PAGE 2
T»r«$ton^ S^HWi
JULY, 1957
Employees Are Leaders In Community Affairs
Hundreds Are Volunteers
In Worthwhile Endeavors
Employees of Firestone Textiles are good citizens, as
indicated by the great extent of their participation in com
munity affairs.
A recent survey among supervision and workers in the
plant revealed a high degree of contribution to the church,
the school and a host of other organizations and agencies
that operate to make the community a better place in which
to live.
Concentration of service is in the church—running the
gamut frcm volunteer do-it-yourself projects on buildings
and grounds to the complex work of regular ministers, who
somehow manage to “redeem the time” in their off-the-job
hours. And in between is an impressive list of lay workers
who give freely of their time and energy as—to name a few
—Sunday school officers and administrators, teachers, youth
workers, members of committees and boards, elders, dea
cons, choir leaders and organists.
Other areas in which Firestone people are leaders in
clude the various civic and service clubs, youth organizations,
business and professional groups, fraternal organizations,
better-schools groups, and welfare agencies. And then there
are fields that defy classification.
Because of some time lapse, it would be very difficult to
have the recognition lists up-to-date at the time of publica
tion in this issue of the plant newspaper.
Names and services associated with them are published
here with no attempt at being complete, but for the purpose
of a salute to employees and of showing the vast extent of
community service being rendered by Firestone people.
Eleven Men Active Ministers
Earl Redding, Shop. Minister
of Love Valley Baptist Church,
Route 2, Kings Mountain.
Preacher at Love Valley for the
past 13 years, now serves as
chairman of Christian Rural
Overseas Project in that com
munity. Member of board of
Kings Mountain Baptist Associa
tion and member of committee
on care. With Union Road Vol
unteer Fire Department.
George Philbeck, Shop. A Free
Will Baptist, preaches occasion
ally on week ends and conducts
prayer meetings and revival
services. Has assisted in organiz
ing four churches during the
past several years.
☆ ☆ ☆
Whatever makes men
Christians, makes them
citizens.—Daniel Webster
☆ ☆ ☆
good
good
Monroe Jackson, Ply Twisting.
Traveling minister with Je
hovah’s Witnesses group. On
time off from his job he dis
tributes printed materials and
conducts religious programs.
Member of Kingdom Hall, Gas
tonia.
Melvin Knox, Shop. Member
of St. James Reformed Right
eous Church of God on Davidson
avenue. An evangelist, traveling
in the area. Conducts services on
week ends and leads pray*"-
meetings on week nights.
Emory Beaver, Carding. Mem
ber of Beech Avenue Baptist
Church. Leads revival meetings
and other services.
David Adams, Shop. A mem
ber of St. James Reformed
Righteous Church of God, David
son avenue. Preaches occasion
ally and holds prayer services
at various churches.
Earl Shannon, Winding. As
sistant pastor of Carolina Ca
thedral, Gastonia. Presbyterian.
President of Religious Welfare,
Inc.; chaplain. Woodmen of the
f
A
LEADERSHIP of Mrs. Mozelle Brockman in
various phases of Women's Missionary Union
work is example of services rendered by em
ployees in churches of Gastonia and surrounding
area. Mrs. Brockman, back row and right center,
participates in a White Bible Ceremony at Loray
Baptist Church. The presentation to brides-elect
here goes to Tommie Sue Barton, who since the
photo was made, became the bride of Dean
Atkinson.
In the picture, front row and from left: Rachel
McArver, Marie Moore, Carol June Bolding,
Elizabeth Ledford, Bonnie Sue Blalock and Joyce
Sanders. Second row, from left; Nadine Gaddis,
Mrs. Naomi Blanton, Mrs. Atkinson, Mrs. Brock
man, Mary Kate Blalock and Glenda Gaddis.
Church Activities Greatest Area Of Service
World; head of the Old Preach
ers’ Fund. An elder, vacation
Bible school teacher, Sunday
school teacher.
Charles Hall, Shop. Church of
God preacher-student, conducts
open-air services and leads re
ligious services in jails. Sunday
school teacher, leader young peo
ple’s work, program leader of
youth activities in Bessemer
City Church of God.
Charles Peterson, Shop. Mem
ber of Mt. View Baptist Church
near Crowders Mountain.
Preaches occasionally and con
ducts evangelistic services with
in 100-mile radius of Gastonia.
Leads prayer meetings. Home
and hospital visitation of the
sick.
John Stowe, Rayon Twisting.
Minister of the New Testament
Church of God, Foundation of
Truth congregation at Rock Hill,
S. C. When he is not engaged in
work with this church, he does
supply preaching in churches of
different denominations around
Gastonia, Kings Mountain and
Rock Hill.
Oliver Taylor, Spinning. Bap
tist evangelist whose ministerial
work includes radio, prison, and
street preaching. He occasional
ly conducts revival meetings in
churches of the Gastonia area.
Of the total employee church
membership of approximately
1400, more than 500 persons are
actively engaged in some form
of leadership in the many con
gregations to which they belong.
And of the 1642 responses in the
recent survey, 1280 indicated
church membership. Within that
1280, 462 listed definite positions
of leadership, ranging from a
member of a committee to a full
time minister.
The following list suggests the
extensive participation in
church affairs.
Edgar Clawson, deacon,
church clerk, Sunday school
teacher; Albert Laughlin, dea
con, music director, church sec
retary, church trustee; Harry
Stewart, director religious edu
cation; Lowery Cobb, trustee;
Oliver Hardy, SS superintend
ent, music director, leader young
people’s society; Walter Irvin,
music director, SS superintend
ent.
Irene Williams, SS teacher,
vice president young people’s
society, member of trio; Chris
tine Davis, program chairman
women’s circle; Marvin Mc-
Curry, deacon, assistant SS
teacher; Alonzo Smith, church
treasurer; Wilma Hyde, vacation
Bible school teacher; Wallace
Floyd, deacon, church treasurer.
Annie Cosey, president SS
class, secretary WSCS, home and
foreign missions work; Corrie
Johnson, VBS, SS teacher, mem
ber SS board, president mission-
Baptists Lead In Church Membership
Numerically, Southern Baptists hold a decisive margin over
members of all other religious affiliations among employees of Fire
stone Textiles, Gastonia. Methodist come in for second place.
A recent survey revealed that among the 1280 employees who
indicated church membership, 787 were Baptists and 231 were
Methodists.
Here is a break-down of the remaining 17 denominational
preferences, in descending order of the number of membership:
Wesleyan Methodist, 64; Presbyterian, 63; Associate Reformed
Presbyterian, 46; Lutheran, 19; Pentecostal Holiness, 14; AME Zion,
12; Assembly of God, 11; Free Will Baptist, 6; Catholic, 4; Church
of Christ, 4; Episcopalian, 4; Congregational Christian, 3; Jehovah’s
Witnesses, 3; Salvation Army, 3; Christian (Disciples of Christ), 2;
Church of God of Prophecy, 2; Four Square Gospel, 2.
One employee listed himself as a member of a church designat
ed as “non-denominational.”
ary society; J. C. Barnes, deacon,
committee chairman; Marion
Hughes, church clerk, VBS, SS
teacher; James Haney, deacon,
social director; Ruth McGhee,
church secretary, VBS teacher;
Ollie Propst, SS organist, lead
er beginner department Baptist
Training Union.
☆ ☆ ☆
The enduring value of religion
is in its challenge to aspiration
and hope in the mind of man.—
Ernest Hopkins
☆ ☆ ☆
Leola Chambers, leader Wom
en’s Missionary Union; Woodrow
McKnight, elder, music director;
Grady Taylor, church secretary-
treasurer; Nell Robinson, SS
teacher, chairman mission study
group; Evelyn Mayfield, general
secretary Women’s Missionary
Society, co-chairman Lydia Busi
ness Women’s circle, VBS teach
er.
Elizabeth Lewis, Bible quiz
leader, circle chairman, SS
teacher; Jurlene Strickland, as
sistant director training union,
president WMU; Leila Rape,
VBS, SS teacher; Bonnie Led
ford, superintendent BTU (Jun
ior); Grace Christopher, SS su
perintendent, director - leader
BTU, superintendent Junior de
partment, SS teacher.
Lillian Parham, leader mis
sionary group; Loyd Wright, sec
retary SS class, usher; Lillie
Bradshaw, superintendent
young people’s society; Vina
Robinson, secretary promotion of
missionary society; Verdie
Smith, chairman women’s circle,
president SS class; Emma Jolly,
leader training union; Mildred
Redding, VBS, SS teacher,
church pianist.
Pearl Edison, leader women’s
guild; Sara FuUbright, director
Junior choir, VBS teacher, chair
man committee charity workers;
Gwynn Hardin, deacon, presi
dent SS class; Getty Davis, cir
cle leader; Alice Bell, VBS, SS
teacher, church clerk, BTU Jun
ior leader; Carrie Spivey, VBS,
SS teacher, BTU leader.
Curbie McGhee, church clerk,
SS teacher; Barbara Sneed, lead
er business women’s circle; Ed
gar Riley, deacon, church treas
urer, music director, VBS, SS
teacher, president adult BTU;
Donnie Medlin, secretary-treas-
urer SS class, SS program chair
man; P. G. Cloninger, vice presi
dent SS class, leader BTU; Arn
old Grindle, assistant church
treasurer, deacon, assistant SS
superintendent, chairman fi
nance committee; Bertha Dett-
mar, nursery mother, superin
tendent nursery.
Ruth Cloninger, VBS, SS
teacher, counselor young people;
Faye Ross, director Junior choir,
SS teacher, instructor training
union for boys and girls; Faye
Kennerly, SS program commit
tee, assistant SS teacher; Kath
erine Davis, church historian, fi
nance committee; Lillie Seism,
leader in Catholic Women’s
Guild; Mae Grindle, VBS teach
er, director training union; Mary
Tindall, leader fund-raising
group, circle work; Ruby Seism,
keeper of nursery; Jessie McFee,
VBS, SS teacher; Mildred Kel-
ton, VBS teacher; Ruby McCoig,
VBS teacher, leader BTU, WMU;
Margaret Huffstetler, VBS, SS
teacher; Ray Bagwell, church
steward, SS teacher; Lewis
Compton, group captain SS
class; Lorene Owensby, VBS, SS
teacher; Agnes Lowery, SS su
perintendent, VBS teacher; Sal-
lie Spencer, SS superintendent,
SS teacher.
☆ ☆ ☆
Philosophy makes us wiser»
but Christianity makes us better
men.—F ielding
☆ ☆ ☆
Arvel Green, SS teacher, BTtJ
leader; Maude Peeler, WMtJ
leader, VBS teacher; Lucy Allen,
VBS, SS teacher, WMS leader;
William Dixon, church clerk!
John Cothern, deacon, VBS, ,SS
teacher, BTU leader; G. W-
Horne, church clerk, SS teacher;
May Jones, VBS teacher, WMtJ
leader; John Morgan, deacon,
secretary, church clerk.
Lucille Davis, committee
chairman, WSCS leader; Davi<^
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