History of Brightwood Church
Conferences were held in 1938 with Mr. and Mrs. Thomas F. Huffman and Perry Greeson by Dr. Banks J. Peeler in the interest of establishing a church of their faith in the Brightwood Community. Mr Greeson was a member of First Evangelical and Reformed Church, Burlington, NC and Mr. and Mrs. Huffman were members of St. Mark’s. A year later Rev. Aubrey W. Hedrick continued these conferences, making arrangements to hold services in the home of interested people in anticipation of founding a church. The first service was held in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Huffman on October 1, 1939. At that time, 24 people indicated that they were interested in becoming members of such an organization. A second service was held November 5, 1939 in the home of Mr. and Mrs. R.R. Barber, when the Brightwood Evangelical and Reformed Church was officially organized. 28 people signed the Charter Member Roll. These being: Mr. and Mrs. Thomas F Huffman, Mr. and Mrs. R.R. Barber, Evelyn Andrews, Thelma Rice, Mr. and Mrs. Garland Barber, Mr. and Mrs. James Butler, Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Clapp, Mr. and Mrs. Perry Greeson, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Hinton, Mr. and Mrs. T.D. Craven, Ila Craven, Mr. and Mrs. Owen Hinton, Mr. and Mrs. D.A. Hinton, Mr. and Mrs. Ben Hinton, Mrs. Jack Hinton, Mr. and Mrs. J.C. Howell.
Thomas F. Huffman and R.R. Barber were elected elders. Maurice Walker, Robert D. Hinton, J.C. Howell, T.D. Craven and Owen Hinton, deacons. At its winter meeting on February 13, 1940, the congregation was enrolled as a member of Southern Synod of the Evangelical and Reformed Church, and placed under the Pastoral care of Rev. Aubrey W. Hedrick, with a subsidy of $30.00. At the same meeting, the synod made an appropriation of $1,000.00, to aid in the erection of a house of worship and set April 7, 1940 as “Brightwood Day” when the Sunday School of the synod were asked to receive a special offering for the Brightwood Mission Fund. A building committee of T.D. Craven, Thomas F. Huffman, and Owen Hinton were requested to develop plans for a church building and suggest ways and means of financing it. Sketches providing for a chapel, a foyer, and 4 classrooms were approved. Construction was then started on a frame structure, located on a lot two miles west of Gibsonville, N.C. contributed by Mr. and Mrs. Thomas F. Huffman. By early fall, services were being held in the incomplete chapel, soon thereafter the Sunday School was started. On December, 1940 a large audience witnessed the cornerstone laying ceremony. Activities were in charge of the pastor, assisted by Dr. Jacob C. Leonard, Rev. Jasua L. Levens, and Dr. George E. Dillinger. Noticeable expansion occurred in all church activities upon entering the new building. An effective series of Evangelistic services were held beginning the week of May 13, 1941. Dr. John C. Peeler was the preacher. Formal Dedication of the church building took place on July 6, 1941. Dr. James D. Andrews delivered the dedication address and the pastor conducted the ritual of dedication. A hut designed to meet social and educational needs was erected in 1944, and furnished a number of years later. Most of the work done on it was free labor and material used in it consisted of voluntary gifts from people who lived in the parish area. In 1958 Rev. Homer F. Yearick, then supply pastor, considered with the congregation the possibility of arranging for the services of a full-time pastor. A petition was sent to the Board of National Missions, with approval of Southern Synod, asking for enrollment of a mission project with subsidy. The congregation was enrolled by the board with subsidy up to 1/2 of the salary of the minister, plus rental allowance on proposed new parsonage.
Rent allowances by the board in those days were used by local congregation to retire indebtedness on the property, which policy was approved in this case. The parsonage was built on a lot donated by Mr. and Mrs. Quint Tickle located 2 miles northeast of the church on the Bethel Church Road. Plans for the house was adopted by the congregation on February 7, 1954. Construction on it began immediate dedication occurred in July the same year. Rev. J. Wayne Foust was master of ceremonies. Rev. C. Donald Lyerly, who graduated from the Theological Seminary, Lancaster, Pennsylvania in May of 1954 was called to be the first full-time pastor of the church, which was now operating as a mission project under supervision of the Board of National Missions. He was installed June 6, 1954 by Dr. John C. Peeler, Rev. J. Wayne Fouts, and Dr. Harvey A. Fesperman. On July 1, 1964 the congregation purchased for $7,000.00 the Baldwin Property, consisting of six acres of land and a dwelling adjacent to church property on the west side. A changing community has at times stymied the physical and numerical expansion of this congregation, however since no other denomination is represented in the immediate area, it series a definite need. It is composed of small farms and homes of industrial workers with continuing promise of expanding into a residential area. These facts explain the reason for brief pastorates and many ministerial supplies, most of which have been arranged with neighboring pastors. Dr. Jacob A. Plamer, who had been serving the congregation as stated, supplied since 1958, lives in retirement at Thomasville, N.C.. The church is debt-free and has an enrollment of 119 confirmed members. On November 4, 1979 the first service was held in the new church building, with the dedication taking place on November 11, 1979 at 3:00 pm.
Roster of Pastors
Rev. Aubrey W. Hedrick (Organizational Supply 1939 – 1941) Rev William H. Causey (D.D. Supply 1942) Rev. Sterling W. Whitaker (Supply) Rev. John C. Peeler (D.D. Supply 1944 – 1951) Mr. Keith Sink (Summer Student Supply 1951) Rev. John C. Peeler (D.D. Supply 1951) Mr. Bobby R. Bonds (Summer Student Supply 1952) Mr. C. Donald Lyerly (Summer Student Supply 1952) Mr. Keith Sink (Summer Student Supply 1952) Rev. John C. Chatlos (Supply 1952 – 1953) Rev. Homer F. Yearick (Supply 1953) Mr. C. Donald Lyerly (Pastor 1954 – 1957) Rev. J. Wayne Fouts (Supply 1957) Rev. James R. Carpenter (Summer Student Supply 1957) Rev. Charles E. Hialt (Pastor 1957 – 1958) Rev. Jacob C. Palmer (D.D. Supply 1958) Rev. Carl Clapp (Supply 1969 – 1977) Rev. C. Donald Lyerly (Pastor 1978 – 1980) Rev. Eddie Beaver (Pastor September 17, 1980 – March 25, 1984) Rev. Gene Beaver (April 8, 1984 – June 26, 1988) Rev. Delton Agnor (Pastor April 23, 1989 – February 24, 2002)