The First Methodist Church of this city will draw a record crowd Sunday morning, November 27, when the new pastor, Rev. J. Swindell Love of Wilson, makes his first appearance. The First Methodist folks are interested in Rev. Mr. Love by reputation, and will be interested further in Mr. Love because of the things he stands for.
Conversation with the new pastor, who arrived in town Wednesday of this week, will reveal him as a most unusual minister. Having been brought up under the training of the old school, and having served with the newer generation, both as a minister and as a teacher, he has developed a viewpoint that is unique and promises much in the way of religious progress in this city, to say the least.
Among other things that Mr. Love professes a most profound faith in the value of, is a more liberal interpretation of the scriptures, and admits frankly that this is necessary in the light of present day revelations. He is strong for the unification of the forces of Methodism, north and south of God, and he insists that the future of the church lies not in a vain attempt to bring the old hardheads to repentance of ways they are “sot” in, but in making th esunday schools so inviting place for the young people that they will grow up in the service of the church, whose future is wholly in their hands.
Mr. Love has no doubts about the position of the church today, and declares it the most critical time the preachers and the church have had. He believes that the greatest problem of the pastor today is to make his appeal to the reason of the younger generation without forfeiting the confidence, and esteem of the older generation, who still hold sway in the church. Instead of the world growing more immoral, he believes it to be growing better, declares that in spite of the freedom and lack of restraint among the young people of today, they are morally stronger, and that the whole world is growing gentler and kinder and more understanding.
Evidence of Mr. Love’s interest in the younger generation is shown by his special efforts on behalf of the Sunday School. His one specialty outside of the pulpit, is Sunday School work Five years ago, he took hold of the Sunday School of the First Methodist Church in Wilson and has raised its membership from 250 to 500, and built an $80,000 Sunday School annex in the meantime. And all this has been done in Wilson County, where little interest on the part of grown ups to be expected because of the extreme prevalence of Primitive Baptists, who do not believe in Sunday School work.
Began on a Farm
Mr. Love began life on a Union County farm of orthodox Methodist stock and is the only one of six brothers that entered the ministry.
He was named for the Rev. F.D. Swindell, a Methodist preacher who came out of Hyde County, and he grew up with great respect for his Godfather and the men of the cloth. In fact, he was so impressed with the importance of the preacher in the community that he resolved early in life to be one himself, and when 16 years old was so active in church work as to be superintendent of a Sunday school.
By marriage, Mr. Love should be fitted for the Methodist ministry. His wife as Miss Phalia Hawkins, daughter of Dr. C.M. Hawkins, formerly of Muskogee, Oklahoma, and more recently of Rockingham, N.C., and a granddaughter of the late John Matthews, D.D., a leader of Southern Methodism. At the time of her marriage eight year ago, Mrs. Love was one of the editors of the Epworth Era, and Superintendent of the Junior work of the Southern Epworth League. There are three children.
Mr. Love is 42 years old, and graduated from Trinity College when 21. He later studied at Columbia University where he took the degree of Master of Political Science. Among his most important charges have been Aberdeen, Morehead City and Kinston, where he served four years, and Wilson where he has served five years. He served two years in Brazil as professor of History and English in Granberry College, and for nearly four years was President of Louisburg College.
From the front page of The Independent, Elizabeth City, N.C., Friday, Nov. 27, 1925
newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn83025812/1925-11-27/ed-1/seq-1/
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