Pasquo Church of Christ

 Edition 1. Issue 11.

 

Pasquo Church of Christ

My last article in the “Valleyist” was on the Natchez Trace where I made reference to one of my early

relatives in Tennessee, Bryant Whitfield. I thought I would write on some other nearby landmarks for

this issue.

 

Looking around and thinking about a topic for the newsletter, I read a little on the history of the Pasquo

Church of Christ. You cannot miss the church because it is located on the corner of Highway 100 and

Pasquo Road. The Church of Christ grew out of the Restoration Movement of the early to mid-1800’s. 

The Disciples of Christ, also known as the Christian Church, were part of the same religious movement. 

These two groups divided on differences of doctrine in the mid to late 1800’s.

 

The Church of Christ consists of independent congregations that are each governed by a group of elders

selected from the individual church. They believe that the Bible is the sole source of authority for the

church and attempt to pattern their churches in a manner consistent with the first century Christians as

described in the New Testament. Their services consist of prayers, communion, sermon from the

preacher, and congregational singing. One of the more distinctive aspects is the singing is acapella

(without instruments). While this was true for many years, I know some congregations, such as the

Fourth Avenue congregation in downtown Franklin, now include song leaders with guitars and the use of

some percussion instruments. There is something to be said for acapella singing. Pat Boone went to

Lipscomb High School and was raised in the Church of Christ. His brother, Nick Boone, was a song leader

in a local congregation for many years. Ray Walker, of the Jordanaires, was a backup singer for Elvis

Presley on many of Presley’s early hits. Ray Walker was also the song leader at Madison Church of Christ

in Nashville with preacher, Ira North.

 

The Church of Christ as a group were very powerful in Nashville and Williamson County for many years.

As Nashville and the surrounding area has grown with the influx of newcomers, I believe the group’s

influence has waned, but there was a time in the early sixties where the Church even dominated local

television on Sundays. Ira North and Batsell Barett Baxter would be familiar names to my

contemporaries from around here. In the early sixties Ira North hosted a local quiz show in Nashville

called “Know Your Bible”, airing every Sunday afternoon. Remember, this was a time when there was

only one football league and one televised game per week. Eventually, the worship service at Madison

Church of Christ was aired live every Sunday with Ira North preaching and Ray Walker singing.

As stated, the Pasquo Church of Christ is an independent congregation, organized in 1901, 1902.

According to its website, the church needed a new larger facility in the 1940’s, and the present structure

was built. Mr. and Mrs. W. E. Stephens, Sr.  “made the completion of the building possible”.  While I

was raised in the Church of Christ, I have never attended a service at Pasquo. My wife and I plan to

remedy that in the near future. I am sure any of you would be welcome there and at any Church of

Christ around.

 

Pasquo Church of Christ lists on its website some of the preachers who have pastored the congregation

over the years.  I found some of those listed interesting because I knew them. One was Jimmy Dorris.

His wife and my father were first cousins.  Robert Hooper, another on the list, was a history professor at

David Lipscomb College (now Lipscomb University and affiliated with the Church of Christ). I attended

David Lipscomb College, class of 1973, and attended one of his classes.  The most interesting of those

listed was Axel Swang. He was the dean and head of the business department at Lipscomb for many

years. The school named a building for him. Doctor Swang was a CPA, and he taught the introductory

accounting classes that were required of all business majors. He was notorious for throwing either chalk

or his chalk board eraser at you, if you did not answer his questions in class correctly. I was the target

on more than one occasion. Needless to say, I did not get my degree in accounting. However, there

must be something about that field because I married one, an accountant that is, albeit she was from a

different college. I do not let her have chalk or erasers.

 

 

John Whitfield, Esquire (ret.) - Author

Native Nashvillian and a Tennessee family for many generations