b. 1920

by Carolyn Townsend, St. Bartholomew’s Church, Pittsboro, 2014

At the age of eight Moleta Waddell became a member of St. James’ Chapel, the African American mission in Pittsboro. Her parents, Minnie and Charlie Waddell, had seven children, including Mildred, Moleta, Ruth, and two boys who died of diphtheria.

Moleta attended Horton School in Pittsboro when her family lived nearby. When asked by their landlord to move during the Depression, the family lived way out of town toward the Haw River. For two years the children did not go to school because it was too far to walk. “Mama taught us (Mildred and Moleta) at home; Ruth was just five years old.” Later they went to Hanks Chapel, a country school. When the family moved back to Pittsboro Moleta attended Horton School from seventh through eleventh grade, with no twelfth grade offered at that time.

Minnie Waddell was acquainted with Rebecca Glover and Martha Quince, who worshipped at St. James’ Mission, where Rebecca also served as treasurer. They were both active in the St. James’ branch of the Woman’s Auxiliary. Minnie and her daughters also became very active branch members. Minnie was President from 1944 to 1953. Ruth was a long-time Treasurer, and Moleta served several terms as Secretary and as UTO Custodian. The participation of women at St. James’ began to decline by the 1960s. The last branch listing was in 1963, four years before the mission was closed. Rebecca Glover was President; Minnie was Vice President; Moleta was Secretary; and Ruth was UTO Custodian.

In 1958 the priest-in-charge at St. James’ transferred to St. Philip’s, Salisbury. Moleta remembers that following this move, most of the clergy came from St. Bartholomew’s to St. James in the afternoon to conduct services. She also remembers when the chapel was de-consecrated and sold to the Methodist Church in 1967, then subsequently used by the fire department in a training exercise. “When St. James was deconsecrated I felt so bad; they burned the church down – it was all the church I knew.” The rector of St. Bartholomew’s came to the Waddell’s house and talked with Minnie about coming over to St. Bartholomew’s. The family did transfer in 1968, the same year Minnie died.

Moleta married and moved to Bynum, a mill town between Chapel Hill and Pittsboro. Later she moved back to Pittsboro in the 1940s and returned to worship at St. James where she led the “Call and Response.” Her children Franklin and Rudolph were baptized at St. James and served as acolytes. Her youngest son, Wayne, was baptized at St. Bartholomew’s where he served as an acolyte. Franklin’s oldest daughter, Teresa, came to live with Moleta from the fourth grade through high school. She was baptized and served as an acolyte at St. Bartholomew’s.

Today Moleta remains very active at St. Bartholomew’s – Episcopal Church Women, Altar Guild, Contemplative Prayer group, Thursday Lunch volunteers – and she helps bring communion and music to the residents of Cambridge Hills Assisted Living. She has proudly served as a Lector for the past twenty years.