Bob Childress
Encyclopedia
Bob Childress was a Presbyterian minister who was born in the town of Ararat, Virginia
and raised in the Primitive Baptist
tradition. He became known throughout the Southern Appalachian region for his work to transform the region's culture of violence and promote basic education. He is also the founder of the famous "Rock Churches" of Floyd
, Patrick
and Carroll
counties in Virginia
.
, alcoholism
and ignorance of his impoverished and then isolated Buffalo Mountain
community. He claimed that his earliest memory was of his mother nursing his illness by holding a whisky soaked rag to his mouth. Unable to attend school for much of his childhood he often resorted to violence and began drinking heavily. But upon witnessing a massacre at a court house he vowed to quit drinking and entered law enforcement. Eventually he got married and had children. After a chance visit to a Presbyterian church he began attending regularly and soon realized that he wanted to become a minister. He returned to high school at the age of 30 in the same one room school as his 6 year old son.
he enlisted the help of his local minster to gain entry into the Union Theological Seminary
in Richmond Virginia and was ordained a Presbyterian minster in 1926. He soon became known for his very warm and personal preaching style and was in demand by established churches throughout Virginia and the Eastern United States
. His desire however was to return to his Appalachian community to help eradicate the violence and ignorance
that was so pervasive. Through his 40 years of ministry he built and led congregations at 6 famous “Rock Churches” of which 5 of remain in the towns of Mayberry
, Bluemont, Buffalo Mountain, Slate Mountain, Dinwiddie and Willis. All but the Willis church are Presbyterian congregations. In 2002, the Churches were submitted to the National Register of Historic Places as the Reverend Robert Childress Presbyterian Churches MPS
.
His congregations did much to bring education
and economic development
to the Buffalo Mountain area of Floyd County, Virginia
.
In the 1950s Childress was leading services in fourteen churches a week and traveling tens of thousands of miles a year. The Synod of Virginia noted that “Only eternity will tell the tremendous good accomplished in this unusual diocese.” Childress died in 1956 at the age of 66.
His life was chronicled in a book titled The Man Who Moved A Mountain.
Ararat, Virginia
Ararat is an unincorporated community in Patrick County, Virginia, United States, south of the Blue Ridge Parkway and north of Mount Airy, North Carolina. Ararat is located near the Virginia/North Carolina state line about five miles north of Mount Airy, North Carolina and about 25 miles west of...
and raised in the Primitive Baptist
Primitive Baptist
Primitive Baptists, also known as Hard Shell Baptists or Anti-Mission Baptists, are conservative, Calvinist Baptists adhering to beliefs that formed out of the controversy among Baptists in the early 1800’s over the appropriateness of mission boards, bible tract societies, and temperance...
tradition. He became known throughout the Southern Appalachian region for his work to transform the region's culture of violence and promote basic education. He is also the founder of the famous "Rock Churches" of Floyd
Floyd County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 13,874 people, 5,791 households, and 4,157 families residing in the county. The population density was 36 people per square mile . There were 6,763 housing units at an average density of 18 per square mile...
, Patrick
Patrick County, Virginia
Patrick County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2010, the population was 18,490. Its county seat is Stuart. It is located within both the rolling hills and valleys of the Piedmont Region of Virginia and mountainous Southwest Virginia....
and Carroll
Carroll County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 29,245 people, 12,186 households, and 8,786 families residing in the county. The population density was 61 people per square mile . There were 14,680 housing units at an average density of 31 per square mile...
counties in Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
.
Early life
As a young man he witnessed and was caught up in the violenceViolence
Violence is the use of physical force to apply a state to others contrary to their wishes. violence, while often a stand-alone issue, is often the culmination of other kinds of conflict, e.g...
, alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
and ignorance of his impoverished and then isolated Buffalo Mountain
Buffalo Mountain Natural Area Preserve
Buffalo Mountain Natural Area Preserve is a Natural Area Preserve located in Floyd County, Virginia. It hosts thirteen rare plant occurrences, three rare animal occurrences, and six significant natural communities, all on Buffalo Mountain...
community. He claimed that his earliest memory was of his mother nursing his illness by holding a whisky soaked rag to his mouth. Unable to attend school for much of his childhood he often resorted to violence and began drinking heavily. But upon witnessing a massacre at a court house he vowed to quit drinking and entered law enforcement. Eventually he got married and had children. After a chance visit to a Presbyterian church he began attending regularly and soon realized that he wanted to become a minister. He returned to high school at the age of 30 in the same one room school as his 6 year old son.
Ministry
After getting a high school diplomaHigh school diploma
A high school diploma is a diploma awarded for the completion of high school. In the United States and Canada, it is considered the minimum education required for government jobs and higher education. An equivalent is the GED.-Past diploma styles:...
he enlisted the help of his local minster to gain entry into the Union Theological Seminary
Union Theological Seminary & Presbyterian School of Christian Education
Union Presbyterian Seminary, located on the near north side of the city of Richmond, Virginia, is a theological seminary of the Presbyterian Church...
in Richmond Virginia and was ordained a Presbyterian minster in 1926. He soon became known for his very warm and personal preaching style and was in demand by established churches throughout Virginia and the Eastern United States
Eastern United States
The Eastern United States, the American East, or simply the East is traditionally defined as the states east of the Mississippi River. The first two tiers of states west of the Mississippi have traditionally been considered part of the West, but can be included in the East today; usually in...
. His desire however was to return to his Appalachian community to help eradicate the violence and ignorance
Ignorance
Ignorance is a state of being uninformed . The word ignorant is an adjective describing a person in the state of being unaware and is often used as an insult...
that was so pervasive. Through his 40 years of ministry he built and led congregations at 6 famous “Rock Churches” of which 5 of remain in the towns of Mayberry
Mayberry
Mayberry is a fictional community in North Carolina that was the setting for two American television sitcoms, The Andy Griffith Show and Mayberry R.F.D. Mayberry was also the setting for a 1986 reunion television movie titled Return to Mayberry...
, Bluemont, Buffalo Mountain, Slate Mountain, Dinwiddie and Willis. All but the Willis church are Presbyterian congregations. In 2002, the Churches were submitted to the National Register of Historic Places as the Reverend Robert Childress Presbyterian Churches MPS
.
His congregations did much to bring education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
and economic development
Economic development
Economic development generally refers to the sustained, concerted actions of policymakers and communities that promote the standard of living and economic health of a specific area...
to the Buffalo Mountain area of Floyd County, Virginia
Floyd County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 13,874 people, 5,791 households, and 4,157 families residing in the county. The population density was 36 people per square mile . There were 6,763 housing units at an average density of 18 per square mile...
.
In the 1950s Childress was leading services in fourteen churches a week and traveling tens of thousands of miles a year. The Synod of Virginia noted that “Only eternity will tell the tremendous good accomplished in this unusual diocese.” Childress died in 1956 at the age of 66.
His life was chronicled in a book titled The Man Who Moved A Mountain.
See also
- The Church of God With Signs Following
- Sites on the Reverend Robert Childress Presbyterian Churches MPS:
- Bluemont Presbyterian Church and CemeteryBluemont Presbyterian Church and CemeteryBluemont Presbyterian Church and Cemetery is a historic church near Fancy Gap, Virginia.One of the "rock churches" founded by Bob Childress, it was built in 1948 and added to the National Register in 2007.-See also:...
- Buffalo Mountain Presbyterian Church and CemeteryBuffalo Mountain Presbyterian Church and CemeteryBuffalo Mountain Presbyterian Church and Cemetery is a historic church in Willis, Virginia.The first of the 5 "rock churches" founded by Bob Childress, it was built in 1929 and added to the National Register in 2007.-See also:...
- Dinwiddie Presbyterian Church and CemeteryDinwiddie Presbyterian Church and CemeteryDinwiddie Presbyterian Church and Cemetery is a historic church in Hillsville, Virginia.One of the "rock churches" founded by Bob Childress, it was built in 1948 and added to the National Register in 2007.-See also:*Bluemont Presbyterian Church and Cemetery...
- Mayberry Presbyterian Church
- Slate Mountain Presbyterian Church and CemeterySlate Mountain Presbyterian Church and CemeterySlate Mountain Presbyterian Church and Cemetery is a historic church and cemetery in Christiansburg, Virginia.One of the "rock churches" founded by Bob Childress, it was built in 1932 and added to the National Register in 2007.-See also:...
- Willis Presbyterian Church and CemeteryWillis Presbyterian Church and CemeteryWillis Presbyterian Church and Cemetery is a historic church in Willis, Virginia.One of the "rock churches" founded by Bob Childress, it was built in 1954 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.-See also:...
- AppalachiaAppalachiaAppalachia is a term used to describe a cultural region in the eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier of New York state to northern Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia. While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Belle Isle in Canada to Cheaha Mountain in the U.S...
- Bluemont Presbyterian Church and Cemetery