When the cold of winter snaps the leaves from the trees on West Meeting Street, Denley Caughman can look out his office window in Moriah Baptist Association Center and see the location of his birth. Born in the old Marion Sims Hospital on the site where Springs Memorial Hospital stands today, Caughman grew up in Winnsboro, but says Lancaster has always figured significantly in his life. In addition to his birthplace, it was also here that he received his first paycheck.
“I planted an acre of okra and would bring it to Lancaster and sell it to the old A&P Grocery Store,” he said. “I was 15 at the time, and they paid me $78 one week. That was big money then.”
Ann and Denley CaughmanThe teenager didn’t know that one day Lancaster would play a more significant part in his life. He accepted the position of director of missions with Moriah Baptist Association in August 1999, and for the past six years, Lancaster has been home to him and his wife Ann. That will soon change as the couple embarks on what has been a longtime goal. At the end of this year, they will move to Marion where they will operate The Grove, a bed and breakfast inn. It is the fulfillment of a dream that began in 1972 when they were guests in a bed and breakfast inn in England.
He announced his decision at the Oct. 4 annual meeting of the Moriah Baptist Association. Benjy Simmons, pastor of Fork Hill Baptist Church, was speaker. In what might have been an appropriate sermon for someone who had just announced a major life-changing decision, Simmons’ topic was, “How to break out of a rut.””He talked to us about getting a grip on life,” Caughman said with a hearty laugh. “He told us, ‘Do something radical.'”
A heart for missions
As director of missions, Caughman brought to the position years of experience in the ministry, the most recent as pastor of Garden City Baptist Church, where he served for 21 years. A graduate of Charleston Southern University, he obtained his master of divinity degree at New Orleans Baptist Seminary and his doctorate at Southeastern Baptist Seminary. But the only diploma hanging on the wall in his office is from Riverside Military Academy in Gainesville, Ga.
“It was at Riverside that I received the most formative education in my life, and it’s where my relationship with Christ was grown,” he said. “When I graduated, I knew I would enter the ministry.”
In addition to his leadership position and assisting pastors in the 54 churches in the association, his missions-minded nature and influence have been spread throughout the county. He began directing the church’s vision outwardly. As part of his coaching technique, he scheduled quarterly day-tours around the city and county in what he described as “taking them out into the field.” He loaded pastors and others in a van and visited places such as the Joshua Project, Communities in Schools, the Fatherhood Project, Jackie’s Place and Christian Services.
“I wanted others to see the need and to also see God’s hand at work in Lancaster,” he said.
Last year, Caughman and Wayne Murray planned a community Advent service in an effort to build a Christian alliance among Lancaster citizens. About a dozen churches of various denominations participated. He described the community service as a rare opportunity for churches to move beyond the boundaries imposed upon them and saw the gathering as a positive means of appreciating others more. “The church of Jesus Christ will not significantly move forward until some of the walls between the races are torn down,” he said. “We have to recognize the value of one another, love each other and work together to the benefit of all.”In 2000, about 150 people from 35 Moriah churches began meeting at the Moriah Center for prayer and discussion in seeking direction for the future. Under his leadership, they considered growth in the county, changing lifestyles, escalating needs among people and the number of unchurched people. Called “Thy Kingdom Come,” the group established an agenda on how the church could best serve the needs of the people, which included preparation for starting a new church in the fast-growing Panhandle area.
“The objective was for our churches in the association to develop a missionary mindset regarding the changes in the county,” he said. “One of my greatest challenges has been to increase awareness that we are living in a constantly changing county.”
Eye on the future
Operating a bed and breakfast inn will be nothing new to the Caughmans. Ann Caughman has assisted at numerous social functions held at Lancaster’s bed and breakfast inn, Kilburnie Inn at Craig Farm. When Johannes Tromp, co-owner, host and innkeeper of Kilburnie, left for Europe to celebrate his parents’ 60th wedding anniversary, he knew just the couple to call upon to oversee Kilburnie while he was away.
“Denley and Ann Caughman have always been a good source for me,” Tromp said. “And it gave me the opportunity to get away.”
While surfing the Internet, Ann found Montgomery Grove Bed and Breakfast Inn, located two blocks off Main Street in Marion, and liked what she found.
The Grove – On Dec. 30, the Caughmans will become occupants of the bed and breakfast in Marion.In June 2004, the couple celebrated their wedding anniversary at Montgomery Grove. During their first visit, Ann said she was delighted to see a “for sale” flyer on a table as they were walking down the hall. Within six months, the couple began investigating and negotiating for the property. And their dreams for the future will become a reality on Dec. 30 when they become occupants of The Grove, as the inn was originally known.
Built in 1893, the 9,000-square-foot, three-story home of Eastlake Victorian architecture has wrap-around porches and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Situated on five acres, it was initially named The Grove because of its stately trees. Its gardens feature magnolias, flowering crepe myrtles, fragrant olives, camellias, dogwoods, redbuds and azaleas.
“The Grove will provide the opportunity for Ann to practice her gifts of hospitality,” Caughman said.
Although operating an inn will require a lot of time and energy, he said he plans to continue his personal ministry. He has been trained in intentional interim work that teaches pastors how to make the best of the time churches face in between having a full-time pastor.
“The training focused on how to move the church forward during the interim between pastors, and I’m looking forward to doing that,” he said. “It will be a good outlet and church ministry for me, and I will also minister on a one-on-one basis at the inn, as well.”