Oden Methodist Church
Montgomery Co. AR.
written by Mrs. Frank Davidson in1956.
The church was probably founded in 1880 by a small group that began meeting in a one room log cabin built in 1874. The cabin was on the Dave Evans land at Oak Hill, about a mile southeast from Pencil Bluff. John Chapman later bought the house and moved it to his farm for a barn.
The Methodist held services in the Grenade Schoolhouse, a small log cabin, located where Vell Tucker lived in 1956 near highway 270. The minister came from Mt Ida by horseback or buggy one Sunday a month. Brother Harrison preached there in 1887 spending Saturday nights with some member of the church. Mrs A.J. Plemmons says that preachers of other denominations did not preach at the Grenade Schoolhouse.
About 1894 greater interest was taken in the church. Probably it was then, or in 1880, that the church was organized. The enlarged group moved to the Oden Schoolhouse, a one room house, near a big spring under a hill east of the present school building.
Rev. J.W. Christmas was pastor around 1901. Brother Christmas established a campground, "Black Rock", in the Gaston Community. Small cabins were built there. Families would come and camp to attend the week-long services. The campground was active for several years. People looked forward to this annual event. For two years or more Bro. Christmas preached at Oden, and also at Grenade. Everyone loved him. He served a tenure as pastor to the church for nine years.
The old schoolhouse was torn down and a new two-story frame building erected.
About 1901 or 1904 the Odd Fellows, fraternal order, built a two-story building in Oden where the Holiness Church now stands. Permission was given to the Methodists to take charge of the first floor. Services were held there for many years.
After the Odd Fellows hall was torn down services were held in the
Primitive Baptist Church and also the Missionary Baptist Church. We were all
neighbors and worked together nicely.
Moved into the present structure in 1924 in a property swap. The lot
where the Missionary (Southern Baptist Convention) Baptist Church (or parsonage)
now stands was owned by the Methodists. (Recently this yellow house on the
hill opposite the school has been used as the Oden library but mid June 2001 I
picked up some ivy from the front porch the parsonage as the building has been
condemn and is in the mist of being demolish.) Rev. J.R. Doyel, a minister of the United Pentecostal
Church owned the lot where our Methodist Church now stands. In May,
1924, the Methodists trustees A.J. Plemmons, Ike Chapman and Dr. J.D. Robbins,
traded our lot on the hill to Brother Doyel for the lot where our church now
stands. Rev. Andrew Hamilton was pastor.
The Epworth League (Conference-wide Methodist youth organization) had taken an interest in the Mt. Ida circuit as its mission project. They donated $1000 toward the present building and another $100 was raised by local people, including many non-Methodists.
Since there were only a small number of Methodist it was a struggle to pay off the mortgage for the building. Under Mrs. A. J. (Rena) Plemmons, the Methodist ladies met once or twice a week to quilt for anyone having work for them. If no one hired them they made quilts and sold chances on them. Ladies from other churches helped too. They also raised money by holding cake and ice cream suppers and box suppers. They raised about $300 on this project during three or four years. Mrs. A. J. Plemmons went to the presiding Elder, Rev. J.W. Henderson, told him what we had done and asked if he couldn't help with another 4100 or so. He told her: "You have been faithful and certainly deserve it," and gave her $300. We were still $600 short. So the three trustees, A.J. Plemmons, Ike Chapman and Dr. J.D. Robbins, met and paid off the balance.
Rev. Jesse M. Hamilton did wonderful work here. He was specially popular with the young people who attended his services in large numbers.
Rev. John L. Dedman was pastor here in 1915. This was his first charge. He rode a red horse called "Chock". Everyone was acquainted with "Chock" and was glad to see him and Brother Dedman. Brother Dedman at age 25 married Miss Mattie Taylor, 21, on 23 September, 1915, during his last year on this charge. Brother Dedman, together with the Oden Missionary (Southern Convention) Baptist pastor, Rev. Charlie Roberts (Roberds) conducted the biggest revival this community has ever had. They built a brush arbor near Pencil Bluff (on Hwy 88 near the old Barnard place) Fifty or more persons joined the two churches as a result of the revival.
We have a wonderful community - all working together and loving the same God. let us continue the good work and pray that God will guide us still.
Mrs. Frank (Mattie) Davidson
May 1956.
There were three churches down by the cemetery, only two remain, the Methodist and the Macedonia Primitive Baptist Church. The Holiness Church was located across the road from the Macedonia Primitive Baptist Church (AR Bap. Assoc.) An addition was added on to the back of the Macedonia Primitive Baptist Church June 2001. Montgomery County: Our Heritage vol.1 pg 548 gives the Macedonia Primitive Baptist Church history and notes the building was first the Odd Fellows Hall. The Oden United Methodist Church, part of the Mount Ida-Joplin Charge in the Arkadelphia District added a fellowship hall in 1998. Mrs Mattie Plemmons Davidson a school teacher at Oden for fifty started teaching at sixteen. Born in Oden in 1889 and buried at the Oden Cemetery in 1989.
