Richlands Christian Men's Fellowship Celebrates Fifty Years
	On November 16, 1950, twenty six men met to form a men's fellowship at First Christian Church Richlands, NC. From that time until today, the Richlands CMF has been an active Christian men's organization that has supported not only its local congregation but also the Southeastern District CMF and the NC Regional CMF. Fifty years later, Richlands CMF commemorated its anniversary. To start the evening, Dennis Jones, master of ceremonies, reviewed the history of Richlands CMF from the early days to the present. In the early days, CMF sponsored a number of family outings and meals for the church. Some of the early members reminisced about those times. Particularly memorable was a past project to supply speakers to area churches who had vacant pulpits. Through the years they supported a number of projects for youth. For many years they maintained Acorn Suite, a cottage at Camp Caroline. Some old favorite hymns sung by a men's quintet, accompanied by Tom Barbee on guitar, provided a prelude for speaker Rev. Phil Jones, minister at First Christian Church Ayden.
A quintet of Richland CMF members sang a number of old favorities. Tom Barbee (with guitar) is the son of Harvey Barbee, one of the founders. Rev. Phil Jones starts his message with a humorous ballard. Phil is the son of Nelson Jones, one of the founders. He is the 12th Timothy from Richlands First Christian Church.
Four men, who are still active, of the original twenty-six men were recognized by CMF President Bob Woodard. He presented each with a shirt which had been monogrammed with a logo designed for the 50th Anniversary event. Each of the four received a plaque which commemorated their 50 years of service. The plaques were presented by the youngest CMF member present Brian Jones, grandson of Nelson Jones. President Bob Woodard (left) congratulates Nelson Jones, Norwood Wilson, Harvey Barbee, and Robert Earl Brown. Regional Minister Rex Horne (right) looks on. Nelson Jones (seated), former President of the CMF in NC, confers with Norwood Wilson. Nelson and Norwood were both part of the founding group of Richlands CMF .
Founders' sons and grandsons that participated in the celebration included: Dennis Jones, Rev. Phil Jones, Ken Brown, Tom Barbee, and Brian Jones.
First Christian Church Richlands 300 W. Hargett St. Richlands, NC 28574 (910) 324-4690 Visit First Christian on the Web John "Eddie" Phenix, Minister
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