Written by Rev. Jerome Jolly, pastor of Hazel Edwards Memorial UMC
Hazel Edwards Memorial UMC was the first church built in the Newark Community after the town was moved from the Akron community to the White River.
Two of my great-great grandparents (Dr. V. L. Pascoe and John Austin Sr.) helped build the first wooden church building along with members of other families. John Austn’s mother was living with him at the time (my great-great-great grandmother).
Most of my family remained local to the area until recent years. I can trace my church membership at Newark Methodist Church (now Hazel Edwards Memorial UMC) from my third great-grandmother to two of my great-great grandfathers and their families, to my great-grandparents on both sides, to my grandparents, to my mother, to me, my children, and most recently, my grandchildren.
My grandmother, Mary Benson, was baptized here in 1921, my mother in 1943, and I in 1964. My children have been baptized/confirmed here, and so have a couple of my grandchildren who live locally.
Grandmother Benson began playing the piano and organ for the church at age 13. She played with very few brief interruptions until she was 86 years old.
Many of the most important events of my life — baptisms, marriages, funerals— have all taken place in the church. The building is filled with memories for me, both happy and sad. Many times, I can still see the faces in my mind’s eye of all the family and friends who are no longer with us but were fixtures of the church in my life.
In 2012, I was hired as the youth director at Hazel Edwards Memorial UMC. Things did not go smoothly initially, but Rev. Clayton Bulice and others encouraged me to answer my calling. After successfully completing licensing school, I was appointed to Garner UMC while remaining youth director at HEMUMC.
Following Clayton Bulice’s retirement, I was appointed to First UMC of Cave City and HEMUMC as Pastor for the appointment year beginning July 1, 2024.
I must admit, I expected things to be “par for the course” and another Sunday in the pulpit sharing the message since I had done this several times before as a lay leader/ lay speaker. However, the first time in the pulpit as the appointed Pastor got emotional.
Since July, we have seen a marked increase in attendance and activity. We have celebrated one infant baptism, three adult baptisms, and seven professions of faith. It is powerful and spiritually moving. We have several new laity-led ministries, and I am enthusiastic about the future of Hazel Edwards Memorial United Methodist Church.