Rebuilding the Church After The Storm

Gretna Christian Church 100th Anniversary

Minister:  Dwight Mays

111 Leftwich Street
Gretna, Virginia
Mailing Address: Post Office Box 644 Gretna, Virginia 24557

Excerpt From My Life With God By H. D. Coffey page 57

At Gretna, we built a church in a day, the same size as the one at Union Grove.  A great work was done there.  But in a few years a cyclone passed through the town, moving large framed buildings cutting off the ends of brick buildings that stood in it's path.  It took up barbed wire fences, winding the wire around the posts that it pulled up.  Practically everything in it's path, about 50 yards wide, was demolished.
The church was right in it's path and was destroyed.  Everything except the foundation was torn away.  Some of it was blown out of the county.  Even the organ was blown to pieces.
After a year or two, a smaller building was put up but I did not get to work on that, as I was rushed in Evangelistic work.  But the people became discouraged and the work declined and for nine years, no work was done there.  Negroes and hogs slept in the building.  I went back later and proposed to get the work started again.  Leaders in the former church said, "It is no use to try.  The members have gone to other churches.  The title to the lot is lost through a reverting clause put in the deed, the donor is dead and the heirs are scattered over several counties."  I spent one miserable night, but I talked to the Lord about it.  


The church was built on October 18, 1911 and on October 29, 1917, the church was destroyed by a tornado. I have found two deeds which were sent to me by the Pittsylvania County Circuit Court Clerk's Office Chatham, Virginia.  The first deed was recorded in Deed Book 154 page 244.

 Deed Book 154 page 244
The Deed was dated December 3, 1917 from D. V. Adams and wife to A.B. Hodges, John Ramsey, Will Love, D. V. Adams and Will Crawley, trustees for Gretna Christian Church.
Description:
Building D recorded at Book ____ Page ____ certain parcel or lot of land located in Gretna, Virginia, upon which is situated the Gretna Christian Church.  It is the intention of D. V. Adams and wife in making this deed and especially stipulated that so long as this building which is located upon this premises or as long as the Christian Church wishes to use same as a place of worship, but should it ever cease to be used as a place of worship by the Christian Church, the land and all buildings thereon shall revert to A. B. Hodges and his heirs.
It was signed by D. V. Adams and and his wife  S. L. Adams
Recorded:  December 10, 1917

I have a copy of another deed which was recorded in February of 1918 which I will transcribe tomorrow.  But you can see what a situation the church was facing in 1928 to correct the reverter clause.  The property originally belonged to A. B. Hodges and his heirs.  So if he had passed away, then all the heirs would have to be found.  Now that might not sound so daunting today, but this is 1928 and information, limited transportation and the ability to find people was not so easy.   I don't know what someone else would have done today, but the Reverend Coffey was not about to give up.  Some people may have looked for another piece of land.  But in the true spirit of renewal and revival, the Reverend Coffey sought to rebuild from the rubble of destruction and loss of hope.

Thank you to:

Mark E. Poole  photos

Disciples of Christ Historical Society 

Gretna Christian Church

My Life With God by H. D. Coffey

Pittsylvania County Circuit Court Clerk's Office