In 1912, during an outpouring of the Holy Spirit in a camp meeting held at the former Nazarene campground in Vilonia, AR, some families from Searcy were introduced to the Pentecostal Church of the Nazarene. They were in agreement with the doctrine and beliefs and began to pursue the start of a church in their community. Thus the First Church of the Nazarene of Searcy, Arkansas began.The church beg
an as a Bible Study and prayer group. They sought guidance from the leadership of the Church of the Nazarene during that time. The Pentecostal Church of the Nazarene recognized their hunger to spread the ministry of holiness in Searcy. Waddle was the first pastor to serve this congregation and lead them in their vision of ministry. They worked together and located a building where they could worship and moved toward organization. On September 29th of the year 1913, through the leadership of Rev. Waddle, the Searcy congregation united and organized the First Church of the Nazarene in Searcy, Arkansas. The 18 charter members were, Mrs. Eva Beck, Mrs. Will Burnett, Miss Lennis Cole, Mrs. Fletcher, Mrs. Ada McCaslin, John Wesley Newton, Mrs. Hattie Irene Newton, Miss Ida Roberts, Miss Clara Roberts, Miss Georgia Roberts, Mrs. Ida Roach, Mr. Simpson, Mrs. Simpson, Miss Adys Simpson, Mr. A. Sullavan, Mrs. Macie Sullavan, Mrs. Julia B. Slaughter, and Miss Emma Shands. They built their first church in the 1920's. It was a wood frame structure that had no air conditioning and during the summer, they had to raise the wooden coverings over the opening on the side of the building to have circulation of air and more light. In the winter months, they had a wood burning stove that kept them warm. In the 1950's, they bricked their church located directly behind Yarnell's Ice Cream Plant. In the 1970's, under the leadership of Rev. James Edwards, they sold their church and purchased the property on highway 36 where they worship today. Under the leadership of Pastor Randall Beaty, they have built a fellowship hall which is located behind the original structure built in the 1970's. Written by Ava Laidler
