Excerpt from Annual Address of A. J. Tomlinson to the 36th Annual Assembly in 1941 under heading “Searching for the Bible Church.”
In May, 1902, a group of deeply spiritual men and women met in the home of W. F. Bryant who lived in a community known as Camp Creek, Cherokee County, North Carolina. Under the direction of R. G. Spurling, who had formerly been a Baptist minister, they organized what they called, “The Holiness Church at Camp Creek.” The work did not make much progress but they worshipped the Lord and were faithful to their obligations and served the Lord.
After about a year of service they invited me to meet with them for counsel, the study of the Bible and prayers. The meeting was called for the thirteenth of June, 1903. I arrived at the home of W. F. Bryant the evening before where the church meetings had been held. I arose early the next morning and as soon as prayers and breakfast were over, I journeyed to the top of the mountain just back of the house. I looked out a place to pray. I felt heavy responsibilities upon me and that I should pray through. I asked the Lord to give me special wisdom and guidance, and to keep me from making any mistakes. I had been a close student of the Bible for many years and I was careful to obey its teachings perfectly. I prayed until I was satisfied and committed myself to God for safe keeping. I then went down to the base of the mountain and entered into the meeting that had been called.
When I understood fully that those saintly people meant to stand for the whole Bible rightly divided and take the New Testament as their only rule of faith and practice, it appealed to me and I became very much interested at once. I asked many questions and Bible answers were given which perfectly satisfied all of my inquiries. I then said, THIS MEANS THAT IT IS THE CHURCH OF GOD. To this they assented. Thus was found the Church of God of the Bible and prophecy that was destined to “Arise, shine; for thy light is come,” in the last days. Then I ventured to ask if they would be willing to receive me in the Church with the understanding that it IS the Church of God of the Bible. They were willing and I took the covenant with sincerity and extreme sacredness never to be forgotten.
At that time I did not know that David, in his prophecy, was searching for the Church of the last days. But when he found it he plainly stated that “we found it in the fields of the wood.” Neither did I know about the “springs of water.” Neither did I know about the airplane that was being constructed at that very same time on the sand dunes at the other end of the state. Neither did I know then that the last days Church and the airplanes were foreordained, according to prophecy, to come up at the same time and in the same state in the new world. But it was true that the “Arise, shine” was fulfilled in western North Carolina, June 13, 1903, while the airplane made its first flight December 17, of the same year in the extreme northeastern part of the same state.