Laneville and Oak Flat Churches
Gerald Dean Kellar was born in Springfield, Arkansas in 1916. In 1937 he came to Jacksonville, Texas to attend Jacksonville Baptist College. In 1938 he married Mary Lou Nunn. He pastored First Missionary Baptist Church at Laneville from 1937 to 1941 (according to the biography), and Smyrna Missionary Baptist Church at Oak Flat from 1938 to 1941 (according to church records). Gerald died in 2001, and Mary Lou died in 2008. They are buried at the Jacksonville City Cemetery. The following memories in reference to two Rusk County churches were written by Mary Lou Nunn Kellar in The Pride of Springfield, which was published in 1997.
Gerald pastored two churches on the same weekend in Rusk County south of Henderson, Texas. He preached at the Smyrna Baptist Church in the Oak Flat community on Saturday morning, Saturday night, and Sunday afternoon; then he preached at First Baptist Church in the Laneville community on Sunday morning and Sunday night. The churches were three miles apart.
Smyrna Baptist Church was a typical country church. Every family had several children, so the congregation was quite large. The rectangular-shaped building had wooden pews on the right and left sides of the pulpit. The older men sat on the right side, called the “Amen” corner, while the older women sat on the left.
On Saturday morning the house would be well-filled with the families and many of their friends and then again for the other two services. In conference the members would answer the roll call and give reasons for being absent. They were indeed a church-going congregation.
Gerald related the story about his call to Smyrna church. Brother J. O. McClung went to Smyrna in view of a call. He preached and was asked to step outside for the church was going into conference to call a pastor that afternoon. Of course, McClung desired to be elected.
He was outside in his car when Brother Fuller, a faithful deacon, stepped outside and yelled, “Come on in, the jig’s up, McClung, we called Kellar.” Brother McClung related that story to Gerald a few weeks later.
Pastor Kellar was preaching his heart out to an attentive audience. He quoted two verses of scripture from memory. Uncle Marshall Vaughn, a pioneer preacher and a student of the Word, was sitting in the “amen” corner with tears streaming down his face. He called out, Brother Kellar, quote the next verse.”
Well, Brother Kellar did not know the next verse, so he said, “Uncle Marshall, you quote the next verse.” He readily quoted the next verse, and Gerald continued his message.
Often Brother Marshall would interrupt the scripture reading and say, “Brother Kellar, I heard a great message on that text.” Oh, what an encouragement he was to a young preacher!
Mary Lou was getting adjusted as a preacher’s wife. She was learning to accept whatever situation she found herself in. Every experience added to her knowledge of what to do and what not to do.
One home had several children. Mary Lou was seated on the bench with the boys. The woman served large homemade biscuits. Now Mary Lou loved hot biscuits, butter, and syrup. She was raised on ribbon cane syrup, so she poured a plateful to go on the biscuits. Then she took a bite, and it was sorghum syrup, which she did not like. She looked at Gerald and he knew what happened. He grinned as if to say, “You poured it into your plate, now eat it.” The lesson is still observed, take only a small portion of any food; you make the cook feel good if you ask for seconds.
The Kellars were invited to a member’s home. In the morning they were still in bed when they heard a noise in the back yard. The lady of the house was wringing a chicken’s neck. In about forty-five minutes they were called to breakfast – fried chicken, hot biscuits, gravy, and coffee, a super breakfast if you have never tried it. The young couple was learning the real meaning of genuine hospitality. The Kellars loved the people in Smyrna Baptist Church. There they learned valuable lessons which they have applied through the years. (Today Smyrna Baptist Church affiliates with the American Baptist Association and is doing well.)
The First Baptist Church of Laneville, Texas, was three miles down the road (a Texas expression) from Smyrna Church. Both were stable, staunch churches affiliating with the BMA; but they were in direct contrast to each other. The people in the Laneville church had acquired a small town aura, being a bit more formal, yet very spiritual. It was a joy to worship in either church, especially after getting acquainted with the members. The services reflected the lives of those godly people.
Laneville church had several good families who supported and encouraged the pastor. The Galloway family was one of those supporters. John and Nettie Galloway had children who were college age, so the Kellars found their home a refuge on the weekends they were in Laneville. The three daughters in the family majored in library science, a special course at that time. Two of them were already working as librarians, so they often sent special offering to the Kellars. Imagine getting ten dollars extra from a friend, just a gift!
Gerald recalls the good times at the Galloway house. Mrs. Galloway, lovable and very sociable, enjoyed tricks and fun games. One time Gerald asked her a serious question, “Mrs. Galloway, when was the War of 1812 fought?”
She thought for a minute and then said, “Now what was that war about?”
He asked the question again and she caught it. He still remembers her laugh and the fun she had. He recalls her salty ham (home cured) and hot biscuits. The Kellars have sweet memories of good times with the Galloway family.
One event stands out in Kellar’s mind. The church went to the pond to baptize. Gerald went out into the water with the eight candidates. Margie, a twelve-year-old girl, had gone into the water. Everything was quiet; the pastor was preparing to baptize her. Now Margie’s eight-year-old brother Tom was standing some distance from the crowd gathered on the bank. In the quietness he yelled in a loud voice, “Margie, are ye sceered? Are you sceered, Margie?” Of course, that loud outcry almost broke up the service. (The First Baptist Church of Laneville no longer exists, but memories of the good times there in the years from 1937-1941 still remain in the hearts of the Gerald Kellars. The influence of that church will reach into eternity.)
The Pride of Springfield, Mary Lou Kellar, Texarkana, TX: Baptist Publishing House, 1997, pp. 72-74.
posted by R. L. Vaughn at 10:15 AM
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