History of the Cooper Assembly of God Church
Sister Elizabeth Felty and Sister Maggie Ford wanted to have a church in the Cooper community. They got the preacher from the Glen Rose Church to come on Sunday afternoons to Sister Felty and Sister Ford’s homes. The preacher was Sister Hazel Rood. Gracie Huckaby, Talmage and Jessie Kirkpatrick and different ones from their church came to help. Then they organized the church.
After a few months a brush arbor was built and Brother Louie Clift held a revival. During the revival Brother Dallas Sullivan led singing. The year was about 1940.
For a few months we had church in a little shack with boards setting on blocks of wood for seats. The little home belonged to Oscar and Molly Otts. Brother Louie Clift was pastor. While having church there, they started planning to build a church. Sister Ford donated the land for the church. Brother Clift and Brother Taylor bought and tore down a dwelling house for the lumber to build a little church building. It was rough lumber; they planed the lumber. Brother Clift and Brother Taylor did most of the building, Jack Elmore and Talmage Kirkpatrick helped some. The year was about 1941.
Evans Taylor wasn’t a charter member, but he and his family started coming regularly when the arbor was built. We had gone to Sister Felty’s house for church a few times. There weren’t any men so Brother Taylor was Sunday School Superintendent and also a teacher. He was a deacon until he became very old and hard of hearing, then he resigned. One of the first men to cometo church and get saved was Brother Artis Cranford, with his wife Carlee.
When Brother Troy Smith was pastor, we built a bigger, brick church building. The old church was moved to the back for a kitchen and fellowship hall. Then when Brother J. W. Hirmps was pastor, we remodeled the church and built wings on each side for more classrooms. Later the old church was torn down and a new kitchen and fellowship hall were built.
This history of Cooper Assembly of God Church was written by my sister, Dorothy Taylor Hobbs, November 24, 1992, from her memory and from what she learned by talking to a few people. Our parents were Evans and Gladys Taylor. My other two sisters are Pauline Guyse and Wilma Huckelby. As a family, we all attended this church. George Evans Taylor, Jr. December 2004.
This Tidbit in Time shared by the Hot Spring County Historical Society
The Heritage, Vol. 32, p. 30