History of Horne Memorial United Methodist Church
The heritage of what is now Horne Memorial United Methodist church dates back to April 15, 1859. At that time a plot of land consisting of ½ acre was deeded by Joseph M. Smith to the newly appointed trustees: Harry Durham, Samuel Turner, Lucien E. Sanders, Milliard Strickland, and William E. McCullers, Jr. Written in long hand, this deed of trust was subscribed by three witnesses: Lemuel Shell, Benjamin Trolenger, and J. Dal Smith. Reverend Lucian Shell was the pastor in charge with John R. Brooks, the associate pastor. They were on a circuit, with the following churches on their circuit: Clayton, Smithfield, Bentonville, Boone Hill, Sanders' School House, Turner's School House,
D Smith's School House, Pine Level, and Zion, and Elevation. This was the Smithfield Circuit. Clayton was apportioned $30.00 for current expenses for the year.
The first church building was a small square frame structure, without a steeple, and set behind a small grove of oaks on the present site. The church was renovated in 1889 after thirty years of use. A steeple was erected and a bell installed. The bell is still in the cupola of this church building and was rung for many Sunday mornings.
Early in 1911 a movement was started by Mrs. E. B. McCullers and Reverend G. B. Starling who was the pastor, to build a new church. Mrs. McCullers then wrote a preamble calling for subscriptions to build a $10,000 church and headed the list with $1,000. A building committee was appointed. Later that year, Mr. Ashley Horne joined the church and became Chairman of the Building Committee. He suggested that a better church be built, so the plans were changed without a limit. The congregation chose to take the name of St. James Methodist Church, but changed the name to Horne Memorial Methodist Church after Mr. Horne's death.
The beautiful stained glass windows were donated by Mrs. Ashley Horne, Mr. & Mrs. Charles W. Horne, Mrs. Emma Ellington, and the Wesley Bible Class. The pulpit furniture was donated by Mrs. Lena A. Barbour in memory of her husband, David W. Barbour. The baptismal font was donated by Mrs. E. B. McCullers. One-half of the Moller pipe organ was paid for by the Andrew Carnegie Fund.
The present sanctuary was completed and first occupied in 1916 at a cost of $44,000 and an outstanding dedication service was held in May, 1919.
On April 12, 1959 the Horne Memorial congregation celebrated its 100th anniversary. It was under the leadership of Reverend Clyde Dunn. Paul N. Barber, Bishop of the North Carolina conference, was the speaker for the day. A history of the congregation was written and presented for the occasion.
A new organ was purchased and installed in 1973. The stained glass windows have been repaired and a protective covering installed. These windows are irreplaceable and are reported to be the work of Louis Tiffany.
Since the 100th anniversary, there have been several renovations to the building, with the last one being in the late 1990's. A large fellowship building, with classrooms, offices and a fellowship hall were added to the sanctuary building. Rufus Stark once wrote that unfortunately the history of a congregation is usually told in terms of the building in which they meet. The real history is seen in terms of the lives of the people that make up the congregation.
150th Celebration!
Horne Memorial United Methodist Church in Clayton, North Carolina, celebrated its 150th anniversary on May 3, 2009. The Reverend Richard Stone, who served at Horne from 1993-1998, was the guest speaker at two services. Church historian, Bertha Crabtree, and Emily Bagley, Bet Barber, Rose Butler, and John and Jane Barnes worked for months to gather information, write and publish a church history, and plan the celebration.
Following the services, lunch was served in the fellowship hall where photos, documents, and memorabilia were displayed. Hundreds of people noted the metal tackle box that Mr. Sam Strickland locked the offering in each Sunday morning for over thirty years. They admired the velvet-covered, needlepoint brick doorstop and ivory funeral pall made by Charlotte Compton. Paul Keller, a member of Horne, commissioned Mrs. Compton, who was a well-known seamstress, to design the pall for his wife’s funeral. Sam Robertson, who had just returned from World War II, came to Mrs. Compton’s rescue and supplied the silk she needed to make it. Mr. Robertson said, “When I came home from the War, I had stuffed an old piece of parachute in my duffle bag. Charlotte said she needed silk, and that was silk.”
Horne’s sesquicentennial was like many in small Southern towns, a homecoming in the steepled, brick building that has been the literal and figurative sanctuary for thousands of people over the years. The memories and stories of those steady, good people like Mr. Strickland, Mrs. Compton, Mr. Keller, and Mr. Robertson are the foundation of the place—invisible, yet mysteriously alive and part of the place. The memorabilia—the brick, the pall, the tackle box—are reminders of the people who loved their church and community so unselfishly. In 1859, five people had a vision for a church on the corner of Church and Second Streets. In 2009, Horne is home to a congregation of more than one thousand members, and the 150th celebration was a loving testimony to its growth and service to the community.
Here are the pictures from the 150th Anniversary Celebration. Use the Play/Pause icon (top right corner of picture box) to play and pause the slide show. This slide show is currently set to display a new picture every 10 seconds. You may use the right and left arrows to click backward and forward through the pictures. Click on the word "Pictures" (top right) to access thumbnails of the pictures. You may use that to scroll through the pictures. Just click on the picture you want to display.
