The Shady Grove Baptist Church Pastor, Deacons, and Board of Trustees along with the Church Family are happy to announce the Dedication and Renaming of the church’s Fellowship Hall as the ‘Rev. London C. Knuckles Family Life Center’. The ceremony will take place on Sunday November 27th during the morning worship service.

Rev. London C. Knuckles came to Cherokee County and Shady Grove Baptist Church in 1939 from Cherokee Springs and Foster’s Grove Baptist Church.  It was then that he married Mary Janelle Gaffney, who was his helpmate of 71 years until her death in 2007.  They had three children, Lee Clinton, Grace Vernell, and Mary Crystal.

After joining Shady Grove Baptist Church, he came under the tutelage of Pastor  Rev. Joel King, uncle of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Deacon Cornelius Baxter, and Deacon Bamus Hogue.  It was through these early mentoring experiences with these strong men of God that he grew strong in the Lord and developed a zeal  for service. 

While at Shady Grove he served as the adult Sunday School Teacher for 15 years.  He also accepted the call to the deaconship ministry and later became chairman of the Board of Deacons serving for 20 years. In 1960, he answered the call to preach the gospel.

His pastoral ministries included Haynes Grove Baptist Church in Cliffside, NC around 1965, supply pastor at New Vernon Baptist Church in Bostic, NC and pastor of Palmer Grove Baptist Church in Lawndale, NC for 16 years.  He later served as pastor of Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church, Bessemer City, NC for four years, and served as interim pastor at Foster’s Grove Baptist Church for two years.

Rev. Knuckles retired from the pastoral vineyard, but not from numerous other ministries honoring our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  He soon began a radio preaching ministry which aired for 25 years each Sunday morning at 9:30 AM on WEAC-AM Radio Station, Gaffney South Carolina until the station closed several years ago.

Among his other acomplishments:

• Rev. Knuckles led the effort for renaming Highway  # 61 as Shady Grove Road..  He went to every household on the three mile long road and procured the signature of every resident seeking agreement to the road renaming.

• He was also employed by the Cherokee Memorial Hospital for ten years where he served and ministered to the patients’ physical and spiritual needs.
• Awards:  Rev. Knuckles has received many rewards over the years for his service and commitment to kingdom building.
• Served the Thickety Mountain Baptist Association for 60 years as Secretary of the Association and Chairman of the Trustee Board.
• He received plaque from the Thickety Mountain Brotherhood—July 2004 for those 60 years of service.
• He received the ‘Interest Buster’ Award at Shady Grove Baptist Church Mortgage Burning Service for ‘LEADING THE DRIVE’ to pay off Shady Grove Church Mortgage – quarter of a million dollars,  IN 13 YEARS…December 1987- 2000.  The church was deemed ‘debt free’ during a special service.  He went to and fro, contacting current and former church members, out of town members, businesses, friends, soliciting money to make consistent payments on the church’s principal loan amount to eliminate accumulating interest.
• Rev. Knuckles received the award and plaque ‘For Significant Religious Contributions” by City of Gaffney Bicentennial Religion Celebration Committee/ May 2004
• He organized along with Rev. Dewey Whittenburg, Cherokee County Consistory # 267 and served as Commander in Chief.  He also served as Senior Warden of the Limestone Masonic Lodge #117 for many years.  In 1996, he was awarded a plaque and lifetime membership for his years of dedication and outstanding service.  He received the citation for a 32nd. Degree Mason in May of 1997.
• Received plaque April 2010 for being the oldest and living active (90 years old) member of the Blue Lodge (60 years) of South Carolina by State Blue Lodge Officials.
• Received plaque for service as a member of the Thickety Mountain Association Ministerial Alliance, Cherokee County Ministerial Alliance and a 10-year volunteer chaplain at Upstate Carolina Medical Center.
• Serviced as a member of the Broad River Baptist Association Ministerial Alliance.
• Honored with plaque upon retiring from Cherokee County School District with 28 years of dedicated service.
• He led a radio ministry broadcasting each Sunday morning for the past 25 years on WEAC AM at 9:30.  His last broadcast was Fall 2009 when WEAC closed.
• Served also as chaplain for Brown Packing Company of Gaffney.
• Served on the Executive Board of the Burning Bush Ministry and the Limestone Cemetery Foundation for many, many years.
• Received the Cluggeon Black Senior Citizens Award for his work with the author and historian as well as the Limestone Cemetery Foundation, investigating the history and education of early black entrepreneurs in Cherokee County.
• Served as president of the Limestone Cemetery Foundation,  and  armed with picks, hoes, lawnmowers, and grass trimmers in hand, he and many others cleared and restored the decaying and vandalized Limestone Cemetery .  He and the Senior Citizens Club along with Charlean and Henry Blaine Gaffney and others,  initiated fund raisers to fund  a gate, and  granite signage to identify this historic place.  They later petitioned and secured the City of Gaffney and state of South Carolina catapulted by Mayor Jolly, Officer James Taylor, and Councilman Thomas Reid  to maintain this historic location.
• Received retirement plaque in appreciation for 28 years of employee service presented by B.D. Lee School.

Everyone is cordially invited to attend this momentous occasion on Sunday November 27, 2011 during the 11:00 a.m. worship service.