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•November 4, 2015•

Twenty-one years before the outbreak of the War Between the States 14 residents of the Asa Creek area organized the Christian Church of Asa Creek in what is now Sullivan. Later with the changes in population the name changed to First Christian Church.

In 1840 the first church meeting was held at the log cabin home of evangelist Levi Patterson. The organizer Levi Fleming served as first minister. Asa Creek area was part of Shelby County.

For the next 12 years the church remained very much the same until in 1853 a revival meeting in the Methodist Church with ministers Bushrod Henry, John Wilson and Manning T. Smith which added 50 new members to the congregation. They outgrew the cabin, and in 1853 a 40’ x 80’ house of worship was built on the corner of Harrison and Worth streets. It is interesting to note that there were two entrances, one for the men and another for the women.

At the end of the century the church membership had grown to the where the ‘house of worship’ building became too small. The building was torn down to make way for a larger church building. This building is now home to the First Baptist Church.      Login or Subscribe to read the rest of this story.