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The History Of Hollidays CoveII y Mrs. Mary Ferguson, in collaboration with Mary Campbell llowman, historian.The Famous Macurdy RevivalsThe new minister, Rev, Elisha Macurdy, did not exactly set the two Presbyterian churches — there on the hill amont the tall timbers — on fire.In fact the congregations struggled along for two years, attended by the same old faithfuls. Then Macurdy bought a farm and became a farmer as well as two-parish minister.THEN ONE DAY HE HEARD how his friend Rev. Stockton, and his mentor Rev. McMillen, were having great revivals in their churches. On the following Sunday, Macurdy asked the small number present to set a time for daily prayer for a revival and suggested the time be at sunset when each one should spend 15 minutes of meditation. The following Sunday he made the same suggestion at Crossroads. When no one spoke, Elder Jackson leaped to his feet and thundered take the vote! take the vote! ’ ’ The entire assembly stood.Six women formed a prayer group to meet at that stated time and pray together. They were Sarah Macurdy, Mary Stevens, Jane Proudfoot, Elizabeth Duncan, Jane Wilson and Purdy Merchant. While these devout women were at their prayers, Elisha Macurdy went into the woods and, chopping limbs from trees, made a booth where he spent hours praying for a revival. The children, following his example, made two more such booths, one for the girls and one for the boys. The minister prayed with each groupe, and Elder Jackson continued daily in fervent prayer, until the woods fairly rose to the throne of God.ON THE FOLLOWING SABBATH, preparatory to communion, the church was filled. Macurdy preached from Malachl, 3, 1-5, Behold I will send my messenger ...” A great feeling of solemnity prevailed throughout the services and the crowd was even greater for the evening service, when he preached from Joshua 24-15, “Choose ye this day whom ye will serve.” He had a powerful voice that could be heard for great distances, and he poured forth his message with such force that when he gave the invitation for them to make this choice the congregation arose as one and surged forward denoting their willingness to take this important step.WHEN THE MEETING ENDED, the people were reluctant to leave the church: and the last ones to come out into the clearing heard great moaning and cries of distress coming from the woods nearby. Upon investigation they found members of the congregation lying prostrate, unable to move, and begging God’s mercy on their souls. They were helped back into the church where the prayer meeting continued all night. Rev. Thomas Marquis, the moderator, came to help with the services and a tent was pitched outside the church: with services held simultaneously in the church and tent.ELDER LEE WAS SCANDALIZED, maintaining this outrageous carrying on unbecoming to the dignity and decorum of the Presbyterian Church. The people should be reprimanded, he declared in his hoarse gruff aging voice. When Elder Lee fell from hi bench (and position) and lay helpless as an infant he said, Surely God is in this place.”On Wednesday, the 29 th of September of the year of 1802, the Synod was to meet in Pittsburgh. Rev. John Brice.had come from the Stone Church in Wheeling, prepared to preach at the revival services, and then accompany both Marquis and Macurdy to Pittsburgh to attend the Synod. When he heard about the unusual happenings at this revival he refused to preach. But was finally persuaded to fill one of the pulpits for the services. At the close of these services, hundreds remained on the grounds, resisting every effort to induce them to disperse. Some fifty, through bodily weakness, were unable to leave.THE MEETING CONTINUED throughout, the day and night. On Monday morning, Rev. Macurdy implored the people to go on home and let him and the visiting ministers go on to Pittsburgh and attend the Synod. But even while he spoke there was great evidence of mental distress, so he remained with his flock.A farmer nearby offered the use of his pasture for the horses, and bread was provided from surrounding homes for those able to partake of it. That evening candles were lighted in the windows of these same homes, and placed in various places throughout the woods. The hilltop literally “shone forth the power of God with fire from his holy mountain.” That night far exceeded anything that had gone before and, about daybreak, a number began to find great peace in God and rest from their afflictions. Some began to speak the language of Canaan, with solemn sweet serenity of mind. Cnly then were the people willing to depart for their homes, and the ministers left to attend the Synod.IN PITTSBURGH, they relayed to the assemblage of ministers the happenings at Three Springs. They admitted revivals were taking place in various localities, but not one of them had heard of anything like this. The interest was so great that 12 of them returned with Macurdy to Crossroads where they held services on Sabbath morning, but nothing unusual happened. That same evening a number were prostrated and cried out in agony of distress over their sinful condition. On Monday the ministers proceeded on to Three Springs where Rev. James Hughes preached and saw for himself the power of the revival. On that same Sunday, like demonstrations occurred in the churches at Cross Creek and West Liberty, former charges of Rev. James Marquis.By October the revival had spread to all surrounding Presbyterian churches and they set Crossroads as the most central location for a union communion service. On that day it rained and snowed and it was no place for fair weather Christians; yet 32 wagons came through the mud and snow, bringing great crowds of people from long distances.The meeting house, though large, could not hold half the | aople and the sacrament was administered at the tent to around 800 people. Preaching, by the nine different ministers present, continuedthroughout the days and nights.THE NEXT UNION SERVICE was hold at Upper Buffalo, with Rev. John Anderson pastor, where 10,000 people and 15 ministers attended. This was the largest assembly ever collected for dlv e worship in Western Pennsylvania. Mr. Macurdy preached, standing n a wagon, such a powerful sermon that people fellas though wounded in bn e and they called It Macurdys War Sermon”. The revival continued for two years at Three Springs Church. Nearly 200 persons were converted a the two churches. But this revival, called the Falling Down Season, that started on the hill above Hollidays Cove was to continue for someJO more years spreading into other denomination ike a raging re o change men’s ways at a time when the new world had become sowicked.THIS REVIVAL SPREAD THROUGH the Methodist Church, even as the Presbyterians, and in many instances they worked together when it come to providing a meeting place for the Methodist circuit riders,The two most famous Methodist circuit riders who worked this territory, Rev. George Brown and Peter Cartwright, had no patiencewith those who held to immersion as the only form of baptism, and referred to them as jacket wetters. The Presbyterians’ “Falling Down Season” was “the jerks.” Cartwright related how some of these fancy ladies’ and their dudes would come to the meetings just lor entertainment; and when the ladies got the jerks their bonnets would fly off, then the fancy combs and pins would go and their long hair wouldcrack like a wagoner’s whip.But Peter Cartwright was a wonderful Christian and a powerful preacher. He spent his life in the saddle, often hungry and ragged, at a time when he was fortunate to get a loaf of fresh bread and a pitcher of cider at the end of a long day.‘Above All - We MuConfusing TlJLT. UlDlilflbuArab Money PloyNEW YORK — The oil minister of Saudi Arabia emphasizes at every meeting he attends in Washington and New York a warning that the United States had best not take any countermeasures to the Arab oil embargo “lest your entire economy collapse.”That’s not an empty bluff, say overseas knowledgeable financial circles. They say there is a money-crunch punch behind that statement.Whisperings from the trustworthy international trade winds tell of a total Arab new program that could jar the credit markets
Newspaper Details
Weirton Daily Times
Weirton, West Virginia, US
Wed, Dec 19, 1973
Page 2
Full Page
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Public L.
OH, USA 13 Dec 2019
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Weirton Daily Times
