Early years of the Cumberland Distric Ladies' Aid Society...

A Band of Sisters

By Phillip Morgan

The Women Nationally Active for Christ serves as the national organization for women’s ministry among Free Will Baptists. The organization was formed in 1935, just prior to the founding of the National Association of Free Will Baptists. The diligent work of many women from many states culminated in the formation of this organization. But no group had a larger influence than the women of the Cumberland District Ladies Aid Society (CDLAS; now the Cumberland District Women Active for Christ) in Middle Tennessee.

Led by Fannie Polston (1881-1964), Mary Ann Welch (1890-1969), and Agnes Frazier (1897-1993), the CDLAS was one of the earliest organizations for women’s work among modern Free Will Baptists. These women developed much of what eventually became the mission and purpose of the national women’s organization. Their concern for spiritual development, stewardship, missions, and education spread far beyond their local district. For these reasons, the story of their founding and early development is important for understanding women’s work among Free Will Baptists.

Early Women’s Ministry in the Cumberland Association

Earliest efforts toward a women’s organization within churches now associated with the National Association began around 1900. A West Virginia pastor from the Randall Movement named Dell Upton came to Nashville in 1907 to pastor Cofer’s Chapel. Even though Upton remained in Nashville only two years, he introduced the idea of an independent women’s ministry to support the church’s mission. On December 17, 1907, he welcomed both married and single women to the first meeting of the Cofer’s Chapel Ladies Aid Society in his home. He wanted to provide women new opportunities to use their talents to build the Kingdom.

Two founding members of the Cofer’s Chapel society were especially influential in the later development of national women’s work: Fannie Polston and Mary Ann Weaver (later Mary Ann Welch). Polston was from Cheatham County, Tennessee, but moved to Nashville and began attending Cofer’s Chapel after marrying Fred Polston in 1902. In Sparks Into Flame, Mary Ruth Wisehart notes Polston’s good business sense, intelligence, and courage. These qualities gave her an entrepreneurial character and uniquely suited her for leadership.

Mary Ann Weaver and her future husband John L. Welch (1889-1983) best grasped and communicated the broader vision of Upton. After the Welches married in 1912, they worked together to encourage the formation of a national denomination and a centrally located college. Their diligent efforts were instrumental in the development of the National Association and Free Will Baptist Bible College (now Welch College). However, the couple also was committed to growing women’s organizations in local churches.

Founding of the Cumberland Ladies Aid Societies

At Upton’s encouragement, in 1908, the Cofer’s Chapel society began publishing a newspaper, The Free Will Baptist Record. Polston and Weaver eventually served as the editors of the paper. The Record related the goals and activities of the society, hoping to encourage other churches to begin similar organizations.

Through The Record and the Welches’ promotional work, the societies expanded into regional Free Will Baptist churches in the Cumberland Association. Heads FWB Church in Turnersville and Rock Springs FWB Church in Neptune both formed Ladies Aid Societies in 1916. Oaklawn FWB Church in Thomasville and additional churches established Ladies Aid Societies by the next year.

Until 1920, these societies remained individual entities, connected solely to the local church. They often sent reports to the annual meeting of the Cumberland Association but otherwise carried out their activities independent of one another. However, in 1920, they formed the Ladies Aid Societies of the Freewill Baptists of Tennessee. Despite their self-description as a state organization, the group did not include any societies beyond the Cumberland Association.

Before long, other Tennessee churches developed women’s organizations, leading to the formation of multiple district associations. Thus, in 1929, the Cumberland Association women renamed their organization the Cumberland District Ladies Aid Societies (CDLAS). The association boasted 25 societies in its membership. The faithful work of those earliest members had begun paying dividends.

Mission of the Cumberland Ladies Aid Societies

In the early years, ladies groups had little cohesion to their mission or goals. As late as the early 1920s, many organizations thought of themselves as “little group[s] banded together to carry out [their] own separate programs.” Most focused on local church needs such as new furnishings or paying the minister. But this attitude quickly changed. According to Polston, by the early 1930s, women’s societies had become active in the broader mission of the church by encouraging spiritual development, stewardship, missions, and education.

Each society meeting included a Bible lesson meant to encourage further study. Polston also wanted to emphasize prayer. In 1930, she developed the annual week of prayer for the Cumberland societies to observe in November. The societies also studied books on Christian discipline. Stewardship became a special emphasis through the work of another early leader, Agnes Frazier. Frazier attended Bethlehem FWB Church in Ashland City during her childhood. After marrying in 1917, she moved to Alabama before returning to Nashville around 1925. She and her husband James joined East Nashville FWB Church, recently established through the work of Fannie Polston and the Welches.

The Welches strongly encouraged Frazier, a schoolteacher, to begin writing material for societies to use in their monthly meetings. In 1929, Frazier responded by writing her first pamphlet entitled Stewardship and Missions. Before meeting the Welches, Frazier did not remember ever hearing about tithing or stewardship. She was soon convinced that Christ has dominion over more than 10% of a person’s income. As a result of the work of Frazier and the Welches, most Cumberland District societies started giving regularly above their tithe. They additionally participated in quilt sales, bake sales, and other public events. As a result, the societies soon began to raise significant amounts of money.

Much of this money went to missions. The Cumberland women began to advocate foreign missions work long before any modern missionary actually entered the field. Mrs. Miles Gower, who served as the chairwoman of missions in 1928, reported nine churches held missions services in the previous year. Welch, in a 1929 report as superintendent of stewardship and missions, called upon the women of the Cumberland to pray that people would understand stewardship was essential for supporting missions. Mrs. Welch then argued that, without missions, Christianity was a “hollow mockery.”

Another important financial emphasis was education. A goal of each monthly meeting was to provide Bible education for women who otherwise had no access to it. The Cumberland women also were interested in a Free Will Baptist college. As far back as 1908 The Record stated the intent to raise support for an institution in Nashville. Polston’s interest eventually earned her a seat on the board of Eureka College, a Free Will Baptist school in Ayden, North Carolina. Before her death, Polston sold her home and donated proceeds to Free Will Baptist Bible College. When the college constructed a new women’s dormitory in 1971, they named it Polston Hall in honor of this generous educational pioneer.

Both Frazier and the Welches’ daughter Jean spoke persuasively about the cause of a Free Will Baptist college at the 1938 annual session of the Cumberland Association. These speeches led Frazier to publish an article on behalf of the Board of Education to the National Association of Free Will Baptists, urging the association to raise support for a denominational college. Jean Welch made a passionate plea to delegates at the 1939 National Association meeting. The women of the CDLAS also provided financial support to Eureka College, Zion Bible School in Blakely, Georgia, and eventually Free Will Baptist Bible College.

Through the work of these determined and faithful women, a strong women’s work developed in the Cumberland Association. When WNAC was formed, much of the structure, purpose, and mission came from the CDLAS. The emphases on spiritual development, stewardship, missions, and education appealed to other women’s organizations. For these reasons, Polston, Welch, and Frazier all served important leadership roles during the early years of WNAC, giving it structure and direction for the future. Without their influence, Free Will Baptist women’s ministry would look much different today.

About the Writer: Phillip T. Morgan is curator of the FWB Historical Collection housed at Welch College, where he additionally serves as History Program coordinator and professor. Phillip, His wife Megan, and two children Isaiah and Julia, live on a small farm in Robertson County, Tennessee.

This article cites various historical notes and statistics from Sparks Into Flame: A History of the Woman’s National Auxiliary Convention of the National Association of Free Will Baptists, 1935-1985, by Dr. Mary Ruth Wisehart, as well as various denominational records. Visit helwyssocietyforum.com for the fully-annotated version.