The Jersey Baptist Church in North Carolina was established, in part, through the early ministry of John Gano, sometime before the Revolutionary War. The church went through many ups and downs, when on this day in 1874 it called J. B. Richardson as its pastor. Over the next two years the membership suffered a net loss of 97 members. Then Pastor Richardson invited F. M. Jordan to come for an extended meeting, and the Lord opened the windows of Heaven. In his autobiography Brother Jordan described that meeting:
“Saturday night I… was at Old Jersey Church. The congregation had assemble when I arrived. I don’t know that I ever felt the power of the Holy Spirit, both in the heart of saint and sinner. I preached a short sermon and many came forward for prayer. Strong men and women shouted and praised the Lord, and sinners cried for mercy. Some trembling mourners were rejoicing because of pardoned sin, and telling it around what a dear Savior they had found. The meeting continued nine days. We had a prayer meeting every morning at 10 … and by 9 o’clock the hill was lined with people, and inquiring souls were finding the Savior precious to their souls … The whole community was moved by the power of the Holy Ghost. It was difficult to preach, indeed it did not seem to require much preaching; just pray and sing and rejoice. Sunday, the last day of the meeting, was a memorable day in the history of old Jersey Church.
“A large number had been received, and were to be baptized. There was a nice stream running near the church, through a body of large timber; a beautiful place for baptism. The brethren prepared two large tents near each other. The males prepared for baptism in one, and the females in the other. Brother Richardson and I were both to baptize. We marched out of our tent in double file, by the door of the sisters, when they fell in, in like manner. We marched down to the creek to the place appointed. Brother Richardson and I took our places in the middle of the creek. The deacons went in with us to convey the candidates to us, and then to the shore. And then alternately we began to baptize the candidates; and as we would baptize the columns would move up. The number baptized was sixty-seven. It was a wonderful scene to behold …. There must have been between one and two thousand people present to witness the solemn scene. I would look up occasionally upon the vast assembly, and almost everybody seemed to be bathed in tears of love and gratitude to God for the wonderful displays of His grace and goodness.”