Memorial Biographies of General Baptist Ministers
of the
Union Association

REV. RODNEY HOLDER

by request of M. D. Mcdonald I am giving a few facts concerning the organization of the Owensboro Church and my work in Union Association during the time of this organization.

One Sunday afternoon in the year of 1946, while resting quietly in my home in the General Baptist parsonage of the Boonville church, my telephone rang. In answering it I found it to be a long distance call from Owensboro, Kentucky. the call was from the home of Mr. Bert W. Robertson, Mr. Robertson the speaker. After a short friendly conversation, he stated that there was someone there who wanted to speak to me. His father in law, Mr. Charles Robinson, wasn't long stating the fact of the intention of the call. I had resigned the Boonville General Baptist Church and an article in the paper had given the news to his family. Mr. Robinson stated that their pastor had resigned and asked if there would be any possibility of them consulting me about their work at Pleasant Hope. Before I gave the answer this awakened within me, a long standing invitation and desire to organize a church in the city of Owensboro. Upon this impression being renewed I immediately told him that I would. In a few days Mr. Robinson and his wife, Mr. Allen Taylor and his wife came to my home to spend the day and have this talk with me. Arrangements were made for them to take the message back to the Pleasant Hope Church as to our conversation as their pastor and the organizing of the church in Owensboro. I soon had an invitation to meet the Pleasant hope Church to state this matter before the church. The agreement was reached in this meeting that at their next regular church conference if they wanted to carry out the long standing desire of this organization, they would call me as their pastor and I would accept this as God's will that we have a church in Owensboro and I would move by faith to this city.

Our next meeting was held in the home of Mr. Bert W. Robertson in owith the four named committee: Mr. Bert Robertson, Mr. OOwensborona McEwen, Mr. Edward Ford, and Mr. Robert Howard, with Mr. Allen Taylor and Mr. M. B. McDonald as members of the Home Mission Board of the Union Association. this Board was to help financially as they did in the organization of all new churches of Union Association. Plans were made in this meeting for the perfection of this organization, such as buying a lot on which to build a church and purchasing a parsonage.

On the 18th day of August, 1946, we met in the home of Mr. Ona McEwen with the Pleasant hope Church and its pastor and members from the mMacedoniaChurch and its pastor and perfected this organization. I was called as its pastor and Wilma Clements was called as its clerk. The five following were elected as trustees: Mr. Bert W. Robertson, Mr. Edward Ford, Mr. Ona McEwen, Mr. Robert Howard and Mr. John Nally. Mr. Ford was elected treasurer. The high school on Frederica street was secured as our first meeting place. A year from the day that we organized we were pouring the concrete for the first unit of our church which now stands well established on Maple and Elm streets with the Rev. Carman Albright as the present pastor.

I always move my church membership to the church that I pastor, also to the association of that church. With the church we went into the Union Association in October of 1946, which was held at Clay, Kentucky. We entertained this association in our new church at oOwensboroas soon as we got it completed and the following year I was moderator of this association. The fond memories of this organization with the 18 charter members and others that joined before we left and the much enjoyable work in the Union Association I shell cherish to the end. I shall some day soon write a history of my life with a full history of this church.
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* - Source - History of Union Association of General Baptist 1840 - 1953
By
M.C. Mc Donald