On Saturday, March 30th, 1889, at 10 o’clock A. M., a large group of Baptists met at the Yellow Creek School House near Thruston, Ky., for the purpose of organizing a Baptist Church. After singing and prayer, Rev. W. H. Dawson read Acts 2:37-47, and then talked about the organization of the said Church. According to his proposed plan and by voice of the Baptists present who were going into the new organization, Bro. S. H. Jesse of South Hampton was elected Moderator pro tem and Bro. J. D. Burton was elected clerk.
The following brethen and sisters were then enrolled as the constituent members of the new Church:
- M. B. Tichenor
- Charlie M. Tichenor
- Bertie Kinneer
- Martha Burton
- John P. Fuqua
- Julia V. Burton
- Hardin H. Morris
- Sue Long
- Mary C. Pemberton
- Altha Tichenor
- Archie D. Tichenor
- Arthur W. Kinneer
- William H. Horn
- Minnie Fuqua
- James A. Bell
- Sarah Morris
- Hester Morris
- Jack H. Hite
- Martha Lee Tichenor
- John A. Kinneer
- Addison Burton
- Dell Horn
- J. D. Burton
- Mollie Bell
- Alice Lyons
- Thomas V. Pembreton
- James B. Long
Most of the above mentioned members had come from the South Hampton Church by letter with perhaps a few coming from the Yelvington and Macedonia Churches. After the enrollment of these members they were duly declared a regularly constituted Baptist Church. The hand of fellowship was extended to the new organization by visiting brethren and sisters from the sister churches.
Brethren M. B. Tichenor and J. D. Burton were elected as Moderator and Clerk respectively. The Articles of Faith and Rules of the Decorum were adopted after reading by the Church. After the suggestion of about four names for the new Church the new “Yellow Creek” was adopted.
Brethren M. B. Tichenor was recognized as the first deacon of the Church, and Brethren T. V. Pemberton, J. B. Long, and J. P. Fuqua were appointed as the first trustees of the Church property. The Church also chose Elder W. H. Dawson to serve as the first pastor.
This Church had also appointed a building committee composed of Brethren J. B. Long, M. B. Tichenor, H. H. Morris, W. D. Shouse, and W. H. Dawson to enter immediately into the plans of erecting a new house of worship. These plans were carried out immediately and by the latter part of the year the house was entered and dedicated, with Elder Dawson preaching the dedicatory sermon. Bro. George W. Birk gave some of the ground on which the new Church was located and the Church purchased additional ground from Mr. Hiram Billings. A cemetery lot was purchased across the road from the Church property from Mr. H. C. Graham. This is one of the most beautiful little rural cemeteries in the Association. Elder Dawson was largely instrumental in the Church securing this plot of ground and he is buried there. The trees in the Church yard were planted by Bro. Dawson, and Brethren J. H. Daniels, J. Fred Potts, and Edward Billings.
The above building is still in use by the Church with the addition of the Sunday School rooms which were completed in November, 1937, under the pastorate of Rev. Robert E. Lee. The Church property is in a splendid condition and should give good service to this faithful congregation for several years to come. Thus this Church has had but one building in its fifty-five years of existence.
The Church has had many strong preachers as her pastors through the years. We now give the list of her pastors together with the clerks:
Pastors
| Names | Dates |
| W. H. Dawson | 1889-1907 |
| E. O. Cottrell | 1908-1911 |
| A. N. Couch | 1911-1915 |
| I. B. Timberlake | 1916-1923 |
| T. N. Compton | 1924 |
| J. H. Winstead | 1925-1927 |
| Sankey L. Blanton | 1927 |
| H. H. Hargrove | 1927-1928 |
| J. H. Chissom | 1928-1932 |
| C. E. Baucom | 1932 |
| R. E. Lee | 1933-1939 |
| B. B. Sawyer | 1940-1942 |
| W. L. Yeldell | 1942-1943 |
Clerks
| J. D. Burton | 1889-1895 |
| A. W. Dawson | 1895-1901 |
| Richard Birk | 1902-1903 |
| J. D. Burton | 1903-1904 |
| R. L. Daniel | 1905-1919 |
| J. B. Tichenor | 1919 |
| R. H. Ford | 1920-1921 |
| S. C. Tichenor | 1921-1922 |
| W. H. Billings | 1922-1923 |
| E. M. Billings | 1923-1926 |
| Albert Horrell | 1926 |
| E. M. Billings | 1927 |
| Mrs. Chester Camp | 1927-1941 |
| Mrs. Ernest Ford | 1942-1943 |
Soon after her organization the Church formally invited sister Churches and their representatives to recognize her as a New Testament Church. This was accordingly done in August, 1889, with representatives being present from the South Hampton, Macedonia, Yelvington, and the Owensboro Churches – First and Walnut Street. This was a peculiar procedure but nevertheless legitimate and orderly. The Church became a member of the Daviess County Association in August, 1889, and has held membership in this fraternity of Baptists to the present time. The Association met for the first and only time with the Church in October, 1939, and was handsomely entertained.
M. B. Tichenor was recognized as the first deacon of the Church. In April, 1890, John P. Fuqua was ordained to this office. He continued to serve in this office until his death in 1933 after forty-three years of service. He became Moderator of the Church in January, 1890, and continued to hold the office until his death. In April 1899, Brethren John Riddle. Ben Tichenor, and J. H. Daniel were ordained as deacons by Elders W. H. Dawson, E. W. Coakley, R. T. Bruner, and E. H. Maddox, and deacons from sister Churches. George W. Bailey united with the Church by letter from Macedonia and was recognized as a deacon in May, 1900. Brethren William Tichenor, John Schenk, and Malcolm Fuqua were ordained as deacons in March, 1909. Bro. R. H. Ford was received as a deacon from South Hampton Church in May, 1911. In July, 1934, Brethren Walter Gilmore, Chester Camp, E. M. Billings, and R. H. Ford were ordained as deacons of the Church, and in February, 1941, Brethren M. B. Bolton, Joe Pagan, and Lindsey Horn, Jr., were ordained to this office. The younger men are now faithfully filling this office since most of the older deacons have died.
Every ten years during her history this Church has held special service commemorating the anniversary of the founding of the Church. The 96th Psalm has been read on every occasion as this Psalm was read at the beginning. On the occasion of the Fiftieth Anniversary in 1939 a very enjoyable time was spent by those in attendance.
From the date of organization until his death on March 28, 1908, Elder W. H. Dawson served the Church faithfully as the pastor. His funeral was preached from this Church by Elder T. N. Compton and he is buried in the cemetery which he helped to lay out and pay for. He will always be held in loving remembrance by this congregation which he was largely instrumental in organizing and developing in its early days.
This Church has been considerably above the average in mission gifts through the years and has maintained a Sunday School since the organization of the Church. The present membership is about 200 and the future prospects for this Church are outstanding and bright. A healthy Women’s Missionary Society has been functioning at this Church for several years.
Source: A History of the Daviess-McLean Baptist Association in Kentucky, 1844-1943. Wendell H. Rone, Messenger Job Printing Co., Inc., Owensboro, Kentucky, 1944.