King, Church to be honored

Published 9:31 pm Friday, November 19, 2010

Arlena King , 100, will be honored with her church during the 108th anniversary and homecoming for Siloam Baptist Church in Orrville. -- Submitted

ORRVILLE — The story of Arlena L. King’s devotion to her faith reminds one of the lyrics to the hymn written by Frances R. Havergal in 1874:

Take my life, and let it be

Consecrated, Lord, to Thee;

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Take my moments and my days,

Let them flow in ceaseless praise.

King and her church, Siloam Baptist Church of Orrville, will celebrate more than a century Sunday, Nov. 21.

The church’s 108th anniversary and homecoming is slated for Sunday. The congregation will gather to honor King, who celebrated her 100th birthday in June at the Carl C. Morgan Convention Center with family and friends.

“Sister King has been a very faithful member of the Siloam Baptist Church for many years and she continues to actively participate within her church and churches in the community,” said Patrice Smith, her granddaughter.

King joined the Old Siloam Baptist Church under the leadership of the 10th pastor, the Rev. G.R. Young, who served from 1922-1925. She was 14 years old.

Family and friends said King would walk 2.5 miles from her house to the church to sing in the choir. At that particular time, the church was located near Rayford Estates.

King married and left the church for a while to join her husband’s congregation at First Baptist Church in Orrville. She remained there until his death in the early 1960s.

She returned to Siloam with her daughter, the late Patricia Ann King Smith, in 1962, and King has continued her devotion.

She teaches the adult Sunday school on Sunday mornings, and trains the young women under her to prepare to take leadership roles, King’s granddaughter added.

King only stopped driving four years ago at the age of 96. She remains active, however, in a number of other church-related activities including serving as chairperson of the program committee; attending the Dallas County Women’s Convention, Dallas County Congress and Baptist Training Union and the Baptist Association.

Friends at the church say Siloam and its congregation have been blessed by her presence all these years.