You could have called it a mill church, this once large, now small, church in upstate South Carolina.
That is no longer a good description because it has been almost three decades since the members were primarily workers in Riverside Mill. The mill, constructed in the early 1900s, produced “greige” (pronounced grey) material, a cotton fabric of many uses, and employed 400-600 people. It ceased textile operations in the mid-1980s. For a time after Riverside’s closing and sale, it housed a silk-screening concern, retail services, and a warehouse. Some years ago it burned.
This 109-year-old Riverside Baptist Church in Anderson is served by a bivocational minister, Wayne Adams. Although small in number, averaging around 40 for Sunday services, the church has a full range of Southern Baptist programs: two services on Sunday, Sunday school, a Wednesday night prayer meeting, WMU, and a children’s ministry. It is in Saluda Association.
The church was organized in 1901. The members met in Riverside Hall, a building used for a church on Sundays and as a school during the week. The first Riverside Baptist Church building was built in 1909 on a lot donated by Riverside Mill Company, which also contributed one-third of the construction cost. In January 1939, the church building was destroyed by fire, rebuilt and completed in August 1939. In January 1975, a fellowship hall and gymnasium were built.
The recipe for Baked Savory Pork Chops was printed in one of the first cookbooks published by the church and was submitted by Mrs. Linda Culberson. Mrs. Culberson died in December 2002. She was active in the church for 20 years or more as a member of the Sunshine Mothers Sunday School Class and a frequent helper with VBS, among other things.
Linda’s children are Lee Brock and Aaron Culberson. She has four grandchildren: Rebecca Culberson, Cameron Brock, Autumn Culberson and Emma Culberson. Her husband Vernon now lives in Asheville.
This is a good recipe for several reasons. It has only five ingredients. It is relatively low fat (if you trim all the fat from the chops) because the sauce is fat-free. The taste is good. It is easy to prepare by putting it unattended in the oven for an hour, unlike food you may be steaming, sautéing, etc. You can select chops with or without the bone.
You will notice the recipe doesn’t ask for salt. The ketchup provides all you need, but you may add more if you wish. I did not. Other seasonings that go well with pork are paprika, sage, rosemary, savory, etc.
The printing of this recipe is in honor of Mrs. Culberson and all those who worshiped and worked with her at Riverside Baptist for many years. Try this easy recipe this weekend. If you get up early, you can bake it before you go to Sunday school and it will be there for you to enjoy for … Sunday Dinner.
Baked Savory Pork Chops
1 cup ketchup
6 teaspoons brown sugar
6 lemon slices
1 cup water
6 lean pork chops, ½-inch thick
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium-sized bowl, combine ketchup, water and brown sugar. Blend well.
Arrange the pork chops in a single layer in a baking dish. Place a lemon slice on top of each chop. Pour the tomato-water-brown sugar sauce over all the chops. Bake in prepared oven for 1 hour. Yields 6 servings.