The Rev. W. E. Rodgers came to the Greenlee church in September, 1928. It was during this time that three Sunday School rooms were built onto the back of the frame church building. Mr. H. A. Williams did the majority of the carpentry work.
     After returning from India in 1928 the Rev. and Mrs. M. E. Parrish held a tent revival in Shafer's Field. A baptismal service was held following this revival in which the Rodgers' son, David, was baptized at age nine, along with others.
     The Rodgers lived in a house next to the site of the above mentioned tent meeting. Mr. Rodgers recalls, "We paid $8.00 per month rent and burned creosote ties for wood. When the creosote burned the stove jumped up and down."

W. M.Selvey

     The Rev. W. M. Selvey came to the Greenlee Church in 1930. During his pastorate the Sunday School enrollment was the highest in the history of the church: 269 enrolled, with 199 average attendance. Mr. Selvey recalls that attendance in the frame church was so large that neighbors' homes were often used for Sunday School classes. Particularly responsible for the large attendance was the fact that the church operated a truck which collected people for services.
     Since the growing church and Sunday School membership could not be accommodated easy, the pastor and members began to talk of a new and larger church. Mrs. W. G. Fainter experienced a vision in which she saw a church built on land that she and her husband owned. So in obedience, Mr. and Mrs. Fainter donated three choice lots on a corner of their farm at Natural Bridge Station. The following is part of the minutes of a church business meeting conducted on July 26th, 1932 . . .

"Called to order by pastor, W. M. Selvey . . . Meeting opened by singing hymn number 139, 'Blessed Assurance Jesus Is Mine'. Scripture read: Philippians second chapter. Prayer by pastor.

The matter of building a new church was taken up and discussed in detail. The results were
   12 to build on present location,
   37 on north side of the river
   and 4 not to build at all.

A motion was then made to accept the lot given by Brother and Sister Fainter. Motion carried with a vote of thanks for the gift.

A motion was then made to appoint a building committee and a building fund treasurer and to start collection of pledges and offering . . . but to wait until spring to start work on the building.

Vote being taken . . . . .
   the motion was lost.

A motion was then made to appoint a building committee and a building fund treasurer and to start work at once. Motion carried. Bro. Selvey was nominated and elected as building fund treasurer. Nominations were called for building committee.
   William Selvey,
   L H. Firebaugh and
   F. H. Fainter were nominated and elected.

A motion was then made to elect trustees for the new church . . . motion carried.
   S. D. Booth,
   L. H. Fireball and
   F. C. Campbell were nominated and elected.
   - M. L. Puckett, secretary"

     Thus the erection of the present block building was begun in midsummer of 1932. At that time, there were five houses in the community.
     Since the majority of manual labor was donated by member and friends of the church, women in the area fixed meals each day for the workers (sometimes as many as 20 per day) A team of horses (white, as one member calls to mind) and a scoop pan were used in digging out the foundation. Blocks for the church were made at the building site, mortar was mixed there and through a cooperative process the blocks were laid. A church member, Harry Reynolds, treasures the possession of a trowel he used in laying blocks.
     The carpentry work was done by John Powell, and by October the building was ready to be occupied. Wainscoting from the church across the river was placed in the new church. Also the members decided to utilize the old benches as well as the organ. (Shortly after this the church was able to buy a new piano.)
     Thus on October 30, 1932, the first service was held in the new Greenlee Pentecostal Holiness Church, which cost approximately $1,300 (as previously stated, most of the labor was donated). The Rev. A. D. Wiley spoke at the morning service, after which "dinner on the ground" was served nearby in an apple orchard -- actually at the present location of Natural Bridge High School.
     In 1933, a P Y. P. S (Pentecostal Young People's Society) was organized with 50 active members and 10 honorary members. Later this organization's name was changed nationally to P H. Y. S. (Pentecostal Holiness Youth Society), then to Lifeliners.

M.E. Parish

     The Rev. and Mrs. M. E. Parish came to pastor the Greenlee Church in 1933. Mrs. Parrish was an ordained minister and adequately filled the pulpit for her husband any time he had to be absent from services. With three of the children (Marvin, Marguerite, and Helen) old enough to stay in the sanctuary, Mrs. Parrish would rock the baby (Giles) in an adjoining Sunday School room. Then someone would tend to Giles when it was time for Mrs. Parrish to preach.
     At this time ministers as well as laymen did much manual labor. Once, after butchering hog's, Mrs. Parrish was taking some liver pudding to her mother, Mrs. E. R. Clower, in Roanoke. On the way to Roanoke she became involved in a minor car accident but found to her perplexity that her shoe had come to rest in the pudding! When the Parrish children sensed that their mother was late in returning they asked their babysitter, Mildred Smith (McDaniel), "lf mom doesn't get back will you be our mom?"
     On May 24 1935, Mr. Parrish married Louise McCullough and Maurice Reynolds in the Greenlee Church. This was the first wedding in the new church structure.
     The Parrishes possessed a burning call for missionary service in India, having previously served the Pentecostal Holiness denomination there. Thus, before the end of their two-year pastorate at the Greenlee Church, Mr. and Mrs. Parish definitely felt that they must soon return to India.
     Therefore, after leaving Greenlee, they began to visit other churches - making up their fare to go back to India. In a service at Buena Vista money was received to purchase a motorcycle in India. Later the Parrishes mailed each donor a picture of the useful mode of transportation.
     The Parrishes departed for their second term in India in 1936. Just before this a farewell service was conducted at the Roanoke Pentecostal Holiness Church. Several friends from the Greenlee Church attended and as one recalls, "There were a lot of people present and many tears were shed."
     The Parrishes' daughter and son-in-law, the Rev. and Mrs. Hobart Howard (Marguerite) serve the Pentecostal Hotness Church as missionaries in Bihar, India. Website