Leaders Past & Present

During these past 140 years, Winterfield has been hostto some wonderful pastors. We have had circuit riders and full-time pastors. Circuit riders were pastors who rode on horseback from church to church to speak the Word. They took care of the spiritual needs of several churches at a time. While they were in town, congregants who lived close by would host the pastor in their homes for the duration of the meetings. With little money in those days, many times the pastor received potatoes, corn meal, chickens, clothing, or whatever the congregation could offer, to take with him as he traveled to his next assignment, as compensation.

The earliest known pastor here was Gus Garrison. He served from 1898 to 1900. Before Gus Garrison came to Winterfield, the people met and worshipped together as a whole, singing the songs they had grown up with. Weather played a vital role in this of course, being out of doors.

The following is a list of circuit rider pastors that have graced Winterfield up until it received it's first full-time appointment:

• Gus Garrison, 1898-1900

• W.L. Pate, 1901

• G.W. Riley, 1902

• J.W. Hall, 1903

• William Horner, 1904

• I.F. Pace, 1906

• J.A. Carr, 1908

• John B. Bell, 1909

• Marion Frances Wells, 1910

• Major M.I. Brown, 1911

• Arthur L. Conner, 1914

• Preston Florence, 1917

• S.M. Dunnam, 1918

• D.E. Snelter, 1918-1920

• Bruce O. Power, 1921

• James Leon McAdams, 1922-1926

• Joseph Henry Malone, 1926

• W.W. Hardt, 1928

• Irrie J. Waldon, 1929-1932

• James Leon McAdams, 1933

• J.N. McCain, 1934-1935