Churches On
Ecusta Charge
Are Thriving
In a quiet, unheralded man
ner, our churches go about their
mission of making the commu
nity a better place in which to
live. In order to focus atten
tion on the work the churches
and their pastors in this section
are doing. The Echo is inau
gurating in this issue a series of
articles and pictures depicting
the invaluable part these insti
tutions play in the building and
maintaining of a good commu
nity.
The two churches chosen to
begin the series—English Cha
pel and Oak Grove Methodist—
were selected for several reasons.
First, the churches are rural
churches, and no one can contest
the fact that rural churches are
not a vital factor in the religious
life of America. The two
churches also comprise what is
known as the Ecusta Charge and
are located near the plant, Eng
lish Chapel in Pisgah National
Forest and Oak Grove on the
Boyleston Road near the en
trance to Camp Sapphire.
Rev. W. C. Clarke, a native
of Central, N. C., has been in
the ministry since 1923, and is
in his third year as pastor of the
two churches. The progress the
churches are making is notable.
The Oak Grove church is mak
ing plans to build a new church
building in the near future and
a new parsonage for the Ecusta
charge is another immediate ob
jective of the two congregations.
Before coming to the Ecusta
Charge, Rev. Clarke served
churches at Weaverville, Hot
Springs, Saluda, and several pas
torates in eastern North Caro
lina. His wife is the former
Miss Irene Holcombe, and she
has a Master’s degree in music
from the Eastman School of
Music, Rochester, N. Y. She
teaches music in the high school
at Weaverville where the
Clarkes are making their home
at the present.
Among the leaders at English
Chapel are Chester West, Ver
non Neill, Rufus Guffee, Perry
Davis, Mrs. Carl Hamby, Mrs.
Allan Vaughn, and Mrs. Furman
Cansler while J. H. Dickson
Jr., P. C. DeBrabant, Paul Smith,
W. Dent Auvil, J. W. McCor
mick, Mrs. Thomas Hargis, Jr.,
Mrs. P. G. Norman, J. W. Sin-
iard, and Mrs. Joe Siniard hold
responsible positions in the Oak
Grove church. Many of these
are connected with our com
panies.
The membership of English
Chapel is 47 and Oak Grove has
113 on its church roll. The
Oak Grove church celebrated its
100th anniversary last Septem
ber and English Chapel was
founded 80 years ago.
i
* ^
Above, Rev. W. C. Clarke; below, Oak Grove Church
13