Faith and Fighting

Saulsbury Baptist Church was founded July 14, 1866. The "Preacher General," Mark Perrin Lowrey helped organize the church along with about a dozen believers who presented letters from churches in the area. According to his biography, Lowrey was a Southern Baptist preacher otherwise known as the Preacher General. "He is known for being a Confederate brigadier general during the Civil War, for his works in the Mississippi Southern Baptist Convention, and for founding Blue Mountain College."

According to the record in the history of Hardeman County Tennessee the organizational meeting for the church lasted 12 days and concluded with "13 hopeful conversions with 9 baptized. So began the Saulsbury Baptist church...." Saulsbury Baptist Church has a rich history of ministry over the past 160 years.

Commemorating the 160th year of the Saulsbury Baptist Church this past weekend was a fitting complement to celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States of America. We've been reminded of those patriots who rallied together to form our nation, and we have marveled at the discussions and documents that became our foundation as a free nation.

My mother and her family were members of the church in Saulsbury. Born January 13, 1921, she grew up surrounded by family and friends who were well anchored in that part of the South. The church was a mere 55 years old when she was born. Our nation was 145 years old when the church was founded in Saulsbury on the heels of the Civil War.

Those born in the South are not surprised to learn about Civil War times when Yankees, or to be polite Union forces, descended from the north intending to destroy farms and communities wherever they roamed. The war did not touch those who lived above the Mason-Dixon line the same way.

Of course, churches, particularly Baptist churches and ministries played major roles in people's lives during those dark days. Imagine your own nation's military destroying what you and your ancestors had labored for decades to build from the ground up. In the deep South, the so-called Bible Belt of our nation, churches were foundational for daily living.

According to family stories, we posed no threat to those who invaded our lives and destroyed our livelihoods. If not for church congregations and ministers who faithfully preached the gospel and prayed diligently for peace, those who had settled farms and businesses would not have survived the indiscriminate crimes against humanity.

Nevertheless, I was surprised to hear about Confederate Brigadier General Mark Perrin Lowrey's life of Christian service combined with his service in the CSA repelling northern invaders in numerous campaigns including Battle of Shiloh, Battle of Perryville, Battle of Chickamauga, and Battle of Murfreesboro to name a few.

After the war Lowrey returned to Mississippi where he had founded First Baptist Church of Corinth and served as the first pastor. Before the war he had also served as pastor of Farmington Baptist Church and a church in Kossuth.

Newcomers to the South don't understand our legacy of faith and fighting. Baptists certainly understand! It's a strength God has given us to make it through this old world. Thank God for blessing us all not for our works but from His abundant love and grace.