A Brief History of our Congregation...

The Waverly Church of Christ in Waverly, Tennessee, has been a cornerstone of the community for over 110 years!

In 1889, Mrs. Mattie Hillman Ewin, widow of Captain W. G. Ewin, moved from Hurricane Mills to Waverly with her family, which consisted of three daughters, Susie (Claxton), Grace (Gould) and Winia (Carter).

In 1890, J. M. Martin gave a lot on Church Street where the first building stood. It was a large frame building, and much of the construction was done by volunteer labor with many of the materials donated. It was heated by two large stoves and there was a bell that rang twice before each service. For many years

the bell was rung by the late W. B. Hillman, beloved by many who knew him. Mr. Hillman was a cousin of the Ewin sisters. There were no classrooms at this time. Sometime in the early 1920s two classrooms were added at the rear of the building, as well as a baptistry.

On June 22, 1890, the congregation moved into their new building with twenty-five present for the first service. The first contribution totaled $1.50.

Since those early days, the Waverly Church of Christ has grown and prospered. We have been blessed with many solid church leaders throughout the years, grown in number, acquired more property, added to our building, and built a new enrichment center. The church also has a children's library and an adult library, a radio program, a nursing home ministry, and classes for all ages! Our members are involved in a variety of activities and the church supports several ministries so please explore our website to learn more!

(The above information was taken from an article in the 1979 Biographical History of Humphreys County entitled "Waverly Church of Christ". Some portions of the church's history are not well documented, therefore, any omissions or errors in facts are purely accidental.)

Some of the men who have served as Elders in the past are: Mack Hemby; James M. Martin; C.H. Ball, Sr.; W.D. Nelson; H.C. Crim; L.C. Johnson; J.W. Townsend; Charles L. Talley, Sr.; John F. Porch Sr.; Albert Gray; R. Parker White; Harold Anderson, Reuben Spann, Gerion James, Walter Collier, Marvin

Spann, Ray Barger, Bob White and Jack Mallard. Some of the preachers serving this congregation include John C. Taylor, 1917-22; O.C. Lambert, 1922-26; Thomas J. Wagner, Sr., 1926-1936; J.E. Green, 1936-44; Homer Royster, 1944-52; Walter Barron, 1951-53; Charles Tidwell, Jr., 1953-58; Lee Brown,

1958-71; Eugene Pigg, 1972-73; Jim Yates, 1974-79; Lee Brown returned 1971-2001.

Jeff Keele, our current Pulpit Minister, has been with us since April 2002. A home for the Educational Director was purchased at 211 Sunset Drive. Glenn Hawkins served as Educational Director and Song

Leader from June 1968-73; Dwight Hatley, 1973-80; Paul Kidwell, Jr., 1981-83; Ronnie Brooks on a part-time basis during 1984; Michael Benson, April 1985-89; Bruce White, June 1990-94; Paul Darety, 1995-2000. Jeff Lacroix served as the Associate Minister and assistant song Leader from 2000-2004. Chris Dishman served with us between 2004-2011 as Associate/Youth Minister.

Since our present building was first occupied in June of 1953, there has been a steady enlargement to the building. At first, the building contained only the main part of our auditorium and basement. Only half of the basement contained classrooms at that time. Since then a preacher's home was purchased at

307 Bakerville Rd., which was sold in 2002, classrooms were built on the east side of the basement, a six-lot plot of ground purchased on the eastern end of the city, which has since been sold. Wings have been added to two building phases, the last of which included a nursery and carpet was installed. The

addition of the center of our educational building was completed in July of 1973, which included new offices and a print room. The basement was completely renovated which now includes a large multi-purpose room. In 1980 the west and final section of our educational building was completed, giving us a total of 23 classrooms. In 1991, a new look was given to our front entrance and a van port

was added on the west side. As our number grew, we needed more parking space. In 1985, we purchased additional space. In 1988, Delmas and Roberta Robertson donated an additional lot on the east side of the building, which has since been paved and sidewalks added. In the back of the building, on the south side, construction began in February 1997 for a brick Enrichment Center with 9000 sq. ft.. It was completed and began use in 1998. Under the new sidewalk at this building is buried a "Time Capsule" containing items from the past, such as class records from the 1800's, directories from the past, pictures of the building, etc.. This capsule is to be opened in 2089, which will be the 200th anniversary of the Waverly Church of Christ. The church has two nice libraries made possible by contributions from members and interested individuals. The present budget includes support for several mission points with periodic contributions to worthy causes and Individuals.

Our auditorium was completely remodeled, new windows, carpet, bathrooms redone, and our baptistery. This was completed in 2002. In the fall of 2002, a house and lot west of the building was purchased from Patty Collier. The church here is served by four Elders, thirteen Deacons, and a host of Bible Class teachers and workers. Our prayer is that we may ever grow in faith, hope, love, and number for the cause of Christ.