Rev. John Presley Woods

Pastor of Sun City Baptist Church,
Barber County, Kansas. From Elloise Leffler's photo collection, courtesy of Kim Fowles.
Sun City Baptist Church minute book:
"John Presley Woods of Clearwater Kans. was called to fill the pastorate and in May 1911 removed, with his family, to Sun City and commenced his pastoral work preaching his first sermon May 17, 1911." (He left in May 1912.)
He was the same Rev. J.P. Woods who was pastor of the Wilmore Baptist Church in Wilmore, Comanche County, Kansas.
 


Anecdotes about Ralph Massey and Reverend Woods

"Dad was 26 and Mom was 23 when they were married by Rev. J.P. Woods in the Sun City Baptist Church. Dad was pretty ornery and one Sunday morning he had slipped a deck of cards into J.P.'s top coat pocket handkerchief. Usually about half way through his hell and damnation sermon he would whip out the handkee to wipe the sweat off his brow and when he did the cards come flying out all over the alter, and naturally cards were the handy work of the devil!!!!!! Woods calmly picked the cards and stated to the congregation that it was evident that Ralph Massey was present today. Old preach got even with Dad on the wedding day (1916) by jacking the rear wheels of Dad's and Mom's get away car up so that it wouldn't move and the crowd gave them a gala shower of all sorts of produce and other items I guess." -- Nate Massey, July 2005.

For more information about Rev. J.P. Woods, including his obituary and news articles about his family members, see the Rev. J.P. Woods page on the Comanche County, Kansas: History and Genealogy site.

 
Thanks to Kim Fowles for finding, transcribing and contributing the above church minutes to this web site and to Nate Massey for the anecdotes,!