The History of
the Groveton Church of Christ
There was a group known as the Christian Church meeting in Groveton in the early 1900's. The church building, which they owned, was destroyed by fire in 1938, and that church afterward ceased to exist. There was a division in the church of Groveton in 1920 when a mechanical instrument of music was injected into the worship services, over the objections of and in violation of the conscience of many members. The result was a new congregation, which began in 1920. The congregation formed in the early 1920's first met in a building borrowed from the Presbyterians. When this building was destroyed, the brethren met in the Courthouse until 1924. Jodie Wallace Harrott and Cleona Mochman Thompson Harrott were among these who met in the courthouse. Mrs. O. J. Willis and her sister, Madge Hill, remember meeting in the courthouse. In 1924, the local Baptists built a new meeting house and the Church of Christ in Groveton bought their old building. That old building was located on Highway 94, where the present Highway 94 church's building stands. W. R. Young, P. A. Ratcliff and Jim Allen were members who signed the purchase papers for the Church of Christ. Other early members were Peter Edward Josserand, A. J. Hutson, W. L. Dickey, Clayburn Dickey, Otis Kemper, Poston Parker, Chester Lee, W. H. Rasbeary, Baylous Rasbeary, Steve Butler, Stoke Evans, John Dunlap, Herbert Thompson, Homer Thompson, Dr. Scheele, and Joe Walton.
The current building was erected in 1948.
Leon Dial remembers working the summer demolishing the old building and building
a new one. A noted preacher, Roy Edward Cogdill, had married at Abilene
Christian College, a daughter of the John Burks, who was a member at Groveton.
Throughout the years of his life, Roy Cogdill always had a special interest in
the Groveton Church. He had many gospel meetings here and helped to
arrange the coming of two or three of the first full-time preachers the
congregation had. Luther Blackmon and Roy Cogdill were working with the
Northill congregation in Houston during World War II. The Northill church
agreed to send Luther Blackmon to preach each Lord's Day at Groveton and to stay
for Bible classes on Wednesday afternoon and night.
When Cogdill and Blackmon moved in 1946 to work with the Fourth and Grosebeck
church in Lufkin, they encouraged a young preacher in Houston, (William
Thompson) to move to Groveton. Fauchie Thompson and the other Elders
agreed to help support Bill Thompson while he worked with the Groveton church.
In later years Oscar Smith, Sr., Jerry Kemper, Morris Kemper, W. F. Byers, J. F.
Lilley. In 1967 Neil Kemper, Sr. was asked to take the job
temporarily...he retired in 2007 after 40+ years of service as pulpit preacher
at Groveton. On July 1, 2007, Lee Brinkmann accepted the position as the
new pulpit minister and served in that position until his death on November 1,
2007.
Rodney Langley of Harrisburg, AR, accepted the preaching assignment on July 6,
2008.