The Royalton
Apostolic Church was established in 1944 by a group of seven
women who made doughnuts and buns and sold them. Their children
would go from door to door and sell them. Bud Carpenter would
take Mrs. Forbes and Minnie Carver to the Zeigler and West Frankfort
banks on miners' payday. He would leave them for a while to collect
donations from the miners. He would then go back and get them
and take them home. There were also other donations given to
them. They bought the cinder blocks with the money A tin ceiling
was installed and it was painted green and white. They had a
coal stove which was set at the back of the church and would
gather around it for service because of the cold. They didn't
have a preacher for a long, so Minnie Carver was the teacher
as well as the preacher at that time. They would sing, testify,
pray, and shout and dance. They had many good times there.
The names of the
seven pioneer women who Modena Carpenter, Minnie Carver, Opal
Forbes, Maize Tefferteller, Maude Hicks, Mrs. Winett, and Pansy
Winett. It was a great blessing when a coal furnace and restroom
were put in.
Orville Rae, Bro.
Brown, Willie Smith, Robert Yonts were many of the early pastors
of the church. Prior to the church building they held services
in a store building in town.
Gradually the Royalton
Apostolic Church grew with each pastor that came. The
inside of the church began to change. The furnace was put in
the back of the church in a room that doubled for the kitchen.
Paneling then went up and a new lower ceiling was installed.
One of the members (who is now deceased) whose name was Bro.
Moore, did the carpentry work. Raymond Smith was the Pastor for
a number of years, then Bro. Sherman Spiller became the Pastor
for the next 25 years.
Then came the addition
of Sunday School rooms and a fellowship hall. The new addition
was dedicated to Willie Smith.
Other Pastors in
the church history were Bro. Beal from Harrisburg, Bro. Nickols
and Sister Perryman for a short time.
A new fellowship hall has now been established where the laundromat
once stood. This was done under the direction of our present
Pastor, Bro. Noel Gene Loyd. He and his wife, Sis. Betty Loyd,
have blessed our church immensely. The church appreciates the
Loyd's never tiring efforts to help the church grow. They have
worked with the young people under the direction of their son
and daughter-in-law, Tommy and Gerry Lynn Loyd. They have had
many good times, but most importantly, they are teaching them
the word of God.
Royalton Apostolic Church is proud to announce that next year
we will be celebrating the church's 50th anniversary.
(Author Unknown By Me) |
