On the day following, which was the Sabbath, the colored people of the neighborhood assembled to see the new arbor and enjoy a meeting. Now it happened that no one present had ever led a meeting, and the first question to be settled was, "who should lead the meeting?" Every one, that was asked to lead it, insisted, "the man who built the arbor" must serve as leader of the meeting.
Young Homer accepted the situation and led the meeting in the best manner possible. The exercises consisted of a prayer, the reading of a familiar passage from the Bible, some remarks by the leader and others, and the singing from memory of a few plantation melodies, such as "Kentucky Home," "Swanee River", and "The Angels Are Coming to Carry Me Home."
At the second meeting, which was held on the following Sabbath, the people were formed into a class for instruction in the Bible and catechism, and Homer was chosen to be the leader. This was the organization of the Sunday school for that neighborhood.
At this meeting Homer offered prayer the first time in the presence of others; and it happened in this way. When he called on the friend, who led in prayer at the first meeting to do so again, he politely declined, saying: "Homer you lead in prayer, yourself."
A TEACHER, ELDER AND PREACHER
This arbor, which was the tiny beginning of the Beaver Dam church, was built in 1873, the year after he became of age. The next year this place was visited by Rev. Charles W. Stewart, and it then became one of his regular monthly appointments. Homer was again appointed Bible teacher and leader of the meetings, on the other Sabbaths.
In 1875 a church house or meeting place was built of saplings, near the old arbor, that continued to be used for many years.
In 1881 he was elected as the first elder of the church, and in 1887 was appointed a Catechist. Encouraged by these recognitions and duties he secured a good library of religious books including a Bible dictionary and a Webster. He read many of them with great profit, and was soon recognized as an intelligent and valuable instructor of the people. The Bible and the shorter Catechism, the one containing all of Bible truth and the other, a brief compend of Bible doctrine, were the two books that were studied most and proved most helpful.
In 1893 he was licensed to preach by the Presbytery of Choctaw and assigned the pastoral care of Beaver Dam and Hebron churches. On Sept. 28, 1895, by the same Presbytery, meeting at Oak Hill Academy, now known as the Alice Lee Memorial, he was ordained to the full work of the gospel ministry. He continued to serve Beaver Dam, his old home church, until Oct. 1, 1912, when, after a pastorate of twenty years, he was honorably retired from the active work of the gospel ministry. In 1904 he secured the erection of a commodious chapel at Grant that, during the next five years, served also as the most convenient place for holding the neighborhood school. After serving Hebron about ten years on alternate Sabbaths, in connection with Beaver Dam, he relinquished that field and served Sandy Branch and Horse Prairie, each a short period.
When the Presbytery of Kiamichi met in the new chapel at Grant, in April 1905, he conducted the Bible lesson for the entire Sunday school, as had been his custom ever since the early days. The writer was pleasantly surprised and profoundly impressed, by his scholarly and highly instructive management of it, and the many useful, practical lessons he endeavored to impress.