The
Lomax Church of Christ began with Brother and Sister T. M. Lawson, who
were the early founders. Their strong faith in God kept the
work
alive there, even when the membership dropped to four or five in
number. It was in the spring of 1918 that Brother Lawson and
his
family moved to the Lomax Crossroads community. Since there was no
church meeting there, they worshipped with the congregation
which
met in the town of Hohenwald, approximately two miles from the
Lomax community. Brother Lawson hitched the horse to their
buggy,
loaded his family, which at that time consisted of three daughters and
two sons, and made the trip to worship.
One Sunday morning, as they were getting ready for services, a guest
dropped by to visit. This was not to deter Brother Lawson. He
invited the guest to go with them. However, the invitation was
declined. The Lawson family went on to church. Strangely enough, the
following Sunday another guest dropped by to visit. Once
again,
an invitation was given to the guest to join them in worship and, once
again, the invitation was declined. The Lawsons went on to
church.
There were three or four families living near Brother and Sister
Lawson, so Brother Lawson discussed with them plans to start
a congregation in that community. This they did and met,
temporarily, in the Lawson home. Then for the next several years, they
met in a nearby dwelling which was also used for a
schoolhouse. In this dwelling the congregation experienced high, as
well as low points. One high point was their first gospel meeting held
by Brother Charlie Tidwell. This meeting lasted a week. Shortly
thereafter, in 1923, the building burned. Following this sad event, the
congregation rented a dwelling house from Sister S. A. Grover for three
dollars a month until they could build another building.
Back in the early years, few churches had a regular preacher. They had
what were called “itinerant preachers.” These men
would preach every Sunday, but at a different congregation.
This was especially true in country churches. One reason, and possibly
the main reason, was that very few of these congregations
could afford a full-time minister. Due to the lack of funds, it was not
uncommon for the preachers to receive other methods of payments
– eggs, chickens, canned or fresh fruits and vegetables, etc.
– in lieu of money. Because of their dedication to preaching
the gospel of Christ, many of the men would faithfully and happily
preach the word, in spite of the fact that money would not be available.
Brothers C. A. Lancaster, T. M. Lawson, and Andy (A. D.) Lawson gave an
acre of ground approximately where the present building
stands. A
deed was written for this property and, for the consideration of one
dollar, the Lomax church of Christ became owners of this property.
This property was to be used for worship between these
parties
with the following stipulations: “that no instrument of music
shall ever be used in any service of worship in the church
building, worshiping in this place, and further no supper festivals,
shows or any other such plans or means for raising money,
shall
be allowed, or practiced in this place, or anything not commanded in
the New Testament where the plain and simple gospel of our
Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ may be preached in its purity. A trusteeship,
consisting of six or more members of the church of Christ,
which
takes the New Testament as its only rule of faith, worship and
practice, and rejects from its faith and worship any practice
not
required by precept or example not directly authorized in the New
Testament.”
The men of the congregation cut and hauled logs to the mill, sawed them
and brought the lumber to the building site, and built the
church
building themselves. Some of the men were experienced carpenters and
they even made the seats with their own hands. Unfortunately,
their money ran out, so Brother Lawson wrote to individuals and other
congregations to help with the expenses. A ledger lists the
individual ones who donated a total of $212.75. One
elderly
widow gave one dollar. “But she did what she could”
(Mark
14:8). Thus, with the help of these brethren, both in money
and
labor, Lomax again had a meeting place of their own in which to
worship. Some suggested it be called
“Lawson’s
Chapel,” since Brother Lawson played such a pivotal part in
starting the congregation. Brother Lawson did not agree with
this
suggestion but said it should simply be called “Lomax
Crossroads
Church of Christ.” building themselves. Some of the
men
were experienced carpenters and they even made the seats with their own
hands. Unfortunately, their money ran out, so Brother Lawson wrote to
individuals and other congregations to help with the expenses. A ledger
lists the individual ones who donated a total of $212.75. One
elderly widow gave one dollar. “But she did what she
could”
(Mark 14:8). Thus, with the help of these brethren, both in money and
labor, Lomax again had a meeting place of their own in which to
worship. Some suggested it be called “Lawson’s
Chapel,” since Brother Lawson played such a pivotal part in
starting the congregation. Brother Lawson did not agree with this
suggestion but said it should simply be called “Lomax
Crossroads
Church of Christ.”
The happiness that was enjoyed by the people was short-lived. In 1928,
the building burned during the night. Fortunately, they were
better prepared than before, due to their forethought in
purchasing insurance. Again, during the construction of the building,
they worshiped in the Grover house.
The ladies of the congregation prepared the unleavened bread and
carried it along with two glasses filled with the fruit of the vine.
This continued until 1950, when trays were purchased and the
church started buying bread for the loaf.
Many acts of vandalism happened to the meeting house. It was not
unusual to come in and find the communion table and seats
overturned, as well as windows broken, song books torn up and
graffiti written on the walls. These vandals had no regard or respect
for the word of God; they didn’t want to hear it
and they wanted to prevent others from doing so.
Among the names of preachers during those early years were Will Sisco,
H. N. Mann, Henry King, Chesley Hudson, Mark Love, and T. M. Lawson.
They did not preach for monetary reasons but simply to save souls.
Records show contributions in those years ranged from $10 to
a little less than $30 per Sunday.
Disappointment and hardship struck once more when early in 1941, the
building again burned with the situation being even more sad
as
their insurance had run out. For the next five years, they did not even
attempt to rebuild. The members dispersed, attending worship
at
various congregations in the county.
In 1946, some dedicated members set out to erect another building on
the same site. Several congregations, along with individual
godly people, gave donations and in mid-1947, the first
service in the new building was conducted with Brother Ira Douthitt as
the speaker. Attendance ran from 100 to 125 during the later
years of the 1940s. People, gave donations and in mid-1947,
the first service in the new building was conducted with Brother Ira
Douthitt as the speaker. Attendance ran from 100 to 125 during the
later years of the 1940s.
In 1949 two classrooms were added and a class or two was always taught
in the extreme corners of the auditorium. As membership
increased, the need for more classrooms became apparent. The decision
was made to convert the old building into additional
classrooms, using some of the space for a
preacher’s study as well as two restrooms, and erect a new
auditorium which would seat approximately 250
le.
Carmack Skelton came to preach at Lomax in 1957. A church bulletin,
“The Lomax Messenger,” was published weekly.
The
first Vacation Bible School was conducted that same year, and in 1958
three elders and four deacons were selected. Kelley Doyle and Fred
Kittrell preached at Lomax from about 1958 to 1964 on a
weekly/part-time basis.
The church bought a few acres of land adjacent to the standing
building, and in 1965 work was begun on a new auditorium, which
would accommodate 560 people. A nursery, restrooms, two
dressing
rooms, a baptistery, as well as storage rooms were added with a
covered walkway that would connect the new addition with the
old
auditorium giving easy access to the additional classrooms. Again, a
large part of the work was done by members of the
congregation.
In 1966 a seven-room dwelling was donated to Lomax by Dr. Edgar Akin.
This building was moved to the back of the lot directly behind
the church building, which was subsequently refurbished to be
used as a preacher’s home.
In October of 1966, Carlos Gunter, of Kosciusko, Mississippi, and his
wife Robena came to work as the first full-time minister at Lomax.
Other full-time preachers, through 1980, were Charles
Tidwell, Terry Collins, Harrell Davidson, and Tom McLemore.
In August of 1986, Carmack Skelton returned to Lomax as their new
preacher, with his wife, son, and daughter. Carmack and Nancy
bought their own home, and the preacher’s home,
located
behind the church building, was converted into Lomax Christian Day
School. This decision has become such a blessing and has received
splendid response from the community, making this school a most
rewarding effort. The Lomax Day School is a growing and
gratifying asset, with June Graves as director, assisted by three
devoted teachers who do a wonderful job in this capacity. At
the
close of each school year, a graduation program is conducted, in which
these tots, sporting caps and gowns (blue for the boys and
white
for the girls) exhibit to a well-attended audience many of the things
they have learned. This is followed by a period of fellowship
and
refreshments. A good number of these youngsters are from non-member
families.
The church at Lomax contributes to the support of a number of
missionaries and various mission efforts. This includes
Freed-Hardeman University, Magnolia Bible College, work in
Russia, Indonesia, and Jerusalem, to name a few. In June of
1993, Van Vansandt and his family moved to Hohenwald to work with the
church and remained there until 1999.
In 1996, Brother Malcom George and his wife came to Lomax where he
serves as an assistant minister. He began a Wednesday Morning
Bible Class for any age – men and women. Following several
suggestions, the class decided on a name – “The
Primetimers.” This year-round class has certainly grown in
number
and interest. At various times this class visits assisted care and
nursing homes to cheer their residents. About every three months they
take refreshments to the local nursing home for a “birthday
party,” which includes fellowship, prayer, and a
song or
two. The Primetimers also often go to nearby towns on our church bus
and have lunch at a restaurant. They sometimes take overnight
trips to Pigeon Forge and the mountains for shopping and sightseeing.
This is topped each year by a beautiful Christmas party at the
Georges’ home. The attendance to all these functions, and
especially to the class itself, continues to grow year by
year. Malcom and his wife, Verlin, are a tremendous asset to the church.
In March of 1997, Lomax conducted its first Youth Rally, which has
continued each year with excellent participation. Many congregations
in Lewis County, as well as other communities, come to this
event. In fact in 2002, there were over 1,000 in attendance, with a
number of responses.
In 1999 our lobby was enlarged, affording more and better fellowship
than ever before following each service.
In 1998 a Christian Service Center was built adjacent to the church
building. This facility affords many opportunities for Christian
activities. All-age devotionals are held one Sunday night
each month following evening services. This building has a fully
equipped kitchen, two offices that will accommodate
preachers’ studies, two large restrooms, and a large room
which is suitable for a classroom, conference room, or other scheduled
services – all that plus a 75 x 120 foot room that can be
used for various functions of the church. In October of 2000,
Lomax hosted its first annual “Ladies’
Day,” which was most successful.
In 2001 David Salisbury, with his wife Heather, came to work with the
Lomax congregation, along with Malcom and Verlin George.
These servants of God, plus our dedicated elders and deacons
and our well-qualified staff of teachers, work extremely well in the
furtherance of the work here.
Two monitors and a sound system have been installed in the lobby, which
affords, if necessary, comfortable seating, seeing, and
hearing, for any and all services. A projection video system
with a retractable screen displays announcements, songs, and scriptures
from the front of the auditorium, which also shows in the
lobby.
A class for small children is held each Sunday night prior to the
regular service. Also a Lads to Leaders/Leaderettes program was
begun and has grown in size and work. This was shown in a
recent
convention in Nashville with other churches of Christ from Tennessee
and surrounding states participating. This program helps our young
people develop leadership skills and strong Christian qualities that
will last them for a lifetime.
In January of 2002, the ladies began a “Ladies’
Night
Out” program. Once a month the ladies meet in the home of a
hostess, where they eat, visit, sing, and have a devotional.
Some
evenings there are over 30 ladies who gather together to enjoy this
time of fellowship with other Christian women.
Each summer our youth stay very busy. Many go as campers or counselors
to one week or more of Mid-South Youth camp, a church camp in
Henderson, Tennessee, affiliated with Freed-Hardeman University. Also
in connection with the university, young people attend
Horizons,
a week-long church camp on the campus of Freed-Hardeman.
Presently (August 2002) the Lomax Church of Christ has twelve
classrooms. Sunday morning attendance averages 290 with a
Wednesday night Bible class average of 200 in attendance.
This update (August 21, 2007) Lomax now has seven elders and thirteen
deacons. David has been at Lomax approximately 6 years
and Malcolm has been here ten plus years. The
average Sunday
morning attendance is 265, Sunday evening the average attendance is
175 and Wednesday night 180. There is an active
Wednesday
morning class.
Lomax is now involved in a long range building plan program and is
scheduled to begin with the educational wing fall, 2007.
Lomax encourages spiritual growth for everyone with
emphasis on missions at home and abroad. An active benevolent
program is ongoing. The history is taken from Lomax
web site and the update was furnished by associate minister, Malcolm
George.