Round O celebrates 125 years

By Dwight Dana
Morning News reporter
Published: July 26, 2008

MONT CLARE —The Rev. M.A. McMillan thought the name “Round O” was rather strange for a church when he first heard it in 1997.

But it’s as familiar as the name of family members today as Round O Missionary Baptist Church prepares to celebrate its 125th anniversary Thursday through Aug. 3.

McMillan has been the pastor since February 1998. He was selling cars in Lake City and was discussing a deal with a church member when Round O came into his life.

McMillan had gone through a rough experience in a church he had pastored for seven years. He was working at the car lot to sort out his feelings.

“The customer mentioned to me that Round O needed a minister,” McMillan said. “She asked if I was interested.”

The first thing McMillan said he thought was, “Round O — what kind of name is that for a church?”

But the name weighed heavy on his heart and he decided to find out. He “prayerfully submitted” a résumé and was asked to preach at a service in November 2007.

He liked what he saw, and he learned the origin of “Round O.”

“From what I understand, ‘Round O’ came out of Flat Creek Baptist Church down the road,” McMillan said. “The charter members purchased this parcel of land here. It was an oval shape when they cleared it, not square.”

Even more amazing was something that fell on the cleared land and burned a big round hole in the ground.

“That was in 1883, and it could have been a meteorite or a falling star,” McMillan said. “But the members then thought whatever hit the ground was a sign from above, so they decided to name the church ‘Round O.’”

McMillan has been happy at Round O, which was established by the Rev. Isaiah Williams and deacons Arthur McDaniel and Daniel Poole. He’s been preaching since he was 16. He was raised and heavily influenced by his grandparents. His grandmother was also a preacher.

“I’ve learned a lot about life and many valuable lessons at Round O,” he said. “My life was pretty much built around my grandmother, and the church members are as close to me as my grandmother. We’ve gone through many changes here as older members have passed and newer members come in.”

The current sanctuary was built in 1999. The old one was made into a Sunday school building.

“Although we are housed in a beautiful sanctuary, we continue to seek God’s blessings for spiritual growth in our church according to his will,” McMillan said. “We pray for many spiritual and prosperous years as God continues to lead and guide us to higher heights.

“Our mission is to provide a warm and inviting, uplifting atmosphere for each person and create a spirit of unity and love with the church body. We also strive to exemplify Christian character in communicating with others.”

All former pastors have been invited to the anniversary celebration, which starts with a worship service Thursday night. A banquet follows Friday night at the Darlington Country Club. A big picnic with a smorgasbord of events is scheduled for Saturday. Activities wind up Sunday afternoon with Dr. A.C. Robinson of Pleasant Grove Baptist Church preaching the concluding message.