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By BILL ARCHERBluefield Daily TelegraphBLUEWELL — Threemonths ago, Oak Grove Cemetery was covered with a twisted mass of briers, brush, weeds and neglect. On Monday, a crowd of about 70 people came out to a cemetery that would not have been possible 10 weeks earlier.“Today, we are finding life in a dead environment,” Rev.Garry D. Moore, pastor of Bluefield’s Scott Street Baptist Church said. “There are more things on this hill that are alive than are dead.” Oak Grove Cemetery was established in the 1920s to serve African American families of the region, but fell on recent years due primarily to the lack of a perpetual care component. Several volunteers have devoted the past 10 Saturdays to the cleanupeffort and Bluefield State College sociology professor Dr. Anthony Woart is working to establish tax-exempt status for the cemetery so that its care will be ensured in the future. There are between 6,000 to 8.000 burials in the cemetery.• Moore said that slaves learned the story of Christ up to his crucifixion, but only to control them. He said that after African Americanslaves learned about good behavior can’t be legis- the field who raised the flagLazarus, they learned a new element of their faith. “These Africans were down, but not out,” Moore said. “They learned that black people didn’t have to become white people in order to be saved and that white people didn’t have to become black people to be saved.” Moore said that acceptance of all races cannot be written into laws. “God even knows thatlated,” he said. He said that the people who came out to the service “came here by choice,” and added that: “If God be for us, who can be against us.” Marishka Maher and Crystal Hall of the Montcalm High School Junior ROTC posted colors. T.A. “Buddy” Warden, representing the Woodmen of theWorld, presented a flag to Kellv Gresby and veterans onUSAFat the cemetery.A1 Hancock,(Retired) read a poem titled “The Cemetery.” Deacon Karl Miller offered the “Deacons’ Prayer,” Mike Blevins gave the “Volunteers’ Prayer” and Rev. Eugene Nesbitt, pastor of John Stewart Methodist Church gave the “Pastor’s Prayer.” Locinda Kibbler played “Taps.”
Newspaper Details
Bluefield Daily Telegraph
Bluefield, West Virginia, US
Tue, Jun 01, 2004
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
Elizabeth G.
AL, USA 30 May 2023
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