PERIOD WORSHIP SERVICES

The two worship services offered during the "Gunstocks and Bustles" event reflected two distinct elements of Arrow Rock's history. The first of the churches to hold the reenactment services, the 1872 Christian Church, was chosen in part because the Sites had been founding members of this congregation. In addition, the Arrow Rock Christian Church was an example of an active "Campbellite" congregation. Members of this western Restoration Movement, as it was called, looked back to scripture and early church practices for guidance in their beliefs and worship. Notes about the worship service explain: "'Campbellites,' as they were called by others, sought to pattern their lives after the early church, looked to the Bible for authority and not the creeds of man, and favored immersion as adults who joined the church after a rational choice and confession. The Sunday morning service was more like a public assembly for the edification of the brethren from Scripture than a time of worship and praise." The period worship service sought not only to convey these beliefs and the Campbellite style of worship, but also to ground the scripture readings and sermons in elements of Arrow Rock's history. The notes about the worship service state: "Indeed, the people and events mentioned in the service all happened at the Arrow Rock Christian Church from 1872 to 1893." Friends director Kathy Borgman and intern coordinator Lori Gates conducted the research on the characters and traditions of this church and wrote the script for the service.

Brown's Chapel Free Will Baptist Church, built in 1871, was restored by the Friends of Arrow Rock in 1998. Holding a service in this historic building, which housed the first black school as well as the Baptist Church, allowed the Friends of Arrow Rock to address the story of Arrow Rock's African-American population. As is stated in the notes about the service, "the people and events referenced in the service ... are all real and took place at Brown's Chapel Free Will Baptist Church in Arrow Rock, Missouri." The historic character around which the worship service was based, Pastor Harrison Green, was "a popular and over-worked minister" in Arrow Rock and at the Fairview Colored Baptist Church north of Marshall, Missouri. Notes about the service continue: "Harrison Green ... is listed on the 1880 Arrow Rock census as being 33 years old [and] a minister. ...Besides pastoring two churches, Green was one of the two teachers in the first black school established in Brown's Chapel and served as Worshipful master of Brown Lodge No. 22 of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons until at least 1906." Although the African-American population, like the entire population of Arrow Rock, has since dwindled, it represented a significant portion of the post-Civil War town. Presenting the service, then, allowed the Friends of Arrow Rock to interpret this significant of its history in a lively, engaging manner. Clyde Ruffin, a professional performer, both wrote and presented the service.