A Part of God's Plan

As I near completion of the first month of these faith stories, I can’t help but note that there are some recurring stories and themes on this journey.  The stories are ones that come up in different conversations with different people. Most of them involve events at Hayes Barton Baptist Church, but some involve its people.  Here is one of the stories that will have a “rest of the story” in another posting.  The story is one about two people who were at Hayes Barton Baptist Church at its founding but were NOT charter members.  Read on and you’ll know why and why it is an important story.  The people are Mr. and Mrs. A.C. Hall, Sr.

I heard this brief story from several people when discussing the early history of Hayes Barton Baptist Church.  Julian Bunn offered it first, but others also mentioned it.  The story really is about more than just two people, Mr. and Mrs. A. C. Hall, Sr., who are its focal point; it is about all of the people who are Hayes Barton Baptist Church.

“In the beginning” of Hayes Barton Baptist Church, a handful of people met hoping to plant a Baptist church in, as the 75^th anniversary book states, “the new section of Raleigh known as Hayes Barton.”  Meetings took place in homes in the Hayes Barton neighborhood during the fall of 1926.  A General Steering Committee was formed which was chaired by N.H. McLeod, Sr.  Members included Mr. and Mrs. C.R. Boone, Mr. and Mrs. D.F. Fort, Jr., Dr. and Mrs. Ben J. Lawrence, D.R. Jackson, A.J. Fletcher, L. Polk Denmark, and Mrs. N.H. McLeod, Sr.

Eventually this committee, working with the Baptist Council of Raleigh, moved to organize what today stands as Hayes Barton Baptist Church.  The day this organizing action took place was November 7, 1926.  At that time, as the 75^th anniversary book states, “It was also agreed that all members received into the church by January 1, 1927, would be considered charter members.”  The book offers a list of 175 charter members.  In some way, this list is where this story really begins.

In reviewing the list of charter members, I did not find the names of Mr. and Mrs. A.C. Hall, Sr.  To be honest, I knew their names wouldn’t be on the list as I had been told they were not charter members.  I just had to make sure they were not on the list, or this story wouldn’t be worth telling.  You see, Mr. and Mrs. A. C. Hall, Sr., were involved in the activities which took place “in the beginning” of Hayes Barton Baptist Church.  They, in fact, were “charter members” of the choir, according to their daughter Helen Hall Bosse.  But they were not charter members of the church.  So, why is NOT being charter members even remembered some 85 years later? 

Because of how important those charter members were; that’s why.  The Halls were not able to join by January 1, 1927, and therefore are not considered charter members.  Their not joining is remembered because they very much wanted to join and very much wanted to be charter members.  But times were different back then.  Mrs. Hall was pregnant at the time of the church founding and, therefore, was not able to go out in public and join the church.  Hence, the Halls were not charter members.  “So what?” you might say.  Well, it is a “so what” as their not being charter members is remembered because it was regretted for many years.  Mrs. Hall, in particular, is remembered as wanting to have been a charter member.  But times were different back then.

The story of the Halls NOT being charter members lives on through the people in our church. And these very stories comprise who we are as a church.  They are our heritage. They illustrate how we started with the hope to plant a church.  And they show how the church can be a home for a lifetime. While the Halls were not charter members of the church, they were lifetime members.  And their story, just like yours and mine, make us who we are.  Whether “in the beginning” or today, the people of Hayes Barton Baptist Church are the lifeblood of Hayes Barton Baptist Church.  Each is to be remembered, and each is to be cherished.  Whether a charter member “in the beginning” or a new member today, each is a child of God and a part of God’s plan that is known as Hayes Barton Baptist Church.