How It All Began

02/21/2023

The Clarksville church was organized on February 20, 1993, by Elder William Woodruff and Ray Daniel with thirty charter members. Happy 30th Anniversary!

A Brief History of Clarksville, Arkansas The Work Begins Elder Joseph Madison Rees In 1893, tent meetings with about 200 in attendance, were held in Clarksville prior to a camp meeting. The ev…

01/18/2023

Arkansas-Louisiana Conference President, 1985-1994 His Early Years William Lee Woodruff, Jr. was born January 16, 1928, in Takoma Park, Maryland to William Lee Woodruff and Ruth Evangeline During W…

01/02/2023

We were saddened to hear of the death of Elder James Gilley on December 28, 2022. Thankfully, three years ago Elder Gilley wrote a life sketch for us to post on the SDA History page of the Arkansas-Louisiana Conference, and we are happy to share his story with you. Jim served as the 13th President of the Arkansas-Louisiana Conference from 1994-2001.

Arkansas-Louisiana Conference President, 1994-2001 His Early Years James William Gilley, Sr. was born October 17, 1940, in Dallas, Texas, to John Wesley and Paulene Epperson Gilley. He was the four…

12/19/2022

Happy 55th anniversary to the Clinton SDA Church. The Clinton church was organized as the fifty-first church in our conference on December 18, 1967, with seventeen members. Elder Ben E. Leach, president of the Southwestern Union Conference, gave the address.

A Brief History of Clinton, Arkansas The Work Begins Some of the first Adventists we know of in the area were Mrs. Eva Robison, living with her daughter in a house on Highway 110, and Alfred a…

12/09/2022

Happy 5th anniversary to Berryville Spanish SDA Church organized December 9, 2017.

A Brief History of Berryville, Arkansas The Work Begins Rodney Riley (Facebook, 2010) Early in 2005, Mr. and Mrs. Rodney Riley of the Huntsville Church attended the Amazing Facts School of Eva…

12/05/2022

Happy anniversary to Springtown SDA Church organized 1 year ago today. The congregation is enjoying their new sanctuary, dedicated October 29, 2022.

A Brief History of Springtown, Arkansas The Work Begins Elder V. B. Watts ca. 1908 Elder Volner Brockway Watts began holding meetings in Springtown near the end of September 1905. After three weeks…

11/18/2022

The Booneville SDA Church was organized November 18, 1967. Happy 55th anniversary!

A Brief History of Booneville, Arkansas The Work Begins John Ethan Rust in 1908 John Ethan Rust, born in North Danville, Vermont, on March 26, 1829, accepted the third angel’s message in…

11/08/2022

Happy 70th anniversary to the Minden SDA Church organized November 8, 1952, with 30 charter members. Meetings were first held in Minden in 1918, but had to be discontinued when the influenza pandemic hit the area.

A Brief History of Minden, Louisiana The Work Begins At the end of September 1918, Mr. and Mrs. Denton and Elder O. F. Frank began a series of meetings in Minden. A few days after the meetings star…

10/10/2022

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the opening of the McKee Foods Corporation plant in Gentry, Arkansas. Built in 1982 when the company needed more capacity, the Gentry Plant has helped McKee Foods serve the western United States and Mexico. The facility employs more than 1,500 people and is the largest employer in Gentry.

Oather Dorris “O. D.” McKee Company History Family-owned and operated, McKee Foods Corporation is small compared to Nabisco Brands, Lance, and Interstate Bakeries. McKee Foods’ th…

09/20/2022

Fifty-five years ago the Beacon Hill SDA Church in De Queen, Arkansas, organized their first Pathfinder Club.

De Queen Pathfinder Club Organized in 1967 The first Pathfinder club in the history of the Beacon Hill church was organized early in 1967 under the direction of Lyle Cherry, local layman. The club …

09/15/2022

Don Carl Schneider was born 80 years ago in September 1942. At the age of 17 he held a series of evangelistic meetings in Helena, Arkansas. In 1965 Don served as pastor of the Shreveport district, then pastored the Harrison, Berryville, Mountain Home and Mammoth Spring churches. He later served as the 11th president of the Arkansas-Louisiana Conference from 1982 to 1985, in addition to many other positions he held throughout his years of ministry.

Arkansas-Louisiana Conference President, 1982-1985 His Early Years Don Schneider, age twelve, 1956 (Yearbook, 1957) Don Carl Schneider was born in September 1942, in Merrill, Wisconsin, to Virgil a…