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Founded in 1870, Wadsworth Congregational Church in Sedalia has a storied history.

A slave runs away from Guilford County, earns a college degree with help from a famous poet, returns to the county after the Civil War, buys land from the family of his former master and builds a church. This church.

The slave was Madison Lindsay, who came back with a reverend in front of his name.

He had gone north before the Civil War and worked as a servant for the noted poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, according to the News & Record’s history expert, semi-retired reporter Jim Schlosser.

After attending Oberlin College in Ohio, Lindsay returned home and established the church under a brush arbor.

He named it for the poet’s mother, whose maiden name was Wadsworth.

A photo of Lindsay and his wife hangs in the sanctuary of the building that replaced the old church, which was moved to the rear of the property.

Need a reason to visit? On July 19 , the church, now on the National Register of Historic Places, will celebrate the 10th pastoral anniversary of the Rev. George A. Wooten with special services at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m ., 1301 Rock Creek Dairy Road , Whitsett.

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Rusty Parsons, the pastor at Centre Friends Meeting , a Quaker church in Randolph County, agreed to cut his hair if the vacation Bible school collected 500 cans of food. The stash would go to Communities In Schools of Randolph County’s BackPack Pals program.

Not only did the Centre congregation meet the goal, according to gleeful church members, they far exceeded it by raising more than 2,000 cans of food and drink.

“BackPack Pals” provides food for the weekend for children and youth who might not have enough at home, according to Gwen Taylor, assistant director of Communities In Schools of Randolph County. The program began in the 2007-08 school year, according to Sandi Norman, executive director, who told the church that teachers and cafeteria workers noticed children ravenously devouring breakfast at school on Monday mornings.

The challenge was the idea of Martha Way , director of the Centre’s Vacation Bible School.

Parsons’ wife, Darlene, is an elementary school teacher in Randolph County.

“We knew people would be generous in their donations, but we were overwhelmed at the response. I do not have any regrets in having my hair cut for this cause,” Parsons said. “Jesus said, 'For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in.’”(Matthew 25:35).

Contact Nancy McLaughlin at 373-7049 or nancy.mclaughlin@news-record.com