Weona Methodist Church

My great-grandmother, Alberta Virginia Neff Woods' funeral was held at Weona Methodist Church 1st May 1963 according to her obit in the Marked Tree Tribune, dated 2 May 1963.

Service was held by Rev. Gerald Hammett. According to her obit, Grandma Woods was a member of the Weona Methodist Church.

Here is a response to a query I posted on Gen Forum in 2004:

Re: Weona and Old Weona, AR
Posted by: Faye Sefers (ID *****9531) Date: May 26, 2004 at 19:29:34
In Reply to: Weona and Old Weona, AR by Margaret Tull of 425

Hello Margaret,
I will have to go thru my mother's old pictures to see if I have some of the ones that you would like to have. The Poinsett county Historical Society published a very nice book in 1998 of the history of Poinsett County. In this book is a picture of the old Weona Hotel, the gin in 1951 and also a picture of the old Weona Theater (also in the picture you can see the old home of my grandparents,George Foote & Annie Dearing McClelland, and a glimpse of the Weona Methodist Church. I guess you know that your grandparents, Jesse & Ada James lived next to the gin.
I knew your grandparents. They were two wonderful people & I know that you must be proud to be a granddaughter of two people like they were. Your grandfather was my Sunday School teacher at the Methodist Church. I also remember your parents and the rest of the "James Family". I'm so pleased that you are interested in the history of Weona. It was a wonderful place.
Faye McClelland Sefers

19 March 2011- Interview with Mary Frances James Tull

She doesn't remember the exact year Weona Methodist Church was started, but stated Dr. Sweet, from Manila, Arkansas, came and organized the church in Weona.

She was baptized by Dr. Sweet about 1938 or 1939 and the church was there then. She reported they had a revival and several people got saved. Dr. Sweet was not holding the revival and she can't remember who the preacher was for the revival. She did say several got baptized the week before her, but due to some personal reasons she got baptized a week later. They were all baptized in the Buck Eye Creek. She states she was "dunked good", no sprinkling for her.

Weona Methodist Church was the only church in the immediate vicinity, so many families attended and were members who were formerly Baptist or Presbyterian.

They had 30 or 40 attending church and Sunday School. Grandpa, Jesse James, was the Sunday School Superintendent.

The piano player was Mrs. Annie Bell McClelland. Mrs. McClelland was also the post mistress of Weona. The post office was in the Weona Farm Store. They didn't have an organ.

Other families mother remembers attending this small Methodist Church were: Buddy and Elizabeth Glenn family, Hearn family, Allen and Christine Leggitt, Tobe Burgess family, Carmen Privett and his sisters,

This was all she could remember today; we'll visit this again and see if she can think of additional families.