Josie McNeely
Professor Presnell
UWRT 1103
09 October 2014
Grace Lower Stone Church Proposal
Inquiry Question
How did the development of Grace Lower Stone Church effect the surrounding area of
Rowan County?
Personal Experience
Running through the graveyards and
playing hide-and-go-seek as a child is one of
my most cherished memories with my
cousins. Trying to decipher the writing on the
gravestones was a popular past time because
most of the early writing was in German. We
made up heroic stories of how these people lived and died. Growing up my hometown
church always had a special place in my heart, and now that I have moved away to
college I realize how much the church has shaped the person I am today. Grace Lower
Stone Church is not your typical crowded Sunday morning church with contemporary
music. Our church is very traditional and has changed little over the years. Our
congregation tops out at approximately 250 people with most of them over the age of 75
years old. The church that holds a great love in my heart is also a cornerstone in Rowan
County history dating back to the 1750’s.
Prior Knowledge
My prior knowledge is somewhat limited but I did study the history of my church
before I was confirmed as an active member in 2008. Around the year of 1750 a group of
German and Switzerland settlers came to Rockwell, North Carolina to establish a place of
worship. The group which shared
a meeting house, Hickory Church,
later divided and went separate
ways after the Lutheran group
acquired a preacher. The group of
Reformed believers that later
founded Grace Lower Stone
Church were Calvin or “Presbyterian Congregation on Second Creek in the Dutch
Settlement.” The earliest evidence of a physical establishment is in February of 1774
when Lorent Lingle acquired sixteen acres to build a church. Grace Lower Stone Church
is seen as a mother church for the creation and formation of Reformed churches in the
surrounding North Carolina areas.
Questions
1. Who established Grace Lower Stone Church?
2. Where were they originally from?
3. What were their previous and current occupations?
4. What obstacles were faced in the development of the church? How did they
handle the obstacles?
5. What were the original reasons behind departing from the Lutheran faith?
6. Did the church change after the establishment of the United States?
7. How did the Reformed religion differ from Lutheran?
8. Was the construction done by a specific group of people or the congregation
itself?
9. Were there any scandals throughout the history of the church? If so, what were
they?
10. After the establishment of the church how did the congregation go about
acquiring a preacher?
Working Knowledge
My church has a large amount of records and information stored in the historical
room, which is where I plan to do most of my research during Fall Break. Also, in the
recent years a young
man did extensive
research on the history
of our church and has
complied large amounts of information and sources. I plan to meet with him and gain
further insight on his research. On the Grace Lower Stone website,
(http://gracelowerstonechurch.org), there is a brief history brochure that summarizes the
values, traditions, and events of the church. I plan to utilize public records from Rowan
County and Rockwell, with these I hope to discover land and property ownership. To
discover the cultural background of Grace Lower Stone I will need to find the specific
families who established the church and study who they are, where they came from, and
ultimately their spiritual goal.