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FROM THE BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF PRIMITIVE OR OLD SCHOOL BAPTIST MINISTERS BY DAVID MONTGOMERY AND MARK GREEN:
WRITTEN BY BROTHER JOHN W. GIBSON, CLERK OF SALEM PRIMITIVE BAPTIST CHURCH:
Elder Jerry Downs Shain was born March 8, 1889, in Grayson County, Kentucky, son of Elder Creed M. and Melvina DeWeese Shain. He married Miss Lena Opal Teague on August 12, 1908. They had no children. He united with Pine Knob Primitive Baptist Church on November 24, 1911 and was baptized May 26, 1912. He moved his membership to Flat Creek in the Highland Association on February 16, 1913 where he began his ministry and was ordained on August 22, 1913. He was always ready to advise and aid his congregation--was forgiving of wrong done him--was called “Father in the Ministry” by many elders.
Elder Shain was called as pastor of Salem Church in Madisonville in 1918 and moved his membership there on April 11, 1922. Under his leadership Salem grew from nineteen to 175 members and moved from a rented dwelling house twice into new buildings (I understand that he designed and helped to build the first building on Kentucky Avenue--he was a carpenter). Elder Shain was pastor of eleven churches, preached in fifteen states, and was clerk of the Highland Association and its moderator from 1931 until 1954. He published the Messenger of Zion from 1918 until 1941, published the Daily Song Book from 1920 until 1945 (from his own print shop). He was Madisonville’s postmaster for twenty years, and was Hopkins County Judge for two terms. He was in his ninth year as City Judge at the time of his death.
Elder Shain suffered a serious heart attack on February 4, 1971.
WRITTEN BY ELDER JEFF WINFREY: Elder E. D. McCutcheon once told me a story about Brother Shain. As I remember the story, Brother McCutcheon and Brother Hardwick (both from Mississippi) were having problems. Elder McCutcheon, at that time a young man, and Elder Hardwick, an old and well-seasoned minister, both came to Madisonville, KY, and told Elder Shain that they were quitting preaching forever! Upon hearing this he opened the drawer of his desk in the judge's chambers. He found his checkbook and wrote Hardwick a check for (if I remember correctly) $5000. He handed him the check and told him it was his to keep if he would truly promise him that he would never preach again. Elder Hardwick replied, "Shain, you know that I can't promise you such a thing as that." Elder Shain responded, "Well if you don't mean it don't say it!
And get back to Mississippi and get to preaching." That is exactly what Elder Hardwick did. |
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