On the eighteenth and nineteenth days of September 1918, at the
First Baptist Church of Star City, Arkansas, a new Baptist Association held its
first Annual Session. A group of brethren from seven churches in the
Friendship Association, feeling the need for "a more aggressive missions
program," met at Star City's First Baptist Church.
Because of their desire for total unity within the group, they
called the new association "Harmony." They agreed that
the new association would cooperate with the Arkansas Baptist State Convention
and the Southern Baptist Convention.
The seven charter churches were:
-
Beech Street Baptist, Pine Bluff (now South Side)
-
Dumas First Baptist
-
Hazel Street Baptist (now Immanuel)
-
Hickory Grove Baptist, Star City
-
Ohio Street Baptist, Pine Bluff (now Pine Bluff Second
Baptist)
-
Pine Bluff First Baptist
-
Star City First Baptist
The first full-time associational missionary (the position
referred to today as "Director of Missions"), D.W. Bolton, was called
soon thereafter.
