Eulogy for a Country Church

After over 200 years in ministry, Rehoboth United Methodist Church near Pulaski, Tennessee will hold its final service this Sunday, June 22, 2014. During the 2014 Tennessee Annual Conference, a cabinet resolution was read and passed closing Rehoboth and reverting the property to the Pulaski District of the Tennessee Annual Conference. According to some sources, in 1810 a group of people near Crosswater Creek, south of Pulaski, joined together and formed Crosswater Methodist Church in a small log cabin, probably someone’s home at the time. One of the first pastors of Crosswater was Aaron Brown, the father of another Aaron Brown who served as Governor of Tennessee. Later, in 1830, the congregation built a new building on higher ground and called their church Rehoboth, after the name of a well dug by Isaac in Genesis 26:22. During the Civil War according to legend and some histrical sources, the church was burned by the Union Army because it had been used by Confederate troops as a hospital and headquarters. A new building was erected in 1876 and this is the building that stands today. In 1950, a basement was dug and prepared adjacent to the building and using logs and a team of mules the church building was rolled over the basement and secured.

Rehoboth United Methodist Church survived the Civil War, the Great Depression, two World Wars, the turmoil of civil rights, and over 200 years of ups and downs. Many pastors began their ministries at Rehoboth. In the 1960s and 70s, ministerial students from Martin Methodist College served as pastor of Rehoboth. Many people still have a connection to this small church. Many people were baptized here. Many couples were married here. Many people were laid to rest at Rehoboth United Methodist Church.