chapter 16 – Early on the third day – two women named Mary went to the tomb to complete the rites of burial. The tomb was open and a stranger dressed in white said to them “You seek Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified. He has risen, he is not here. Go and tell his disciples.”
8. Christ knocking on the door – Revelations Chapter 3 – “Behold I stand at the door and knock – if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him and eat with him and he with me.”

In addition to the eight windows reviewed on the screen there are two front windows that depict the two sacraments instituted by our Lord. The large window above the balcony and seen from the front entrance contains the Presbyterian seal as it was represented when the windows were installed.

For sometime, leading up to the year 1967, the vision and hope for stained windows had been an objective of the congregation. The opportunity to do this came when a fixed amount of money was appropriated from the King Memorial Fund and was agreed upon by his family that this would be a fitting memorial to their father.

A committee was charged to work with The Laws Stained Glass Studios in Statesville, North Carolina. The design and cost was approved and windows were installed in June and July 1967. The total cost was $3,240.09 of which a congregational offering amounted to $1,116.75. The balance of $2,123.34 came from the King Fund. On Sunday, August 20, 1967, the dedication service entitled “The Windows Speak” was held at the eleven o’clock service.

This memory moment singles out two key persons who walked the project through, signing off on the concept and details of what we see today. Robert James, our minister at the time, and Neil Moore, an officer of the church on the session, followed the wishes of our congregation and thereby adding beauty, dignity and worshipfulness to the sanctuary.

David Turner

“THE CEMETERY MAN”

Hello, my name is David Turner. I have the memory moment today. I’m a baby in the history of this church because I started in 1972. My history may be colorful, but it is short. I am doing this in the name of the Overbecks. You see we had a family meeting to see which one of us would make the biggest fool of ourselves up here and I was the unanimous choice. This is called taking one for the family.

This church is 200 years old this year. What speaks better about that history than the people that made that history? Many of those people rest in our cemetery.

This is the view we see from the road behind our church. It doesn’t look that impressive does it. Now this is the view from within the cemetery.

There are approximately 1052 tombstones in the cemetery, 444 buried between 1826 – 1900, 608 buried from 1900 to the present. The oldest monument we could find was Clamentine Todd in 1826. We have veterans of the Civil War, World War I and World War II.

There are 122 Todds, 72 Catheys, 46 McCords, 41 Johnsons, 36 Hoovers, 34 Beatys, 32 Hipps, 26 Loves, 25 Wingates, 23 Dunns, 19 Alexanders, and 18 Cox.

There are stories about the Catheys and how their roots go way back in the church’s history. This shows how those stories got started.

Now that brings me to my story today. This is the story of “The Cemetery Man!” Now this is a true story. Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent.

It all started on a dark night about 21 years ago. Some vandals raided our cemetery. Shortly after that the Cemetery Man began to appear. He can be pretty scary. How many of you have ever worked with the Cemetery Man? If you have, you know it can become gruesome at times.

The Cemetery Man took on the daunting task of repairing the cemetery. He found about 25 monuments knocked over and over 100 monuments broken in pieces. Some in as many as seven pieces. He used a large dump truck load of sand and 11,370 pounds of hand mixed cement two large batches of epoxy and wooden framing material. He picked up an idea Grover Elliott had used. He made a frame of wood filled it with hand mixed cement and then placed the pieces of the monument in the cement in jigsaw fashion and let it dry. He then would carry the new monument in a wheel barrow and mount the monument with epoxy. He glued some monuments together and even bolted some monuments together. In all he repaired over 130 monuments. He would later say there were many people helping him. He wanted to mention Glen Cathey for surveying the boundary lines, Paul McCord and Jarvis Midget for days cutting down and removal of trees, and Emmet Allen who contracted to remove the stumps.

You would think after repairing over 130 monuments he would retire. But while doing all this work in the cemetery he would notice more and more people wandering around the cemetery to find a monument or gravesite of a loved one. He thought it was time someone did a survey of the cemetery to show where everyone was buried. The cemetery was sectioned off into 12 sections. Every effort was made to clean the monuments so someone could read the names. He finished the survey and had all the information compiled and had nowhere to go with it. A few weeks later while he was cleaning around the fences he noticed a young lady on her knee in front of a tombstone. He walked up to her and said, “I don’t want to be nosey, but what are you doing. She said she was doing a survey and hoped to publish a list of everyone buried here.” He said “Honey, I have just what you need. If you will just follow me home I’ll be glad to give just what you need”. This shocked me at first but I knew the Cemetery Man’s wife was waiting at home with his lunch so I knew everything was OK… Anyway, he gave her all of his information. The lady turned out to be Donna Joy Johnson. She grew up as a member of Paw Creek Presbyterian Church. Donna took the information she had from a partial survey done in the 1930s and the Cemetery Man’s information. She combined them, edited them and published a book that includes a brief history of the church, alphabetical listing by section of everyone buried at Paw Creek Presbyterian Church. Donna also put all the information on the Internet and is available at the main library downtown. Thirty people have died and been buried since the survey was released. Donna is periodically given and update and she updates the computer listing.

Here is something else you may not have known.

There was a lady named Sara Elizabeth Todd who was brought up in this church. She married a man named George Kawa and lived in New York City. She died in 1995 and was buried in the last remaining plot available for her family. Sometime later the Cemetery Man received a call from Mr. Kawa asking if he could be buried next to his wife in the cemetery. Regrettably, the Cemetery Man had to tell him there just was no room. Apparently, it was terribly important to Mr. Kawa to rest next to his beloved wife, so the Cemetery Man said let me look into it. After checking into it, he found the plot was at the end of a row, so he called Mr. Kawa back and said he could get it cone. So after receiving $300.00 for the plot, Mr. Kawa was able to rest next to his beloved wife. He died in November of 2004. So there is a little history behind Mr. George Kawa.

So, some day you may have your family walking in the cemetery to visit a loved one. Your son may see a guy over by the fence pulling weeds. He may say, “Dad, who is this guy?” You can say, “Son, that is the Cemetery Man!” By the way the secret identity of the Cemetery Man is Chuck Overbeck.

Carolyn Todd Summerlin

Back in April when I gave my memory moments I was just getting wound up when I had to sit down and let Gary take over. I’m glad to have the opportunity to share some more wonderful memories of this church and community.

My brother, sister and I, and cousins Linda, Mollie and Eddie, have the best memories of our childhood and growing up in Paw Creek. We had the best parents ever! As some of you know, my dad, Joel Todd, and my uncle, Edwin Todd were brothers. Of course, I think they, and my husband James are the best men in the whole wide world, except maybe for Gary Bryant!

Before I continue with my really old memories, I want to take just a minute to say a few words about Gary, a memory that I have cherished since 1993 and will continue to cherish until I die. The appreciation that I have for you, Gary, comes from my heart. There aren’t enough words to explain how much you helped me during the sudden death of my mother. You gave me & my family comfort and encouragement and spent hours just listening to me and helping to pull me from the most difficult time in my life.

There were a few years where I stopped coming to church. I used the excuse of having to drive so far. But when I attended the funeral service for my Uncle Edwin and the words of comfort you shared with us when he died in 2008, brought me back to this church that I love so much.

On a happy note, in 1998, you performed my marriage to James, which is a very special memory in my life. So, thank you, Gary, for not only being a wonderful minister to everyone here at Paw Creek, but also being an admired and respected friend of mine.

To begin with, one memory of mine is about the choir. It has made a 100 degree turnaround from what I call excellent to excellent. Way back when, we had a quartet – Adrian Cathey, Plato Davenport, Ted Campbell and Burr Wingate. I had never heard anybody sing as well as they could.

Mr. Worth Campbell directed the choir, Flora Mae Summerville played the old piano (to the right facing the pulpit), and Mary Wingate played the organ. One Sunday, Mr. Ted Campbell wasn’t in the choir, but he and his dear wife Sadie were sitting behind me. I stood there listening to his wonderful voice. It would bring tears to your eyes. The music has changed over the years and I love what the choir does today, but being from the old school that I am, I am a real fan of old hymns. One of the most beautiful hymns the choir ever sang was “My God and I”. Those of you who remember Howard McCord might have seen the tears run down his face when that song was sung.

Easter was another wonderful memory at Paw Creek. Mother would take us downtown/uptown, whatever you want to call it, to buy our Easter outfits. We tried on dresses for 3 or 4 hours, then she purchased our bonnets, shoes, socks and little straw pocketbooks. I could not wait to get up on Easter morning and go to church. I was as proud as I might have been parading down Fifth Avenue about to be on the rotogravure. (It was a long time before I could pronounce that word and knew what it meant!)

All the ladies wore hats to church, not just on Easter, but every Sunday. Men wore suits and ties every Sunday. We sat together as families, listened to the sermon and sang pretty hymns. When church was over, we gathered outside to talk & take pictures. When we got home, Mama always had the traditional Easter Sunday dinner of ham, potato salad, deviled eggs, green beans and homemade biscuits with sweet iced tea and dessert. The nighttime meal was always supper, not dinner.

After the Easter Sunday meal, we all piled in the car, a black 1940 Chevrolet with a running board. We always took flowers to the Todd Cemetery plot at Forest Lawn and then went to visit our aunts, uncles and cousins. Sometimes, we stopped at the Dairy Queen on Wilkinson Blvd or at Hoskins Drug Store for ice cream. Back then, we ate all that and never gain a pound! How things have changed!! By the way, we rode through the cemetery just about every Sunday afternoon.

Another special memory of mine was Mother’s Day. Most of the ladies wore a rose or corsage to church on Mother’s Day. Our neighbor, Claudia Laughridge, had a small rose garden in her back yard by the apple tree. Every Mother’s Day morning she would let us pick a rose to wear to church. Mine and my sister’s was always a red rose. I don’t remember, but I doubt Skip would wear one. Years later, Daddy planted us a rose garden. Mother and Daddy’s rose was always white. I asked mother why she & daddy wore white roses. She said because their mothers were deceased. I remember how sorry and sad I felt for them and how happy I was that I could wear a red one. I still think about that today on Mother’s Day. I can’t make myself wear a white rose.

Christmas was special too. We looked so forward to a visit from Santa in the Fellowship Building. We sat on his lap and then picked up our little brown paper bag full of apples, oranges and candy. I remember a big fire in the fireplace and we all sang Christmas carols. We were so excited!

One year, I remember, a Christmas program at night. The church was always full of people. Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus and the Wise Men were there. The lights were real dim and I remember wearing angel wings – imagine me being an angel?!! My wings were made out of coat hangers with some type of white cloth wrapped around the hanger and trimmed with silver or gold garland. They were attached to my back someway. The angels all walked down the aisle and sang Christmas Carols. Once again, I was so proud. I really thought I was an angel.

We had a youth group called Pioneers which met on Sunday nights. I remember some of the activities. We played shuffleboard in the fellowship building. We played ping pong, badminton and even had a roller skate night. This was before boot skates were even thought about. Those who could skate wore skates attached to their saddle oxfords with a strap across the foot and tightened with a key. The key was in a safe place on a cord worn around the neck. I sat on one of those cold folding chairs along the side and watched. I tried skating one time and thought it was more fun to watch than to fall down and get hurt.

Bible School was another special time in my life. Bible School usually started a week or two after school was out. We met from 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon, Monday – Friday the first week. The second week, on Thursday night, we met at the church and our parents came. It was like an open house where they went to each classroom to see what we had made. Instead of a feeling of accomplishment when Bible School was over, I was sad because I didn’t want it to end. We had refreshments which included Ritz crackers or vanilla wafers and High C orange juice in tiny paper solo cups. We sat on the steps in front of the church or on the steps going down to the fellowship building, when we drank our juice. We jumped rope, hop scotched and used those marble/concrete steps that go down to the fellowship building as a sliding board. We then went to the sanctuary and Ruth McCord would teach us songs.

One of the songs I remember is:

I washed my hands this morning

O very clean and white

And lent them both to Jesus

To work for Him till night

Little Feet, be careful

Where you take me to

Anything for Jesus

Only let me do

If you want to hear more, we’ll have to live 63 more years. This is the first time I have ever sung a solo. Now, you know why I’m not in the choir.

I remember one year when I was probably in the 5^th grade or so, we made chair back covers. Somebody had sewn the covers together for us and we got to pick out a bible verse to embroidery on the cover. Of course, I picked out a short verse, but I liked what it said and I knew it wouldn’t take me too long to finish it. My verse came from Proverbs 17:17 – “A friend loveth at all times.” I thought that was all of the verse, but when I looked it up in the Bible, there is a second part – “and a brother is born for adversity.” I sure am glad I didn’t have to embroidery the entire verse; I would probably still be working on it.

An explanation of this verse, found in the Life Application Study Bible says:

What kind of friend are you? There is a vast difference between knowing someone well and being a true friend. The greatest evidence of genuine friendship is loyalty (loving “at all times). Too many people are fair-weather friends. They stick around when the friendship helps them and leave when they’re not getting anything out of the relationship. Think of your friends and assess your loyalty to them. Be the kind of true friends the Bible encourages.

I would like to read a poem that explains what it is to have a real friend:

(1) A friend loveth at all times –

You’ve been so faithful and true.

A friend loveth at all times –

I know I’ve been loved by you.

(2) You’ve been there through all the joy and pain,

In fact, you’ve stuck like glue.

When I needed someone, you stood by me,

And your words brought comfort too.

(3) You shared God’s Word to cheer my heart,

You cared so much for my soul.

You brought me before the throne of grace,

So in Jesus I would be whole.

(4) You are my friend in Jesus Christ,

My Heavenly Father is your Father too.

When the trials came to test my faith,

I know my Lord sent you.

(5) A friend loveth at all times-

I’ve learned so much from you.

You shared your joy in the Lord;

Now His joy is my strength too.

(6) A friend loveth at all times –

God’s promise stands sure and true!

A friend loveth at all times –

I know I have found a friend in you.

I have another friend that I have known for a VERY long time – BETTY JOY BETHUNE, I consider you a true friend and I love you!

Thanks for the opportunity to share my memories with you.